Malungeni Church Dedication Service

The long awaited dedication of the new Presbyterian Church in Malungeni, South Africa, happened last Sunday, Nov. 15. It was quite an occasion, as the photos attest. It had been raining all weekend, and looked like it was going to be a soggy occasion, particularly difficult as the crowd was expected to be of overflow size, with many having to sit and stand outside of the church building. But prayers were answered as the rains held off on Sunday, and about 250 people of all ages attended the 4 hour worship service.

Rev. Spiwo Xapile, with his wife and daughter, in Malungeni on Nov. 15


The interior of the sanctuary of the Malungeni Presbyterian Church

The South African pastors and elders with Tom Forster-Smith, Malungeni, Nov. 15


It started off with a meal of 16 sheep slaughtered especially for the occasion. VIP guests (like me) had to eat plates of sheep's liver and other organs, like hearts and kidneys. I managed a few bites, and then, as my stomach churned, I quickly headed for outdoors, where traditional Xhosa dancers led the procession down the dirt road to the church building.

Appetizing, isn't it?!



Xhosa dancers



At the church the moderator of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, Rev. Makandawire from Zambia, unveiled the cornerstone with the church's name and the House of Hope's name inscribed on it.



Then we entered the sanctuary and for the next 4 hours heard numerous ministers preaching and giving greetings and making remarks, accompanied by a lot of congregational singing and dancing. There is no such thing as a "frozen chosen" Presbyterian in Malungeni, South Africa... every hymn is accompanied by lots of dancing and rhythmic moving.


Even the children hung in there for four hours, though most of them sat outside the sanctuary in the overflow seating area for the occasion. These are the next generation of Presbyterians in Malungeni, for whom we have helped to build a church. Thanks for your support for this project of international mission partnership that has been such a focus of our efforts over the past five years. As you can see, your support has been well worth the effort!

Greetings from Dubrovnik!

It's pouring rain in Dubrovnik today, a day that makes me understand the conditions that Shakespeare gave his stage-setting in the play, "The Tempest," about a shipwreck on the coast of what was then called Illyria, but today is Croatia. Lucy and I have had a couple days of gorgeous weather at the beginning of our week here, however, starting Oct. 31, and the town is a treasure chest of baroque architecture, set on a stunningly beautiful stretch of the Dalmatian Coast. We've rented an apartment for the week, right in the heart of the Old Town, and are using it as our base to see the town and the surrounding area. We spent one day taking a boat trip to the Elaphiti (Deer) Islands in the Adriatic Sea not far from here,and found them pretty much closed up for the season, as is much of the area, now that it's November (and today, with sheets of rain coming down, and umbrella-destroying gusts of wind, I can see why!)

Dubrovnik: the Old Town, from the Lovrijenac Fortress.


The "Stradun," or "Main Street," of Dubrovnik's Old Town


The Old Port ("Stara Luka") of Dubrovnik


The main street of the Old Town of Dubrovnik, entirely made out of marble, at evening.


Then Wednesday, 11/4, we drove to Montenegro from Dubrovnik, and followed the road around the Bay of Kotor to the town of Kotor, a truly spectacular place. The town, like Dubrovnik, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1667, and had another one in 1979, but most of the old city wall is still there, along with lots of old buildings. We returned to Dubrovnik that night, driving around the other side of the Bay of Kotor, past two little islands that formerly were monasteries, but now are uninhabited. They almost look like little boats, gliding on the smooth waters of the bay, which with its steep mountainous sides is really a fjord.

Monastery islands in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro


View from the fortifications on the hills above Kotor, Montenegro


Yesterday, 11/5, we drove three hours each way to Bosnia-Herzegovina and visited the city of Mostar, where the famous 400 year old bridge, linking the Croat and Muslim sides of the city, has been rebuilt after being destroyed by Croat shelling in 1993 during the Bosnian war. There are still many abandoned and bullet-scarred buildings in Mostar, and the economy is obviously in pretty bad shape. Several of the Bosnian people we talked to in the shops said they just wanted to emigrate to the United States, because life was still so difficult for them in Bosnia. But we were impressed with their openness and their friendly welcome. I doubt that they get many Americans like us coming to Bosnia, unless they're connected to the military or to the U.N. relief agencies, which were quite in evidence in Mostar.

The rebuilt bridge in Mostar, spanning the Neretva River, between the Croatian Catholic and Bosniak Muslim sides of the town.


Lucy in Mostar.

Tomorrow morning, Nov. 7, we have to be up at 4:30 a.m. to meet the bus to the Dubrovnik Airport, which leaves the road above the Old Town at 5:15, for a 6:40 a.m. flight to Zagreb and then points beyond. Lucy is flying back to Minnesota, and I am headed to Venice, and then South Africa, where I will attend the dedication service of our partner church (which our House of Hope volunteers have been helping to build) in Malungeni on Sunday, Nov. 15. I'll update you next from there!