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Weekly Greeting: Sunday 30 November 2008
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2008-12-01 11:55
LETTER FROM SCHALK AND MARLENE PIENAAR
Our move to Pretoria (Brooklyn Methodist Church) is now upon us. Tomorrow morning the truck will arrive and the next part of our journey as Christ-followers will begin.
We offered ourselves for ministerial service in January 1982 having no idea as to how this would turn out. Through the years, we have been constantly surprised by God's leading - we never expected to come to Northfield or for that matter, to be moving to Brooklyn. We will continue to seek out His will and follow as best we can. Who knows what the future will hold - we have given up trying to predict the unpredictable.
We would like to greet you and express our sincere appreciation to the good people of Northfield. You have embraced us during these past 13 years, taught us, allowed us to try new things, and given us space to grow and mature. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you, too, for a farewell event that was a deep blessing to us. We felt affirmed and encouraged and know that we have your support and prayers on the next leg of our journey.
God has raised up Northfield for the definite purpose of being a change agent in Benoni and its surrounds. This is an incredible challenge given the levels of poverty, depravity and pain in our community. As always, my heart is stirred and broken by the plight of so many vulnerable children in our midst. Please do not look past these 'little ones' - they are signs of the kingdom on earth and deserve our best care. Northfield has always risen to embrace great challenges without to much fuss and I see no reason why this should be different in the years ahead. For after all, this 'can do' attitude is built into the very soul of our church.
We want to commend our successors Brian and Linda Smith to you. In the spirit of Paul's exhortation in 1 Cor 15:3 we pass on to Brian and Linda the mantle of hope and responsibility as they say 'yes' to the call to leadership of the people called Northfielders. They stand, as we did, on the broad shoulders of our predecessors and the faithful in this place. God bless you in this big task.
We also commend to you the other Northfield ministers and our staff - what a good bunch! We are so proud of you.
We will continue to have an ear and heart for Northfield in the years ahead and will prayerfully follow your progress with great interest. Please hold us up before the Lord as we, too, seek to work out our calling to the Brooklyn people.
Much love to you.
Schalk and Marlene
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