Our 23-24 Annual Report

“Just Breathe” was a fitting theme for 2023; as a team, we had many moments where we needed to breathe in God’s peace and presence. With that said, it was a year where we spent a beautiful amount of time breathing out His praises. We got to be a part of God doing a new thing throughout the communities we had the privilege of serving. In what felt like a year of learning and growing as a team, I am pleased to announce that 90% of our big goals were accomplished. God truly displayed His faithfulness toward us in so many ways. Our missional engagement was amazing; it was our busiest year since before the dreaded pandemic. So many new partnerships and relationships were formed across the country. This further convinces us that God’s got us, as He aligns us with many like-minded people.

Our Creative Mission team had an exceptional year; their various initiatives reached approximately 10,000 young people across the province. One of the significant moments for me was the team hosting their first Bloom event in Citrusdal. I love that year after year, God allows us to do a “new thing” in that community. Why I felt this is important to mention is that the community of Citrusdal has, in recent times, seen an increase in gender-based violence cases, as well as cases of self- harm. The fact that Bloom focuses on empowering young women to know their worth in Christ meant that we were hitting the nail on the head. From the positive responses received, the team was further convinced that through their efforts, God provided the encouragement the young ladies needed.

We also saw tremendous fruit within our Community Transformation stream. This year, alongside discipleship, there was a strong focus on education. We felt this to be important because in Parkwood, we were serving a group of young people who were struggling with their schooling. When Candice, our hub coordinator, started working with them, many could hardly read. We then partnered with an organisation called “Youth In Transformation”, and they trained Candice within their curriculum. Since implementation, the fruit of this is evident in the results we’ve seen in the kids’ reports; all of them passed their year with flying colours.

I can share many more stories with you, but I thought these were worth mentioning, as they truly sum up our experience in the city. Much of the devastation we see in our city is due to a lack of options as well as opportunities for our young people. It’s amazing how young people can flourish when they’re shown just a little belief, love, and support.

Our theme for 2024 is “Holding onto Hope.” Based on the scripture in Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” We felt God prompt our hearts to continue in sharing His hope to a world that is often overwhelmed by hopelessness. We have the greatest privilege of directing people to Him and His faithfulness toward us.

With all that said, can you believe that Message South Africa turns 10 years old this year? We are still standing today because of God’s grace, mercy, and provision, and we are not forgetting your continued prayer and support!

We can honestly say we are stronger as a team because we have amazing people like you in our corner, so THANK YOU!