He really DOES have the whole world in His hands!

We’ve just returned from our second Children’s Club at Masiphumelele Baptist Church. These have gone very well so far. The children are well-behaved, although like any group of energetic kids, we have to keep them occupied or they’ll be in a frenzy before we know it.

I’ve enjoyed leading the kids in singing a few songs. Fortunately, they have already learned many of them in English, so we can sing together. “He’s Got the Whole World,” “Amen,” and even “Jesus Loves Me” have gone very well. When I got them going on “Jesus Loves Me” today, they went on to sing it in Xhosa, so the rest of us just enjoyed! The keyboardist for their choir, Walter, has been adding his efforts, playing along with us and also playing while they color with crayons, etc. The participation of the local members in leadership (sometimes unasked) has required me to adjust a bit, but I’m glad to do it because locals ministering to locals is the way it’s supposed to be.

I enjoy watching the local teacher, Natalie, give the lesson; even though I don’t understand the language, the similarities to a scene in a typical Sunday School are striking. Kids are kids everywhere, even when the lesson is on why we should say “no” to sex outside of marriage; this is the kind of thing they have to teach very early to try to reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

We also visited the Christian radio station CCFM started by the church today. Compared to most radio stations in the U.S., the “presenters” (announcers) at this station have an incredible amount of freedom and responsibility (depending on how you look at it) for putting together their own programming, choosing music, etc. for their time slots. They are required to include 40% local music, which is a challenge for them at this point, because obviously Christian music is not as common in South Africa as in the U.S. It does make the station much more relevant to the local community, though. CCFM has a large listenership, including many Muslims, and offers counseling and help to those who call in to the station. The pastor shared with us tonight that Nelson Mandela told him he had listened to the pastor's sermons when in Cape Town from time to time. That's the kind of feedback you dream of in broadcasting!

Grace & Peace,
Mark Kelly Hall