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Reaching out through The Oaks

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The Oaks, a home providing accommodation and discipleship to ex-offenders launched by The Message Trust SA, continues to provide support and care to the current residents while taking it upon themselves to help aid families in need during the pandemic.

During the Covid-19 pandemic and strict lockdown enforced all across South Africa, several families have lost their income and are struggling to provide food and essentials to their children and family members. Marlon and Annalise Petersen, The Oaks’ house parents, alongside the 3 young men currently living in the home have taken the initiative to help source and deliver food parcels to families in need throughout Cape Town communities.  

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The basic food parcel which feeds a small family for up to two weeks. Food parcels have been provided by the Mayor of Cape Town’s office, as well as through donations made through The Message Trust Community Fund.

This is being done through communicating with churches we have partnered with to assess the need of the communities in which they are located, and sourcing food parcels and essentials through the Cape Town Mayor’s office.

The Oaks family collects parcels from the Mayor’s office and are involved in the physical delivering of the parcels to both churches and individual families in different communities. The team also takes the time to pray with families and offer them words of encouragement before moving on to deliver the next parcel. Several partner organisations and individuals who have heard the call to give in this difficult time, have also donated specific items of need in order to ‘top up’ food parcels with other practical items that families need. The

 

“It is an overwhelming and ongoing task. The demand is so great and the supply of food parcels is so small – it is really difficult to see how much more is needed. This week there was a lack of supplies at the Mayor’s office, so we were actually unable to make food deliveries this last week, ” said Marlon.

 

The team are taking every step possibly to fall in-line with government regulations, as well as following strict hygiene protocols to ensure they are not becoming a part of the virus’ spread whilst trying to do good. The team remain prayerful and cautious as the communities they are reaching out to are becoming increasingly dangerous as several riots have been reported across the city. There is also a very real worry of catching coronavirus themselves, however these feelings aren’t nearly as great as the need to serve the hungry and inflicted communities in Cape Town.

 

“It is difficult to see the amount of pain and need there is in our communities but hearing the family’s hearts and appreciation when we deliver the parcels is such a great reward to be able to give back to the community.”

 

The Oaks Family, together with The Message Trust, thank God for the opportunity to help the most vulnerable amongst us. It is an moments like this that we are able to show the strength of Christ’s people against diversity and the strive towards a nation of unity. If you would like to make a financial contribution to the relief aid we are offering, please make a donation via GivenGain: www.givengain.com/cc/community-fund

 

Written by: Alexis Horne

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Expectant

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It’s summer in Cape Town, and there’s been plenty of cricket to watch recently as England have been touring South Africa (sorry if you don’t like cricket… but please stick with it).

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As I’ve been watching, I’ve been fascinated by the slip fielders. They stand there, positioned, as ball after ball is bowled. 99% of the time, they get prepared, but then the ball goes nowhere near them. However, each time the bowler starts his run up, they crouch and prepare again. They are expectant… because they know, at any moment, the ball might fly off the bat and hurtle towards them at 150km/h! And in that split second they can either be the hero that takes the catch, or the buffoon that spills the ball to the ground.

Expectant… living with the anticipation that something good is going to happen. The key to the success of the slip fielders is that they need to have the right attitude and adopt the right posture. Maintaining a vigilant and positive attitude will keep them alert and ready for the opportunity. Having the right posture means they are positioned for success when they are called to spring into action.

Each year at The Message Trust, I present a theme to help shape our approach to the year ahead. Our word for 2020 is expectant.

In a world where there is so much negativity, pessimism and disappointment, we believe God is calling us to be expectant that good things will happen. We have genuine hope that young people in tough communities can rise above their circumstances and fulfil their potential. We have faith that those in prison can encounter Jesus in such a way that their lives make a U-turn and they go from being the problem to the solution. We are trusting for a culture-shifting movement that will mean young people make positive choices rather than succumbing to the negative narrative of addiction, gangsterism and crime.

We are expectant because of the attitude and posture that we’ve adopted.

Our attitude is informed by two things. Firstly, because we fully believe that God loves each person we work with and has a redemptive plan for everyone. Secondly, due to the stories of transformation that we have experienced over the past few years. Whenever we feel discouraged or pessimistic, we can recall many stories of God bringing breakthrough when everything seemed beyond hope. We celebrate these stories at our team meetings, at Gangstar Café, through videos we produce, and every year at our Message Night (this year taking place on 27th February… free tickets available here).

Maintaining a posture of expectancy requires discipline. As with the cricketers who need to be well positioned and keep their eye on the ball, so we seek to position ourselves in a posture of expectancy. We position ourselves through our routine of prayer and vision casting. Our prayer rhythm includes daily short prayer meetings, weekly devotions and a monthly day where we ‘down-tools’ and spend time seeking God and encouraging one another with stories of what He is doing. This enables us to keep our eye on the ball and helps us ‘keep the faith’ that God is at work and that He is indeed ‘doing a new thing’ (Isaiah 43:19).

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If you have begun to feel despondent or pessimistic about the future, then perhaps your faith levels could be recharged through adopting an attitude and posture of expectancy in 2020.

PS. I recently shared at our February prayer day on the same topic. We have made the recording of this available. Listen to it here:

Written by: Dr. Tim Tucker, The Message Trust SA CEO

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Hope in the New Year

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The New Year is always plagued with resolutions: the need to be fitter, healthier, more focused and financially independent. It’s often symbolic of how we failed the year before, reminding us what we didn’t achieve the previous year, but at the same time, giving us HOPE to do better this time ‘round. As we close off the old year, we make promises to ourselves and those around us, that ‘This will be the year!’.

As South Africans, we look back on the year, often with dismay. Load-shedding, gender-based violence and corruption, to name a few, littered headlines, smart phone screens and our homes. Moody’s and other rating agencies seemingly looked down upon us, preparing for the worst. A sense of despair and anxiety riddling every member of society driving many South Africans to emigrate en masse. Yet, out of each of these instances of wastelands, glimmers of hope have been emerging not only in our consciousness but in our daily lives as well.

Mass emigration has led to the #Imstaying facebook group, which is a platform for those who still believe in South Africa to share encouraging and motivational stories of the HOPE they are finding in day to day instances in South Africa. The murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana, sparked public outcry against gender-based violence, resulting in public demonstrations, marches and ordinary South Africans standing up against abuse. These are just two examples of a renewed HOPE in South Africa.

The Message is so excited to be a part of the change taking place in Cape Town, offering several avenuesfor God’s work through our Creative Mission, Christ-centred Enterprise and Community Transformation. As an organisation, we believe there is immense HOPE in different stories unfolding through our programmes, stories that are making a real impact in ourcommunities. Unlike many individuals, we don’t look back on 2019 with disappointment or sadness, but instead are blown away by all God has done through The Message South Africa with the help of our partners, donors and staff.


Establishing a fully operational hub in Nyanga

Opening a second Gangstar Cafe in Durbanville

303 people responded to the gospel through Higher Tour

Successfully run Message Academy, Evangelism training

I am always reminded of Isaiah 43 verse 19 around this time of year, which happens to also be the founding scripture for The Message Trust.

“See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.”

God was making a promise, which stands true today. What an exciting promise it is:

He will bring new life.

He will bring about change.

He will transform the city of Cape Town.

As The Message, we have accepted the call to be a part of that promise and we have HOPE that you are also ready. On the 27th February, The Message will give you the opportunity to hear a specific call to action for Cape Town. Our annual Message Night showcases the lives God has impacted through The Message, sharing stories of transformation and HOPE, alongside breath-taking performances from our creative team, and an opportunity for you to get involved in the work of The Message in 2020.

Written by Dayne Myles, Communication Manager

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Partnering with Omni HR Consulting

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With a vision to provide business and people development solutions, through various training and consulting services, Omni HR Consulting was founded in 2009. They have a heart to make a difference within the community and uniquely defines “community” as a composition of their employees, suppliers, customers and the local community.

“Scot McKnight said: ‘God’s idea of redemption is community-shaped.’ On 27 November 2018, Omni HR Consulting and The Message Trust signed a partnership agreement. We are so privileged to partner with The Message whose mission is to share Jesus Christ with the hardest-to-reach young people. One way they do this is through community transformation which speak to the heart of what our organisation is all about: Making a difference in the communities we serve.”

— Megan Hultzer – CSR Director, Omni HR Consulting

OMNI has been helping us with the work we are doing around the community of Nyanga for some time now and additionally support our Gangstar Cafe with the purchasing of their coffee supply from us. With this partnership, OMNI will further aide in the development of The Message Trust Community Hub in Nyanga through practical and financial means. 

We are so excited to partner with OMNI and we look forward to seeing how this partnership positively impacts the community of Nyanga.

“Our heart in partnering with Omni is to further serve underprivileged youth in Nyanga by empowering them through an ongoing football programme, character development (mission programmes and biblical lifeskills), education & after school mentoring, as well as computer and literacy support.

Through this partnership & New Crossroads Baptist Church we will also have the opportunity to access land where we will be installing shipping containers that will provide as a positive environment for the children. These containers will include a computer lab in order to help develop their computer and literacy skills. ”

— Mkhululi Letsatsi – Nyanga Hub Coordinator
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The Urban Hero Awards

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So that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky..

Philippians 2: 15

 

We live in a world where we see and experience injustice every day. It is truly hard. Yet in the midst of it all, God is doing a new thing. He is raising up generations of men and women to manifest His glory on earth.

The Message Trust is passionate about reaching young people, seeking to break the cycle of poverty, unemployment, gangsterism and crime that negatively impacts young people in communities across Cape Town. We have faith in young people and seek to raise up “Urban Heroes” who will become godly leaders in their families and communities for generations to come.

Who are Urban Heroes?:

Urban Heroes are men and women who were once the problem, and have now become the solution within society; sharing their testimonies and life experiences to help other young people find their purpose in life. They are those who now say “no” to crime and “yes” to God!

 

After months of preparation, we finally hosted our first Urban Hero South Africa Awards at the Ritz Hotel in Sea Point on the 1st of November, 2018. The evening was filled with excitement as guests and businessmen from all over Cape Town flooded the Ritz Hotel lobby to witness and take part of this exciting event.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader, Mr Mmusi Maimane, was among those who came to witness this prestigious event and present a trophy to one of the award winners that night.

Our International CEO & founder of The Message Trust, Andy Hawthorne, spoke on the vision God gave him to see young people’s lives being transformed through the gospel of Christ; and seeing that happening in Cape Town from a vision birthed in the UK says a lot about carrying the vision of God!

  

 

“It was a great honor to have been part of The Message Trust’s first ever Urban Hero Awards!
Me and my friend Jade were very excited to be volunteering as hostesses on the evening.
My highlight was the interaction I had with the kids from Genetik Sessions as they sat and waited backstage to go on stage.”

— Kristen Stables

 

“The Urban Hero Awards was a very good experience for me and encouraged me to continue trusting God in the calling he has given me. I was really reminded of the purpose God placed in my heart to work with young people in my community. The honor was like God came to remind me that everything I’m doing he is with me always.”

— Xola Dingiswayo

 

The awards were for all our Urban Heroes who are helping to better our society by sharing and living a positive life in their society. These men and women defied the odds and refused to be victims of their pasts, rather they changed to become change agents for young people in their society using their life stories as testimony of the saving power of God.

Award Winners:

Sheldon Heuvel – Achiever Award

Thembinkosi Mbelu – Catalyst Award

Mthetheleli Ngxeke – Servant Leader Award

Melissa Titus – Ubuntu Award

Mkhululi Letsatsi – Special Leadership Award

Xola Dingiswayo – Mission Award

Xola Dingiswayo – Overall Urban Hero Award

 

We are thankful to everyone who helped us make this night possible, our sponsors and donors and the Message Team for their hard work and dedication.

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Triple Challenge 2018

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In the early hours on Saturday the 6th of October, The Message staff along with 58 activists met at the bottom of Devil’s Peak in preparation of our 4th annual Triple Challenge Fundraiser.

It was a beautiful day coupled by excitement and anticipation as we began our attempt at completing a three mountain (Devils’ Peak, Table Mountain and Lion’s Head) climb in one day in order to raise funds to aid the mission work we do with young people from hard to reach and neglected urban areas in and around Cape Town! In addition each staff member and activists were challenged to raise R2500 towards the hike. We raised up to R156 000!

“It took me 11 hours to complete the challenge and the sense of accomplishment and joy far outweighed the pain my joints were feeling.
I met inspirational men and women who were changed through the great work The Message does. I was honored to be part of this challenge and will definitely be back next year.
Thank you for the life changing work you do
”

— Kelly Atherton-Schilder

The Message South Africa is thankful to everyone who contributed to our Triple Challenge Fundraiser! Because of your support more lives will be impacted by the work we do in Cape Town.

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It’s a CeleBraai(tion)

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On the 24th of September, we hosted our first event in our new home to celebrate the faithfulness and provision of God in our lives.

The past four years have been filled with frustration and thoughts of uncertainty as we waited and trusted God to come through for us with a building we can use for our ministry. Finally, after some endurance and perseverance, God has come through for us and has given us the buliding we’ve been praying for.

This means we now have a place to thrive, a hub where people can implement new and innovative ways to share the gospel with many who come through our doors.

“For many years we’ve been trusting God for a building as a space for The Message SA Family to thrive. We are full of thanks to God for our new building. We believe it will be a place of hope for many people, continuing the legacy of mission that the previous owners (the Protestant Association) have had within this community.”

— Tim Tucker – Message South Africa’s CEO

We continue to praise God and acknowledge Him in all we have accomplished so far as a ministry. It is to His glory that we have received our new home.

Isaiah 43 verse 19 says:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

What a prophetic passage of scripture! In a time when crime and gangsterism are rife in Cape Town, God still promises us hope and life in this city!

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Leaving No Prisoners Behind

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In 1991 John was sentenced to two 15 year sentences which ran concurrently in Pollsmoor. In this time, his wife was pregnant and John felt he wanted to be a father to his child but couldn’t due to his time in prison.

After some time in prsion, John accepted the Lord. Later, he was released and became an evangelist who went back into prison (Pollsmoor) to share the gospel to those behind bars.

John worked for a charity organization called “Help A Rural Child” and about two years ago, John felt he wanted to have a permanent program to run in Pollsmoor due to his experience. It’s now been 18 years since his release and John has become a mentor to many men in prison, allowing him to minister and share about God’s goodness.

On the 1st of September 2018, John joined our MEP team (Message Enterprise Program) which works in and out of prison with young men who want to make a change in their lives and society.

This is what he had to say about recently joining the Message Team

“The Message Trust is very innovative and has a variety of streams which reach out to the lost, the least and the forgotten. I can really see the servant hearts from the Message staff; they’ve got the passion to reach young people with the gospel.

My vision is to see young men coming out of prison facility into society being productive, to see men being restored through the grace of God.”

— John Palm

As our team grows, we are thankful to God for bringing people together with the same heart for young people, and our prayer as The Message is that many may come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

 

 

 

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ReFocus(ing) on Clint’s journey

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It is amazing to witness the transformational power of God work in people, changing them into a person who passionately and purposefully using their story to impact others positively.

Today we want to share about our new Refocus facilitator Clinton:

Clint recently joined our Creative mission team as one of our Refocus facilitators and has brought a significant addition to our ministry.

Growing up Clint joined the gang because he was bullied in school and felt like he needed to join one of the gangs in the school he attended, and as time went by Clint wanted to be the most feared gangster in Cape Town.

This attitude led him deeper into the dark life of gangsterism until he felt trapped within himself.

“I remember one day I had a strong conviction about the life I lived, since then I knew that I had to change my ways. I didn’t know what was going on at the time but I believe that it was the Holy Spirit who spoke to me that night, my life changed ever since that encounter .

”

— Clint Luikes – (Refocus Facilitator

Today we see the change in Clint’s life has he is passionate about working with young people as an example of the freedom he has received in Christ.

Joining our Creative missions team Clint has brought so much value as he finds it easy to identify with the young people who face similar challenges as he did when he was growing up, using his testimony to witness about the power of change.

We are excited to see how God continues to work within Clint’s life and as he grows in our ministry.

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Mission Accomplished

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When working with young people, we always hope to clearly communicate the gospel in both words and actions.

During our time in Zeekovlei Primary, we spent 6 weeks running Respect Me to the grade 7’s, helping our young people to discuss and bring to light some of the things that they face; things like Self Esteem, Bullying, Pornography etc.. At the end of all our courses, we hope our time is fruitful and contributes in helping young people have a positive outlook on life, the challenges they face and the choices they make.

“On the 27th July, we went back to Zeekovlei Primary School and did an end of course celebration for our Respect ME students, as well as donated some clothes to the students. Additionally, we received great news that Zeekovlei had raised enough finances for our costs to be covered for 2 more years of Respect ME courses in their school!

One of the students spoke at the event and shared some feedback on behalf of the Grade 7’s. How amazing is it that we get to be a part of this!!”

— Naomi Englebrecht – Respect Me Coordinator

 

 

“I want to thank Mrs. Petersen for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the grade 7s. Firstly, I want to thank Naomi, Jabulani and Gilead for the great impact they made on our lives. You have taught us honesty, self-respect , respecting each other, social media, bullying and pornography but most importantly, to have a positive self-esteem. We have learned to accept ourselves the way we are because we are made perfectly in God’s image. Thank you once again for the time you have spent with us and the effort you put into it. We really appreciate it and hope to see you soon.”

— Student; Zeekovlei Primary

 

We are so excited for the relationship we have formed with the students of Zeekovlei and look forward to seeing them grow and choose to make better choices. We can’t wait to go back for our next Respect ME course!

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