"Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’" —Jeremiah 9:23-24

One of the first projects that we’re tackling at the Powerhouse is to help make the church’s feeding scheme more of a regular, sustained ministry. The feeding scheme started three years ago when Nate was here on his first trip. Tired of talking but not acting, Vincent announced one Sunday, "On Wednesday, we’re going to feed the poor," challenging his congregation to follow Christ’s command. No mind that there was no food to feed the poor on Wednesday… By Tuesday, the plan still stood, but still no food. Nate was riding around with Vincent late Tuesday afternoon when Vincent got a call on his cell phone from the Pick-n-Pay, the local grocery store, to tell him that they had loads of food that had just expired but still edible—could the Powerhouse use it? Needless to say the church fed the poor on Wednesday. Praise God.

This past Sunday at church a similar thing happened. Vincent preached on the Parable of the Lost Sheep , but extended the parable beyond just the account of the shepherd risking the 99 to rescue the one and focused on the why —why would the shepherd rescue the one? Vincent creatively related to the church why that sheep has value in the eyes of the shepherd, just as why one person has value in the eyes of God—why salvation is not just the start in God’s eyes. It was neat to hear how Vincent drilled into our hearts the message of our importance as individuals, while encouraging us to share that same message with others in the community. Why is this a message a township church needs to hear? We are learning that the blacks in the township have consistently heard the lies of Apartheid (even in the post-Apartheid era)—you are nothing, you are inferior, your poverty will keep you down, you will amount to nothing; and we realize every Sunday that many of the children we interact with don’t have parents to tell them they are loved and to remind them they are important. Truly, we are finding that sharing the message of love in the name of Jesus—you are of value, you are important, you are here for a purpose, you are loved—is perhaps the most important thing we will "do" this year as we relate to people. Something seemingly small, but hugely needed.

The next thing we knew, Vincent was announcing AR ’s intention, along with the leadership of the church, to grow the scale of the feeding scheme—in effect, to start a food pantry with a fridge and deep freezer to store breads and meats, industrial shelving to store canned goods, wholesale bags of mealie (corn) meal on hand, etc. so that the church can regularly feed the poor, while supplementing any random donation phone calls from the Pick-n-Pay. Next, Vincent announced the idea the church elders had for providing laundry care for the children who live in shacks behind the church. These children may have received donated uniforms for school but they have no way of taking care of them and essentially wear them until they are totally worn out…and, as a result, these kids stop going to school. The Powerhouse could help them by washing/drying, ironing, folding and returning their clothes each week, and in doing so, share the love of God with them by humbly serving them as Jesus would. Whether Vincent planned it, or if it was the Holy Spirit moving him to challenge his congregation, Vincent turned the sermon to the practical and busted out," "Who’s on board? Who will help?"

At least 20 or 30 hands went up. Wow. "I’ll donate an iron." "I can bring an ironing board." "I’ll provide soap." "I’ll be happy to fix any broken washing machines or irons people have." "I’ll do the laundry." "I’ll bring an ironing board." "I have a washing machine to donate." It was incredible. The church was coming together to be what a church should be, to do what Christ-followers are called to do: respond to need. We were all moved. After, Vincent invited people up to pray for what had just happened, that God would use us as His hands and feet and that people would come to know the love of Jesus through these intentions.

It was refreshing to see a church act—not call another meeting to discuss more—but act, and specifically, to care lavishly for the poor. And to see Vincent, again as he did when the feeding scheme first started, step out on faith before his church and essentially say, "Lord, this is what you have called us to do. Let’s do it," without having the necessary resources but trusting God that He would provide.

We’ve said it before, but it continues to be our privilege to be here alongside the Powerhouse, learning about what it looks like to trust God and to put the gospel into practice. Admittedly, Nate and I are working out in our heads what that will look like back home, where suburbia does an excellent job of hiding need and injustices our neighbors face. But one thing I believe, if all churches would respond as the Powerhouse does, Christians would change the world.

To listen to Vincent’s sermon, click the play button below.



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"God will not give you a mission without a provision."—Vincent Nyathi

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Filed under: General by Rebecca on August 26th, 2008, AR, church, feeding scheme, laundry service, Powerhouse