What is this 'programme'?

Is this like having a 'sister church'?

How would our church do that?

How's this programme going to work?

What's the programme structure?

Aren't there rules?

You mention the American Board connection; is it only historically Zulu churches which should be interested in this programme? 

Does an entire congregation have to be involved, or can an outstation participate alone? 

Will they necessarily be visiting South Africa?

Should they?

Do we have to visit America?

Should we?

How do we communicate with the American church?

How do we 'sign up'?

What is this ‘programme’? 

“Ibandla lami linge lakho / My church is your church” is an idea to enrich the lives of churches and members in KwaZulu-Natal and in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, through contacts and links between the people of local congregations, rediscovering and building upon historical and other links of the UCCSA in KZN with the United Church of Christ (UCC) in Massachusetts.  The idea is to ‘match’ a single church here, with a single church there, with the aim to reclaim a sense of close family between us.

            This effort began with five sets of churches in 2004, with another 10 sets of churches added during 2005.  The programme proceeds with the approval of the denominational bodies in the US and South Africa.  Ruthann and Jan Hall are serving as volunteer facilitators for the programme.

Is this like having a ‘sister church’? 

Yes, or maybe a ‘cousin,’ but think concepts like “link” – “share” – “intertwine” – “parallel” – “act jointly” – “exchange” – “know one another individually”.   The idea is to link the actual lives of the churches, rather than to exchange pleasantries, or send or receive contributions, every so often.  The sense of this relationship should be embedded in the usual activities of the church, week to week.

How would our church do that? 

Exactly how this is done would be up to the ‘matched’ churches themselves, and depend upon them.  But the idea is not for the American church to provide things to the KZN church, or for the churches to busy themselves just with learning about the people in the other place – it is, rather, to have a true and ongoing relationship with them, centered on our and their lives as churches.

            For starters, they will want to look for some means of introducing the churches to each other through, for instance, the exchange of photo albums or scrap books.  In discussions with participating churches, examples have come up of further possible ‘contact points’ and activities such as:

·         Sunday schools (such as sharing or exchanging lessons and songs)

·         Adult groups (sharing and identifying personal prayer concerns)

·         Choirs and music programmes

·         Shared Bible studies

·         Worship connections

·         Youth groups (addressing an issue in common to their respective communities, while reflecting on and sharing the experience)

·         Pen pals (at all ages)

‘Matched’ churches are encouraged to discover activities and connections that are meaningful to them.

How’s this programme going to work?     

The Halls, as volunteer programme facilitators, are spending roughly half the year in the US and half in South Africa, so as to visit each interested church in Massachusetts and KwaZulu-Natal.  Once a church has indicated it wishes to join the programme, a match is determined, usually within six months.  With the identification of the match comes basic information about the other church and introductory pictures as well as initial contact information.

            The Massachusetss church is usually asked to make a first phone call to the KZN church’s contact persons, to begin the process of discovery and sharing between the churches.  While the programme does not prescribe or require particular activities or specific ways in which the sharing and development of the family relationship between the churches should take place, the Halls remain available to answer questions or assist as needed.

What’s the programme structure? 

Beyond the local churches themselves, there is as little formal programme structure as possible.  Each church that joins the programme should identify several initial contact persons who are interested in the programme and active within the church, and who can be identified to the Mass church – it is best if these persons are drawn from different areas of the church’s activities (Sunday school, women’s groups, music, or others), so as to afford the possibility for multiple points of direct communication and linkage with the Mass church.  For example, initial contacts often act as liaisons for the Sunday school or for an adult group interested in prayer connections.  In addition, each church should have a coordinator / advocate, a ‘go-to’ contact person or persons for the programme:  Someone in the church needs to ‘push’ this within the existing activities of the church, certainly until it ‘takes’.  This person or persons should be instrumental in starting contact between the churches and would be a regular point of contact for the facilitators, the Region, and other participating churches.

Aren’t there rules? 

How much regulation a family relationship needs, will depend upon the family members, but … There needs to be a commitment to the relationship.  The matched churches should commit to ‘give this a go’ for four years, to allow for some development time.

            Also, it is very important for the success of such an idea, that it NOT be or become about money or the transfer of resources from the assumed to be well-off there to the presumed to be less-well-off here, or vice-versa.  This is a central issue that needs to be dealt with maturely and consistently – any such transfer of resources in the context of one relationship can change the nature of the programme, and perhaps irreparably, for all the churches.

You mention the American Board connection; is it only historically Zulu churches which should be interested in this programme? 

The hope is that the participation of churches will not be restricted in any such way.  This is mentioned only to highlight an aspect of a special historical connection – it would be great if the full variety of the UCCSA in KZN could be represented.  In fact, the presently participating churches represent a broad spectrum of the churches in the KZN Region.

Does an entire congregation have to be involved, or can an outstation participate alone? 

The Mass Conference UCC churches are single worship points; the circuit arrangement, as with a central church with outstations, does not operate there.  It is easier for the churches there, and more likely to allow for the natural development of the mutual contacts which the programme envisions, if ‘local church’ is taken to mean a place where Sunday worship and related activities of the regular life of the members of the church take place, rather than a multi-point ‘circuit.’  While more than one church in a circuit can participate, it will generally be best if they do so as separate ‘local churches’, each with its own ‘match’ among the American churches.  To date, this has been handled differently in different KZN congregations, and can be discussed further with interested churches.

Will they necessarily be visiting South Africa?  Do we have to visit America?  No.

Should they?  Should we?    Well, yes, it would be a wonderful experience each way.  Rest assured that the folks in the American churches will be interested in visiting here, too, in due course.  But travel is not to be a requirement of the programme itself.  I3L is not intended to be another scheduled ‘tourism for Christ’ venture.  On the other hand, as the relationships build, the desire to make them less virtual will begin to take hold, and the parties will have to see where that takes them.

How do we communicate with the American church? 

It depends, but directly or indirectly, the answer is likely to be ‘by whatever is the best means available.’  The question of how to handle the communications is something that will be part of what the matched churches will be working on initially.  If someone in the church has access to e-mail, that usually works very well with folks in the US; but telephones and faxes are marvelous things, too, and the post does work.  Remember to use airmail, though!

How do we ‘sign up’? 

It’s pretty simple: someone willing to speak for the church needs to tell the Halls, directly or through the Region office, that the church wants to explore participating in the programme.  The Halls will want to come to meet and, if possible, worship with your church, and to preach on and/or present the programme to your church members, as well as to answer any questions you and they may have.  You would decide whether to proceed, and then let the Halls know this.

Then, while you are waiting for the identification of your ‘matched’ church in the US, and the first contacts with these new friends, you should begin thinking about how your church wants itself to be described to potential ‘matches’ in Massachusetts – ‘this is who we are, where we are, what we’re about’.

It would also be good for people in the church to begin to think about the potential points of contact and programmes and activities through which the relationship might be explored.

If you have any questions at this time, or if your church might be interested, please contact the Halls.

(March 2006)