Six African Pastors’ conferences were held in South Africa during January. My portfolio was to see that these conferences ran smoothly and that included organising the display of the books which are sold at subsidised prices thereby bringing very considerable advantage to the pastors. This latter responsibility was made a pleasure by diligent workers at each conference who know the book trade. Cornerstone Baptist Church, Bolton, generously and whole-heartedly supported me in these travels in sunny South Africa. My first pastorate was in Mandini, Kwazulu and with that background I have great sympathy for the needs of African pastors who live in an economic climate very different to ours.

The first conference was held at Mseleni near the border between Mozambique and South Africa, Pastor Choolwe Mwetwa (Central Baptist Church, Chingola, Zambia) spoke very challengingly on ‘The marks of faithful ministry’, and Pastor Raymond Zulu (High Wycombe Evangelical Church, UK) with the advantage of preaching in his mother tongue soared wonderfully on the theme, ‘The Word of God as our sure foundation’.

Our second conference at Koinonia Conference Centre was nearby the town of Hillcrest which in turn is not that far from the city Durban. The Speakers included Choolwe, Raymond, Dennis Hustedt (Utah, USA) and myself.  The response was encouragingly very positive. Such is the increasing interest and edification that the pastors are calling for an extension to this work to reach the youth and from them so seek to build up a future body of able ministers of the Gospel. We will have our work cut out to wrestle with this challenge and act positively.

Our third stop was in the Eastern Cape in at the city of Port Elizabeth, where Dr Paul Stoltz (Bible Institute of the Eastern Cape) very capably organised the three day conference. Pastor Bob Dickie (Berean Baptist Church in Flint Michigan USA) also expounded the awe inspiring subject of Worship. We also had an outstanding Q & A session. Some interesting topics were discussed including the role of women in ministry. This cropped up at most of the conferences. It seems to be a recurring theme that may need to be addressed sensitively in the future.

The fourth conference (click here for sermons and photos) was near the beautiful city of Pretoria. This time the speakers included Pastor Irving Steggles (Birchleigh Baptist Church, Kempton Park). He spoke on revival and delivered the conference sermon (‘Motivation in the Ministry’). The conference was a tremendous success under the very capable leadership and organisational skills of Irving who was assisted by church members from Birchleigh Baptist and also from Constantia Park Baptist Church in Pretoria where Martin Holdt is senior pastor. The Book table ministry was also a great blessing here. The three days and two nights, including six meals cost each person the equivalent astounding sum of 70 Rand (£5.00). This is a admirable demonstration on just how far money given by churches in both the USA and the UK can go towards financing more APC’s in future years.

The fifth conference was in the large Free State town of Welkom. This once rich gold-mining  town is now not far from poverty. Even the local fire engines have been repossessed by the manufacturers. The local CESA (Church of England in South Africa which is a reformed denomination) minister, George van der Westhuizen, acted as host to the conference at his church building. There was tremendous response to the preachers Choolwe and Raymond. On a personal note heartbreak and challenge came to me the next day when the three of us visited Morning Star, a crèche for 85 local HIV positive children. What an inspiring work is done by the ladies there, especially Joan Adams who is responsible for running it.

Finally the last of the conferences took place at Newcastle. This was a first time event and was capably organised by pastor Paul Jacobs. Here we saw demonstrated what can be done when a whole church supports a conference like this. This practical backing came from the Newcastle Baptist Church. Apart from the books hardly any subsidy is needed when this takes place. Some were disappointed inasmuch that they did not have enough time to secure enough money to purchase more of the discounted books that were available. In Newcastle they all wanted us to stay on for a second day. Lord willing next year we will.

The following sermons were preached and recorded at the African Pastors’ Conference in Ora et Labora, January 2009:

• The Word Is Our Sure Foundation (2 Sermons) (Raymond Zulu)
  
• The Marks of a Faithful Ministry (3 Sermons) (Choolwe Mwetwa)
  
• Motivation in Ministry (2 Corinthians 5:6-16) (Irving Steggles)
• The Marks Of A Biblical Church (2 Sermons) (Gary Morrison)

A picture gallery is available here:

Raymond Zulu, previously at Newcastle in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, now pastors High Wycombe Evangelical Baptist Church in England. Many would testify to his helpfulness as pastor to pastors and his valiant stand for the truth.

Pastor Choolwe Mwetwa brings to our conferences 20 years of pastoral experience at the Central Baptist Church in Chingola, Zambia. He is an associate editor for the magazine Reformation Zambia, maintains a weekly column in one of Zambia’s favourite newspapers and keeps a busy preaching schedule throughout Zambia and around Southern Africa. Pastor Choolwe is married to Marilyn, and they have two sons and a daughter.

Irving Steggles, is Pastor of Birchleigh Baptist Church, Kempton Park, SA, and Chairman of the Board of the London Theological Seminary.

Arrival and Registration from 10.00 a.m. on Monday 19th January.
Departure from 3.30 p.m. Wednesday 21st January.

Topics:

Applying Christ-exalting principles in pastoring those who have been saved out of traditional African religion; restoring the biblical view of the family and church; and preaching that changes lifestyles.

Aim:

To equip Pastors and Christian workers working in the Townships and rural areas to teach and apply the word of God in distinctively African situations.

Books:

The Conference Fees include a free voucher for books for each Delegate, and there will be additional books available for purchase at a massive discount of up to 90%.

Speakers:

Choolwe Mwetwa brings to our conferences 20 years of pastoral experience at the Central Baptist Church in Chingola, Zambia. He is an associate editor for the magazine Reformation Zambia, maintains a weekly column in one of Zambia’s favourite newspapers and keeps a busy preaching schedule throughout Zambia and around Southern Africa. Pastor Choolwe is married to Marilyn, and they have two sons and a daughter.

Raymond Zulu, previously at Newcastle in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, now pastors High Wycombe Evangelical Baptist Church in England. Many would testify to his helpfulness as pastor to pastors and his valiant stand for the truth.

Raymond’s previous conference messages are available here.

Gary Morrison (UK)

Registration:

Closing date for bookings:  9th January 2009

Those younger than 21 years of age will need to contact us to make a booking.  See below for contact details.

Please fill in the following form to complete registration (if you’re viewing this in an email or RSS feed, you will need to click here):

Enquiries:

Pastor Irving Steggles (+27 82 889 0987) (info@africanpastorsconference.com) or
Nick and Sheila Court (Step Wise Youth Ministry) (+27 72 959 5743)

How to get there:

From the south:
From the R21, pass the ORT/JHB airport and come off on junction 32, (Bronkhorstspruit), and go east on the R25, at the junction with the R50 turn right and then at the four way stop resume travelling on the R25. You will pass the Welbekend Police station on the right and a petrol station near to the four way stop intersection with the M30 Garsfontein Road, turn right towards Witpoort. The turning to Ora et Labora is approx half km from the 4 way M30/R25 intersection. The name sign is on the left in a small cluster of trees (Right OPPOSITE is a Shooting Range Sign which stands out more!) Take the Ora et Labora dirt track, rough road, pass the first set of farm buildings on the right, proceed and take the right hand fork of the road into Ora et Labora.
From the north:
From Pretoria – take the M30 Garsfontein Road, pass the Pretoria East hospital and keep going for approx 20 to 25 km, until you come to the M30/R25 intersection. Cross over the R25 to continue on the M30. (there is a petrol station on the right), the road is signed for Witpoort.  The turning to Ora et Labora is approx half km from the 4 way M30/R25 intersection. The name sign is on the left in a small cluster of trees (Right OPPOSITE is a Shooting Range Sign which stands out more!) Take the Ora et Labora dirt track, rough road, pass the first set of farm buildings on the right, proceed and take the right hand fork of the road into Ora et Labora.

Invitation policy

The APC are not in a position to send a formal invitation to attend the Conference to any outside South Africa. Pastors are welcome at Conference but will need to deal with their own immigration and travel arrangements. They may quote this website for confirmation that there is a Conference taking place. Please contact us if you require more information