This one is a bit long, but I want to present you with a challenge--especially you pastor types--so please read through to the end!
Last year at the Amahoro Gathering in Johannesburg I opted for the field trip to Cape Town. In one of my emails from that beautiful place I introduced my new friend Spiwo Xapile. Here's an excerpt form that lengthy email/post:
From that wealthy neighbourhood we travelled to the black township of Guguletu, to the JL Zwane Church and Center,
where we were to meet our host families. JL Zwane is a beautiful
facility located in the heart of the township, and is pastored by Spiwo
Xapile...
...We were to meet up at JL Zwane at 9:15 as our group was scattering to
three or four churches that morning, but Bill and I needed to be there
at 8 am as our host was involved in their weekly Leadership Development
meeting.
...[Spiwo] had spoken at the Amahoro Gathering on the Reformation of
Children and blew me away. This guy is brilliant. Before the meeting he
briefly told us that the purpose was to really engage the laity, to
develop leadership in order to make the work of the church sustainable
beyond the pastor. Many African churches are dominated by the
personalities running them, and Spiwo wanted to break that mold. He
explained to us that a post-apartheid mindset was still alive and well
in his black congregation that resulted in the people waiting. Waiting
to be told what to do. Waiting to be led, as opposed to desiring to
lead themselves. Spiwo’s thinking is way outside the box and impressed
me beyond words. He is kind but intense, and when he looks you in the
eye you know that there will be no wasted words coming out of his mouth.
Switching easily between Xhosa and English, Spiwo started off the
meeting by explaining why we were there, and then asked us to briefly
say who we were, where we were from, and what we did. I was second to
last. I said I was involved with a ministry that worked with women
trying to break the bonds of prostitution and drug addiction, which
I’ve found is the best way to describe to people here what Linwood
House is all about. As the last person introduced themselves, I noticed
with just a little concern that Spiwo was staring at me pretty
intensely, which I’ve already implied is not a look to be taken
lightly. I was a little worried that I had offended him somehow,
perhaps with the reference to prostitution. I couldn’t have been more
wrong.
Spiwo then shared that the agenda for that morning’s meeting had
originally been to discuss the recent World Economic Forum which had
been held in Cape Town, and also a government corruption scandal that
was currently headline news. Did you catch that? These were the topics
to be discussed. In church. The World Economic Forum and government
corruption. The kinds of subjects that actually intersect with people’s
lives in a very real way. Outstanding. However, he had something else
in mind for the morning conversation.
He started off by asking for a show of hands from those who would
leave the church if they started a ministry to prostitutes. No hands
went up. “Well, then,” Spiwo said, “Maybe we can learn something from
our Canadian brother.” And he called me up and we interacted on a very
broad range of subjects for about 30 minutes.
Spiwo asked about what Linwood House does, and I was able to describe
the relational ethos of LHM. Being incredibly insightful, he asked how
other, perhaps more traditional churches related to what we did. I had
a chance to talk about the privilege and responsibility of walking with
friends in the DTES, and not seeing them simply as “projects”. He asked
if this was a lonely place to be and I laughed out loud. He talked of
his own struggles, of losing friends and colleagues because of his
fringe views, and his belief that we are to be Jesus in the world. He
asked how I came to think this way, and I was able to share some of our
personal story and our spiritual journey. It was incredible.
Here's the opportunity part. Don't let the look of the JL Zwani Center fool you. It' is a gorgeous facility, and it is well funded as a community center, but Spiwo has structured things so the church (and he as the pastor) has no access to those funds. In other words, money is tight.
At the same time, Spiwo's voice is one that is needed at the Gathering. His colleagues need to learn from him, and he needs to benefit from interacting with other African pastors who are thinking outside of the box. Because of this reality, I've committed to raising the funds to get Spiwo to Mombasa for the 2010 Gathering. We need to raise about $1300 USD.
For you pastors out there, think about the educational resources you have ready access to. I know, I know, your funds are tight too. Can I challenge you to throw in even $10 or $20? And to my other friends, I've always appreciated the trust you have placed in me when it comes to these asks, and I humbly submit that yes, I think this is that important.
If you're able, thanks for contributing, and for passing the word on.
(Click below or here to participate)
UPDATE: Thanks friends, we're doing well. Come on, pastors, dig deep for that $10.
Spiwo has now invited me to come to Cape Town for a couple days before the conference to speak to some pastor's groups there about the work we're doing at Linwood House. I'm checking out flights now to see if I can make that happen. Either way, let's get Spiwo to Mombasa.
Recent Comments