Enjoy...
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The Finnie family in Blighty, December 2021
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Dean and Paula pastor The Gathering together -
The Gathering -
Baptisms at The Gathering -
Preparing to serve at The Gathering's Soup Kitchen -
Soup Kitchen Welcome To 2022 lunch
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Serving hands - the heart of The Gatheirng -
Thankful Thursdays -
HOPE Home Based Care Team -
Gathering Ground -
Staying fit as a family -
The Helderberg - The prettiest of the mountains we face
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
This one was from a local brewing company selling their Brew-In-A-Box as a way of circumnavigating the current ridiculous and irrational ban on alcohol (not that that has stopped anyone buying any!).
So this morning with a bit of time to spare, I set about getting my 20L of home brew up and running and I have to say it looks and smells fantastic. Hopefully in a few weeks from now I'll be able to enjoy a crisp refreshing beer.
Nearer the time I'll get my bottles washed etc in eager anticipation of the happy day.
When Mugabe was deposed in 2017 and Emmerson Mnangagwa became President there was genuine hope for the future. But sadly, it appears that the old adage about leopards never changing their spots remains true.
Mnangagwa was the person responsible for the Matabeleland massacre (known as Gukurahundi) in '83 & '84 in which thousands of Nbelele people were slaughtered, estimates range between 2000 and 20000 murdered with countless others raped and tortured.
This massacre was orchestrated by ZANU-PF the ruling party of Zim and it was lead by the man who is now president of Zimbabwe.
I have to confess to the fact that I am really struggling not to write a ranty piece about the ineptitude and inconsistencies of the SA govt and their ham-fisted approach to the coronavirus, but I shall resist and rather talk about our garden...
After neglecting things for far too long I finally got around to some serious pruning and a number of other jobs over the last few days, including moving our dilapidated swing seat from the front garden to the rear.
Here in South Africa the statistics on GBV are truly horrific with many men apparently thinking that using violence against women and especially against their wife/partner is simply a regular form of discipline within their relationships. It beggars belief!
As a man and a husband who has never been violent towards his wife (or any other woman), I really do not understand why some men choose to be violent to the one they're supposed to love above all others.
The coronavirus is on the rampage in SA which is now the worst affected country on the continent, whilst certain communities within the country have been hit far harder than others, leaving the authorities with little choice but to take some fairly drastic action.
South Africa has a history of weak leadership, but the current crop are really showing themselves to be in a different class to those who have gone before them. The president appears to go AWOL during a pandemic, addressing the nation once a month if we're lucky, meanwhile his lackeys make up random, bizarre and inconsistent regulations¹ governing the nation's lockdown that have left the economy on its knees and the people scratching their heads.
Having seen & heard nothing of the President in over a month, I don't think anyone anticipated the nation taking such a backwards step last night.
Previously South Africa moved to Level 3 Advanced (whatever that was) Lockdown and last night President Ramaphosa berated the nation for "reckless behaviour" and punished us all for his lack of leadership. So I'm calling this new amendment Level 3 Backwards.
Also, I think I shall rename him President Absentphosa.
What started well with apparently strong leadership has disintegrated in to a situation where lockdown is all but over - unofficially - whilst certain lockdown rules and regulations remain in place.
We moved to Level 3 on June 1 much to the relief of many, as now most non-essential businesses could reopen and the economy could start up again. This was desperately needed! Then on June 18 President Ramaphosa made one of his now rare appearances and told us we were entering Level 3 Advanced, in which a whole load more businesses could reopen.
Now bear with me here as I explain...
We stream all of our TV and we do it on my PC in our office and cast it with Chromecast on to our living room TV.
The government are supposed to have given each school the necessary resources and training to enable them to open safely in the midst of this pandemic, as well as putting clear protocols in place in the event of any Covid-19 infections
Sadly the truth is something else as teachers like this are actually providing their own PPE, cleaning their own classes in their own time, as well as helping the children cope with the frightening reality of it all.
At The Gathering we've tried working in partnership with the government, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the South African Council of Churches (SACC), and each time we've been excited by the prospect only to get dragged down by slow moving cumbersome organisations with onerous expectations and criteria for any partnership.
It's no wonder churches choose to go solo. It's sad, but it's also very understandable.
If you only listen to or watch one thing on Black Lives Matter, listen to our good friend Dave speaking about his own experiences in the UK.
As white people we will never need our lives to be verified in the way that Dave and so many other black people have experienced at some point. That is why we are privileged and black lives matter.
#BlackLivesMatter
My Palace made me proud as they supported Black Lives Matters on their shirt sleeves and their backs in place of their name,s and I love that they all took the knee in solidarity.
Last night President Ramaphosa addressed the nation to let us know about the reduction in regulations to Level 3 of our lockdown.At this point you have to wonder why we're bothering given that the government have once again caved in to the loudest voices and shifted the nation to an alert level somewhere between Level 2 & 3 but not fully one or the other. And in the midst of the confusion dear old Cyril wants South Africans to take personal responsibility for curbing the transmission of the coronavirus. Like that's going to happen! 😀😏
Go on, do something remarkable...Today is World Blood Donor Day and if you're not already a donor please give it a go. It's really easy, takes about 30 minutes and will save lives.
Don't wait 'til you need a transfusion to be convinced by the power of blood donations.
And there it is, the High Court has ruled that Level 4 and Level 3 regulations of South Africa's lockdown are unconstitutional and has given the government 14 days to respond. The High Court acknowledges the legality of the initial lockdown (Level 5) but the rest of the verdict is quite damning in saying the regulations were "arbitrary and unlawful".Many of us have been expressing this view for a while and are sick of being patronised by corrupt politicians who suddenly feel they have the moral high ground when they really do not. State Capture anyone?
What a joke!Having spent most of last week preparing Joel to return to school today, we were told to expect an announcement from the Education Minister on Friday evening. This then got pushed back to Sunday evening and then pushed back again until 11am today.
We then learn via a local news website that schools are only reopening for pupils on the 8th whilst teachers are back from today. So quite why two teacher friends were called back to work last week is a mystery.
On Tuesday President Ramaphosa addressed the nation and gave churches and other faith groups the right to start meeting again in their buildings, though with strict conditions.At the same time, he called for a National Day Of Prayer for today, Sunday 31 May.
The Gathering has made the tough but right decision to remain in exile for a while longer, but as we Gather this morning on WhatsApp we are proud to be standing with the President & the nation and answer his call to prayer for South Africa.
Today our Gathering will be entirely given over to prayer for this nation and the situation we find ourselves in.
It was very exciting to get the news from President Ramaphosa that the faithful may gather under strict guidelines. It was exciting to think about The Gathering getting together again from June 7th, but as pastors we also have a duty of care of our church members and we need to be leading by example in how we navigate our way out of the current crisis.For The Gathering it feels right that we remain in exile for just a little longer.
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