Meeting with over 1,000 young people in one week, Message South Africa had an incredible Higher Tour in Hanover Park (Cape Town). Hanover Park is an area where gangsterism and violence are a regular part of each day, and many young people get involved with this as a way to find community and safety – but we know there is a better way.
Teams took to the streets to share the love of Jesus with those they met, headed into schools with lessons and assemblies to empower and equip young people to make healthy choices, and invited the young people they met to the end-of-week evangelistic gig where they could hear the gospel of Jesus shared boldly from the stage.
At the gig, 135 young people came along for truth-filled music and heard how loved they are by God. When CEO, Shaun Pretorious, shared the gospel, 21 people responded and accepted Jesus into their lives. Now, they ‘re getting plugged into local discipleship.
One of the ways we support these young people is through Bloom events where young women from different churches, backgrounds and cultures come together for faith-based conversations, ask their questions, and be encouraged to grow in their relationship with Jesus. The next Bloom event is happening this weekend so do be praying for the young women coming along.
And it’s not just young people that Message South Africa are reaching with the gospel and seeing it transform lives. Through GangStar enterprise cafés, we’re are able to train, support and disciple ex-offenders and those with barriers to employment as they turn their lives around with Jesus. To equip even more people with the skills they need for future employment and to journey with them as the discover Jesus, we have a barista training academy and the most recent cohort have just graduated!
One graduate said, ‘I thank God for this opportunity. When we speak about humble beginnings, I think of my hard journey. Coming from prison and now being a qualified barista, it makes me proud of myself to be able to stand up and make those positive choices.’
Find out more about what we’re up to on our social media.