Worn out from worship!

For four years I taught at a wonderful Christian school in Chicago. At that time Roseland Christian School had approximately 400 students, all of whom were African American.

During my first year of teaching at that school I noticed that on Mondays my students seemed so tired and listless. After seeing this several weeks in a row, I asked them why they seemed so tired on Mondays. Charles, a fifth grader, explained it this way.

“You see, Mrs. Stronks, I think we are worn out from worship.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” I said.

“Well, on Sunday morning we go to church. We sing and sing until enough people are there so that church can start. Then the preacher preaches and we listen so that we know when to say “Amen” during the sermon. After morning worship we eat together. Then, in the afternoon we sing some more and finally, towards evening, we have another long worship service.”

“That really is a long day,” I agreed. “Is it difficult for you?”

“No, we love it. It’s the best day of the week. I’m just explaining why we are so tired on Mondays. You see, we are worn out from worship.”

I had never before met people who worship so much that it makes them worn out. It is a wonderful thought. Perhaps in the New Earth we will know how to fill our entire days with a great variety of ways to worship our God.

Our Christmas Moose

We had gone to bed very late last night because it was Christmas Eve. Our candle light worship service had lasted long and when we returned home we all sat up and talked for a long time.

Bill and Matt, our son and grandson, were making pancakes early this morning when suddenly we heard them shout. In the backyard were two moose, a mother and her little one. That wouldn’t be at all surprising if we lived in the woods because our home is in northeastern Washington. One often sees deer in the wooded regions around us and we warn each other to beware of deer when we drive at night.

But our home is in a fairly densely populated area and we never see deer where we live. Our condominium is in a courtyard surrounded by a wood fence. That’s why it was so amazing to see the two moose in our back yard. The boys ran out with their cameras and the moose looked at them and then walked away.

This was such a beautiful way to begin our Christmas day. It felt like a wonderful, unexpected gift. But Christmas always reminds me of the wonderful, unexpected gift we all have received. I hope it is a beautiful, blessed day for all of you.

Noteworthy Outcomes

George Barna has presented some of the most important findings we have concerning religious practices of Christians in America. Barna selected the following dozen outcomes as the most significant findings of 2006.

1. Although large majorities of the public claim to be “deeply spiritual” and say that their religious faith is “very important” in their life, only 15% of those who regularly attend a Christian church ranked their relationship with God as the top priority in their life. As alarming as that finding was, its significance was magnified by research showing that on average pastors believe that 70% of the adults in their congregation consider their relationship with God to be their highest priority in life.

2. Three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity. Among the most common of those endeavors are using a Ouija board, reading books about witchcraft or Wicca, playing games involving sorcery or witchcraft, having a “professional” do a palm reading or having their fortune told. Conversely, during the past year fewer than three out of every ten churched teenagers had received any teaching from their church about elements of the supernatural.


3. The notion of personal holiness has slipped out of the consciousness of the vast majority of Christians. While just 21% of adults consider themselves to be holy, by their own admission large numbers have no idea what “holiness” means and only one out of every three (35%) believe that God expects people to become holy.


4. The growing movement of Christian Revolutionaries in the U.S. distinguished themselves from an already-select group of people – born again Christians – through their deeds, beliefs and self-views. Revolutionaries demonstrated substantially higher levels of community service, financial contributions, daily Bible study, personal quiet times each day, family Bible studies, daily worship experiences, engagement in spiritual mentoring, and evangelistic efforts. They also had a series of beliefs that were much more likely than those of typical born again adults to coincide with biblical teachings. Their self-perceptions were also dramatically different than that of other born again adults.

5. Involvement in a house church is rapidly growing, although the transition is occurring with some trepidation: four out of every five house church participants maintain some connection to a conventional church as well.

6. Evaluating spiritual maturity remains an elusive process for clergy as well as individuals. Across the nation, the only measure of spiritual health used by at least half of all pastors was the extent of volunteer activity or ministry involvement. Adults were no more consistent in their self-examination of their spirituality.


7. Most Americans have a period of time during their teen years when they are actively engaged in a church youth group. However, Barna’s tracking of young people showed that most of them had disengaged from organized religion during their twenties.


8. A comparison of people’s faith before and after the September 11 terrorist attack showed that five years after the momentous day, none of the 19 faith measures studied had undergone statistically significant change. Those measures covered aspects such as religious behaviors, beliefs, spiritual commitment and self-identity.

9. Seven out of ten parents claim they are effective at developing the spiritual maturity of their children, but the Barna survey among 8-to-12-year-olds discovered that only one-third of them say a church has made “a positive difference” in their life; one-third contend that prayer is very important in their life; most of them would rather be popular than to do what is morally right. In fact, “tweeners” (those ages 8 to 12) deem their family to be vitally important in their life, but just 57% said they look forward to spending time with their family and only one out of every three say it is easy for them to talk to their parents about things that matter to them.


10. Relatively few people – just one out of every six – believe that spiritual maturity is meant to be developed within the context of a local church or within the context of a community of faith.

11. Five of the highest-profile Christian leaders – Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, James Dobson, Tim LaHaye and T.D. Jakes – were unknown to a majority of the population. Most of those leaders were also unknown to most born again Christians.

12. The faith contours of America continue to shift substantially over the course of time. The proportion of adults who are born again has risen dramatically in the past quarter century, from 31% to 45%. During the past two decades, every spiritual behavior has fluctuated significantly, with recent upsurge in Bible reading, church attendance, and small group involvement.

A wonderful greeting!

Friends in India, Lillian and Prem, sent this interesting news with the greeting.

It is yet another Christmas and one more year closer to His Second Coming.

Do you know the fact that the Christian to non-Christian ratio was 1:370 in 100 AD? Now it is 1:9 (out of which, 2 are nominal Christians!). Looking at it another way, the Communist bloc has fallen and now it is the Buddhist bloc, which is fast falling to the movement of the Spirit. Idol bloc (India) is beginning to tremble at the power of Spirit. Only the Muslim bloc and Jewish bloc remain!

However you look at it, we are at the very end of time.

That reminds us of the unfinished work of evangelizing the nations.

Thank you for your partnership of prayer, support, encouragement and training in this task of extending the Kingdom of God!

Let us pray, "Let thy kingdom come."

I am so grateful for people like Lillian and Prem who keep gratefully and happily working in the Kingdom!

If I lived in Soweto...

If I lived in Soweto…
I often think of what it would be like if I lived in one of the corrugated tin shacks in Soweto. How would I manage the daily tasks that have to be done?

For example, I would want to wash the dishes and so I would walk the quarter of a mile to the water tap and fill my pail. Walking back home would not be an easy task. I would then heat the water on my small cook stove. After the dishes were washed I would look around my room to see what else I could wash while I had this dishwater.

How would I dispose of the water? Down the center of the narrow road in front of my shack runs a trickling stream. It looks as though others have poured their dirty water there but to do so just adds to the messiness of the whole place. The other alternative is to walk the quarter of a mile to the toilet and pour it there.

How would I keep my children safe? There are men and boys sitting in their doorways everywhere because the rate of unemployment is extremely high. Idle hands make a great deal of mischief. Many of the women go into the city to work as maids. Would I dare to let my children go outdoors to play? Only if I were able to watch them every minute. If only I could send my children to a good Christian school I would know that they were safe and were learning during those hours.

I realize that the people of Soweto face many problems that I haven’t even begun to think of. But the people of Soweto are always on my mind…and especially the elderly woman whose name I can never remember.

A Christian School for Soweto?

A Christian School for Soweto?

My mind often goes back to the time I stood on a small rise in Soweto and looked out over row after row of corrugated tin shacks attached to each other. I knew that each shack housed several people, children and adults.

The picture shows the Christian preschool that already exists. What would it be like if Soweto had a Christian K-8 school for the children who leave Pastor Johnston Mncube and his wife Nomsa’s preschool? Will there ever come a time when Soweto has a Christian high school?

Our friend Samson Makhado is the director of eighty Christian schools in South Africa and he knows a great deal about the Soweto story. Samson knows how to establish an excellent Christian school in South Africa as does his friend, Dale Dieleman, the WCS field director for Africa. Pastor Mncube would love to see his school continue into the upper grades. The only thing lacking is enough money for this project.

Where can we find the money? If you have any ideas for ways of funding this project, please contact Dale at ddieleman@wwcs.org. Or contact me, Gloria Stronks, at gstronks@wwcs.org.

Christian Education in Soweto

The Road to a New South Africa: Christian Education in Soweto

by Emily Klooster

Field partners of Worldwide Christian Schools, Pastor Johnson Mncube and his wife Nomsa, run a small Christian school called Africa Outreach in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Soweto. The school began in 1993 with ten children from church-going families in the neighborhood. It has now grown to accommodate more than 70 students from the greater community.

“We are in the informal part of the city, where people of low income were placed because they can’t afford the demands of block houses,” Johnson said. “We are at the moment running a pre-school on which we want to run a big Christian school, as there are no Christian schools in the black communities. There are schools that are multiracial…but there are all kinds of religions taught there. What we have noticed is that all the hard labor we give to bring up a child, when they come out of pre-school all the seed we have planted is whipped away…”

Before Africa Outreach, the children of this neighborhood had no access to an education – it is the first school in the area. “In all of Soweto there is only one Christian school from the Roman Catholics,” said Johnson. “It is in an awkward location and transportation there is not easy for our people, who are not mobile.”

Johnson envisions a school that will address the spiritual void he sees growing amongst the youth of his nation. “[We need to] restore our people back to God,” he said. “…Our children have no idea what God is like except those who go to church. The school plays a big role in placing children in the right place with God. It also plays a role in [encouraging] abstinence and purity, as this is the only cure for the problems of AIDS. Should we fail to build Christian schools…our children will lose sight of who God is.”

The efforts of the Mncubes with their current students are already paying off. “Two weeks back I met a teacher from our neighboring community who has heard about our school,” Johnson said. “He talked about the children that come from our school and asked what method we are using to [produce such] disciplined children.”

Johnson reported that when kids graduate and leave for higher education, many return to the church for Sunday school. “Some have even brought their parents to the knowledge of Christ!” he said.

The Africa Outreach School started out in the Mncubes home, and currently holds classes in temporary structures on the church grounds. The school is struggling to accommodate further growth without the proper space, so the Mncubes are seeking funds through Worldwide Christian Schools to build an addition that will house classrooms for more students. The total cost of the project Johnson envisions is $216,600.

WCS field director Dale Dieleman vouches strongly for the school and the dedication of the Mncubes. “By the commitment of Pastor Johnson to the spiritual, physical, and educational well-being of this community, we see a theme of an Africa for and by Africans being modeled here,” Dieleman said. “Hearing Pastor Johnson’s vision for this school and seeing how it is appreciated makes it evident that his commitment to the community is strong. WCS wants to be as supportive as possible in helping Pastor Johnson realize his dream of providing the first Christian primary school in this neighborhood.”

Dieleman put the work of Africa Outreach into perspective. “This school is helping shape the future of post-apartheid South Africa,” he said. “Soweto will become a symbol of not only the struggle of the past by students, but a commitment to the new generation of students who are carrying on their struggle for recognition and a commitment to a new South Africa. The legacy of freedom and hope of those students in 1976 can still be seen in the eyes of present-day children in Soweto.”

Dieleman finished with these words: “The significance of a Christian school in the area is to provide an alternative to the under-resourced and inadequate schools from the Apartheid era. Soweto is now a community of hope.”

For more information on this project or to donate offline, contact Dale Dieleman: ddieleman@wwcs.org or (800) 886-9000. To donate online to this project, visit wwcs.org and click on The Calling.

The Soul of Soweto: A compilation of ten African songs on two CDs written and performed by Pastor Johnson Mncube. “The Soul of Soweto” is a praise and worship CD to inform and inspire listeners about how the strength and faithfulness of God has seen the people of Soweto through the years. The CD concept was conceived over a discussion between Johnson and Dale Dieleman, WCS field director for Africa, who is also a musician. Over the next months, Dieleman reviewed Johnson’s work and together they selected ten “best of…” songs which were re-mixed in the USA and packaged with English translations of the lyrics from the original Zulu.

“The Soul of Soweto” was born out of Johnson’s desire to use the musical gifts God blessed him with to help fund Christian education. This original CD is only $12, and all proceeds benefit the Africa Outreach Christian School of Soweto. To purchase this one-of-a-kind compilation, contact Dale Dieleman at ddieleman@wwcs.org or (800) 886-9000.


Bekezela (Patience)
Oh! Uyobekezela!
Even if it’s tough, you must be patient
Even if it’s hot, you must be patient
In the whole world,
Be patient

Oh! Patience is needed church
I say to you Christian
I say to you my brother
Even if it’s tough
Even if it’s hot
Even if they hate you
Even if they mock you
Even if they insult you
In everything you must be patient

(translated from Zulu, from The Soul of Soweto)

The Road to a New South Africa

by Emily Klooster

Soweto, South Africa is a place synonymous with freedom and hope. Rising out of a troubled past, the road to justice and equality has been long and difficult for Soweto, but a Christian school in one of the poorest areas of the city is partnering with Worldwide Christian Schools to achieve healing for the past, and hope for the future.

A township located 24 kilometers southwest of the capitol city of Johannesburg, Soweto was born out of the era of Apartheid - the enforced segregation of blacks and whites in South Africa from 1948-1994. As a result, over one million blacks were forced to live in Soweto and other surrounding townships while whites remained in the city.

Conditions in Soweto were terrible as families were separated and crowded into temporary shacks of corrugated tin. A lack of modern plumbing caused sewage problems and sickness to run rampant through the township. Soweto’s students were educated in substandard buildings run by the government, and only up to a level that would allow them to be black workers for white businesses.

A new act declaring that instruction be given in the white Afrikaans language was the final straw for the students of Soweto, who viewed Afrikaans as the language of the oppressor. On June 16, 1976 thousands of students staged a march in peaceful protest of school conditions. Marches such as this one were common at the time, and in an attempt to crack down, the government sent police forces in to quiet the students. Instead, 140 young people were killed by police and over 1,000 injured before the struggle ended on June 24.

Dale Dieleman, WCS field director for Africa reflected on the events that followed. “The losses were not in vain,” he said. “The students inspired their parents and other black adults to begin to openly challenge the Apartheid system on a much larger scale than ever before. World attention led to international sanctions by businesses…and even denominations severing ties with white South African churches.”

The events of June 16 in Soweto inspired one particular native of the town to become involved in South African politics in order to fight for justice in his country. “Eventually the Apartheid system was dismantled and the first free elections put Nelson Mandela into the presidency in 1994,” Dieleman said. Mandela eventually won a Nobel Prize for his part in the downfall of Apartheid.

Today, the township of Soweto has grown into a huge community of over a million people and is on its way to becoming a permanent city. Corrugated iron shacks are slowly turning into block housing. Soweto is becoming stronger and the need for education greater as the community begins to organize itself.

Soweto: It made my heart turn over

“You may ask my people anything but there is one thing you must do first. You must introduce yourself and shake that person’s hands. And then you may ask them anything.”

My guide through the South African township of Soweto said that he, himself, lived there. His instructions to me were a reminder that all human beings must be treated with dignity because they are made in the image of God. We were walking through their village of corrugated tin shacks that were their homes.

He introduced me to a lovely, soft-spoken woman who said that she was 83 years old. She apologized that she had not yet swept the dirt floor of her one-room shack. Inside the shack there was a small cook stove and a cot. I asked how many people slept in that room at night. She said that eight of them did. I asked where they slept and she said, “Three children sleep on the cot. Five of us adults sleep on the floor.”

“But isn’t it extremely cold in the winter?” I asked. “Oh, yes, so cold,” she said with a smile. She showed us that the toilets were about a quarter of a mile from her home and the water tap was about the same distance. The shack I am telling you about looks very much like the church in the picture on this page.

During most of the 20th century, South Africa was ruled by a system called Apartheid, which was based on the segregation of races. The term comes from an Afrikaans word meaning 'apartness'. After the 1948 elections all the people of color were told that they must leave their homes and live in “townships.” Many people lost their homes, land, and all of their property because of this resettlement.

I met many people in Soweto but my thoughts return often to the woman I just told you about. I am ashamed that I don’t even remember her name.

A Bible full of holes?

Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, was speaking to the students at a Christian college and told them that when he was in seminary, a fellow student took hold of an old Bible and cut out "every single reference to the poor."

"And when we were done, that Bible was literally in shreds,” said Wallis. “It was falling apart in my hands. It was a Bible full of holes. I would take it out to preach and say, 'Brothers and sisters, this is our American Bible.'"

Wallis paused. "It's like someone has stolen our faith. And when someone tries to hijack your faith, you know what? There comes a time when you have to take it back!"

For nearly two years, Wallis has traveled across the country attempting to do just that. And some would argue that those efforts have begun to bear fruit, as demonstrated by gains in the recent elections. But Wallis, America's leading progressive evangelical, contends that the issue is far larger than any one election, that the Christian conservative movement has remade Christ in its own image. "What's at stake here is not politics or social action," he insists, "but the very integrity of the word of God."

Without water there is no Life.

In many of the poorest regions of the world finding sufficient water clean enough for cooking, for brushing teeth, and for bathing babies is one of the most difficult of tasks. More than 1 billion of the world’s poorest people lack access to clean, safe drinking water. Every day, more than 30,000 people die as a result of the contaminated water they drink.

The people of Mazatlan, as in many other regions of Mexico, should not be drinking the tap water because the amoeba in the water makes them sick. In addition, the levels of arsenic in the water are dangerously high. But we all need water in order to live and that tap water is the only water available for them.

Then we saw some of the people using a very simple, inexpensive system for purifying their tap water by means of a Biosand Water Filter. This water filter, designed by a Canadian at the University of Calgary, is a slow-sand biological water filtration system, which is a proven, natural and cost efficient method of providing a lifetime of clean water to families. We were told that this system costs approximately $40 to build and lasts forever without changing the sand. It even includes a way to reduce the level of arsenic in the water. Can you imagine what it would be like if every home in the poorest regions of the world had this simple system?

More information about this method can be found on their website: www.friendswhocare.ca.

A Visit to the Dump

I went to visit the people of the dump today. It was not my first choice for places to visit in this fine city of Mazatlan, Mexico. But we worshipped at the Vineyard Church on Sunday and the pastor asked those who would like to prepare a lunch for the people who are in need to come on Tuesday for that purpose. He also suggested that we might want to come along to deliver the food.

The old bus that took us to where we needed to go clanked and grumbled its way up and down the mounds of garbage and other debris. When we finally stopped we could see the workers on the different heaps of trash slowly find their way to us. Those who work in the dump are not paid to do so. Instead, they are gathering anything that might possibly have resale value. They had already gathered bags of plastic, of rags, of tin cans, of bottles and had them ready for those who would come by to pay for them.

Suddenly a strong wind blew through the dump, and the flying debris made breathing a bit difficult for a moment. The people were incredibly dirty and I can understand why. Even after a hard day of working in such a disgusting place they still cannot go home to have a shower or bath. Water is scarce and there are times during each day when even the trickle of water that comes from the local tap is shut off to allow more water to go to the hotels and resorts. Keeping travelers happy is important business in thriving Mazatlan.

People in this part of Mexico are not starving but they often do not have adequate nutrition. When we gave each person a bag with a ham sandwich, an orange, and a bottle of water they said “gracias” and many of them pointed to the sky, letting us know who they were thanking.

Most of their homes are on the very edge of the dump. The homes are shacks that reminded me of the homes I had seen in the South African townships. We stopped at a couple of schools but found only a handful of children in each class. In most homes there is no one to wake the children in the morning and help them get ready for school. It is almost as though the adults in the community care very little whether the children go to school at all. Perhaps if that life is all they have known they become fatalistic about their children following in their footsteps.

People in our group who have helped provide food in different regions of Central America said that, as dumps go, this was a good one. I still am not quite certain just what qualifies as a “good” dump. I do know that throughout Mexico and Central America there are church groups doing the same work that Vineyard Church is doing. Still, the need remains huge. Vineyards website is: http://www.pacificpearl.com/the_vineyard/