Berea Presbyterian Church

Easter Services

In recent years Berea, Frere, and Stella Presbyterian Churches have combined for Holy Week services. We shall do so again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Berea and Stella combining for the other services listed below:

Palm Sunday: 1 April Communion at Berea at 9 am

Monday          2 April at Stella Church at 7pm

Tuesday         3 April at Berea Church at 7pm

Wednesday   4 April at Frere Church at 7pm

Tea will be served after the 3 week night services

Thursday        5 April Tenebrae Service at Berea at 7 pm

Good Friday    6 April  Service at Stella at 8 am

Easter Sunday 8 April  Service at Berea 10 am

Christmas letter from the Manse

Dear Friends

One says it every year, but it always seems true. Once again Christmas is suddenly upon us. But maybe there is something in that. For centuries God had spoken through His prophets telling Israel that the Messiah would come to them. And then right at the end of the Old Testament in Malachai 3: 1 we are told, ‘Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire will come,” says the Lord Almighty. Mary and Joseph had some warning that there was something special about their impending new Baby. The wise men who came from somewhere in the east were expecting to see some phenomenal thing at the end of their journey, but the shepherds were suddenly confronted by a choir of angels and told to go to Bethlehem to see a wonder of God. So there was some sort of expectation for some sort of visitation by God to His people, but there was also suddenness to it.

So with us. We know Christmas is coming (and the geese are getting fat), so we do have some expectation, but it also seems to have a habit of suddenly being there right in front of us. And so I hope that no matter how many Christmases you have celebrated that there will be something new and startling about Christmas. May Jesus be as refreshing and new and startling to you this Christmas as he was to Mary and Joseph, the wise men and the shepherds at the first Christmas. For our 3 congregations on the Berea this year just passed has made us look up and lead us into His plan and future for us in the coming year. For Berea we have celebrated our 125^th Anniversary this year and we are grateful to God for his provision for us over all this time.

So, from our whole family we want to wish everyone in Berea and Stella congregations a most joyous and happy Christmas. We trust that the startling news of the birth of the Christ child into our midst would be as joyous to you again this year as it was to those who saw Him for the first time all those years ago.

With love and affection

William

Blue Service

Strange time for “feeling blue?” Not really. Many people who work with society at large will attest to the intense loneliness of many folk around Christmas. At a time when restaurants are full and there is much fun and many celebrations despite the difficult financial conditions, there are many people who are lonely. At a time when families draw together it accentuates the loss some will feel of the death of some one they love.

Christmas is rightly a time for joy and celebration of Christ’s birth but the Blue Service which is held at Berea gives people an opportunity to remember those with whom they have celebrated Christmas in the past.

DATE 21 December 2011

TIME 6 p.m.

Venue Berea Presbyterian Church

Significant Church Discussions

The 3 Presbyterian Churches on the Berea of Durban are in discussions planning the possibility of a joint future. The decline of Presbyterianism in the City of Durban is not limited to these 3 Churches as the United Church (which the old St. Andrews is a part) and Greyville have likewise declined from their past strengths. Berea, Frere, and Stella have increasingly drawn together. The decline of the Congregations was highlighted when the same document was presented to the congregations of all 3 Churches on 16 October. In that document it showed that the rolls of the 3 Churches stood as follows:

These figures and the document as a whole were produced as a result of the discussions held by 4 representatives from each of the 3 Sessions of the Churches concerned together with the 2 Ministers. Rev Pool has in recent years been the Minister of both Stella and Berea and the Sessions of the two Churches have held combined Session meetings.

At the meetings of the 3 congregations each congregation approved a motion that these discussions held by the 12 delegates and two Ministers, should continue and further analyse the consequences of any coming together and then to report back to each individual Congregation. It was clearly stated that no binding decision would be taken by this group and that before any decisions are taken the Congregations would be consulted.

Stella Pre-Primary School Event

As a final celebratory evening for 2011 and as a fund raising event, the school has organized a block booking for the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella. Details are:

Date: 10 December 2011

Time: 7.30 pm

Cost: R120.00 per ticket

Venue: Durban Playhouse Theatre

Tickets are available from Mrs. Avril van Eeden at Stella Pre-Primary School during school hours.

Please telephone Avril for any further information at

031-205 6934

Christmas Service times and venues

Following the pattern set over the past couple of years Berea and Stella will be combining services over the Christmas period and the venue will alternate each week as follows:

4 December (Communion)                     at Stella

11 December (Carol Service)                 at Berea

18 December                                          at Stella

25 December                                          at Berea

1 January (Communion)                         at Stella

8 January                                               at Berea

All services will begin at 9 am

Book Sale

Berea will be holding a book sale as one of its annual fund raisers. As usual this will be held on Saturday morning and anyone who would like to donate books may leave them at the Church office on the weekday mornings.

Date: Saturday 12^th November 2011

Time: 8 am until 12 noon

Venue: Glenwood Village (Formerly Buxton’s Centre)

The four Marks of the Christian Church

This is a synopsis of a talk given recently at a Breakfast at Berea.:

In  classic thought there has always been a tendency to distinguish the ‘true’ Church or the ‘authentic’ Church from the ‘false’ or ‘un-authentic’ by appealing to four marks that would serve to identify the Church as that which it is, has always been, and ought to always strive toward. These marks being taken together in the phrase; "The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
First of all, the so-called Four Marks of the Church are ancient in their expression and were first captured for us in 381AD, when the First Council of Constantinople declared the Church to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. Now, in all her dealings, whether it be decisions taken or activity engaged in the Church is expected to always exhibit these four marks and strive to present them clearly in order to safeguard her integrity and lay claim to her historical and eternal continuity.
As far as each mark is concerned, the Church is:
One - when by her intention and striving she always seeks the unity of the Body in faith and in life. This may appear to be an illusion when one considers the many different denominations throughout the world, and indeed some have pointed to this circumstance as revealing the falacy of church-unity and the consequent compromise of the Church’s integrity, however we must be careful to note that to say the Church is One is not to say that she is uniform in practice, intention or even theological nuance. In short, the Church is One when she strives for the realization, in faith and life, of the glorious truth presented for us in Ephesians 4:4-6, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Holy - when by her intention and striving she always seeks to be faithful to the purposes for which she was called into existence by her Lord. This implies that there will be, at times, for her a call to be different and ‘other’ to the world (for this is, in one sense, what we mean by the very word "holy"). This ‘being different’ to the world has the potential to cause great discomfort and may well result in a lack of popularity, but this is nevertheless our call - and when this occurs we should always remember that "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:18-19) It is important to note that this is not necessarily a call for us to be different at all points, or being different simply for the sake of being different, we are to be discerning and wise about the world within which we live. There is a fine-line that needs to be maintained at this point, a delicate balance between embrace of the world, and rejection thereof - this demands wisdom! In short, the Church is Holy when she strives to express in faithful humility her call to be set apart for her Lord and different from the world.
Catholic - when by her intention and striving she always seeks to reflect her universal and eternal character. In simplest terms, the word "catholic" might be taken to mean "universal". Pronouncing the universality (thus the catholicity) of Christ’s church refers to the wholeness and totality of all true believers in Jesus, as the Christ. In light of this mark, the Church is not limited to a time, place, race or culture. We acknowledge in saying so; firstly, that the Church is catholic through time insofar as she includes all who have been called in Christ throughout all generations, not just those who are alive at present; secondly, that the Church is catholic through place insofar as she is present throughout the world and not delimited by any geopgraphical boundaries; thirdly, that the Church is catholic through race insofar as there is no racial or genetic divisions to be found in her; and fourthly, that the Church is catholic through culture insofar as she is able to appeal to, and include, all cultures under heaven, to varying degrees of conformity, without undermining her integrity. The mark of catholocity is also one which draws on a more pro-active injuction from Scripture, when the Lord tells his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20: "… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." In this sense the Church is also always becoming more catholic.
Apostolic - when by her intention and striving she always seeks to remain faithful to, and maintain continuity with, the teaching of the apostles (cf. Acts 2:42). For Roman Catholic and certain Orthodox churches this has a further dimension in that, to claim apostilicity for the Church, implies not only faithfulness to and continuity with, their teaching, but also an historical link to the apostles by virtue of apostolic succession through the laying on of hands (each of these two traditions lay claim to the fact that their Pope and Patriarch, respectively, derive their authority by virtue of this succession directly from the Apostle Peter. This is a matter of interest for historians and theologians at another level, for the sake of this reflection however it would prove helpful to see it simply as anecdotal proof for how seriously the Church has always held her apostolic nature. For the sake of her ongoing integrity and proper claim to the truth she must maintain continuity with that essential teaching of the Church which was found in the earliest teaching of the Apostles.
In conclusion: I would like to stress the importance and value of these marks for the ‘authentic’ growth and ‘true’ expression of the Church. Where any of these marks are neglected or deliberately disregarded in the local congregation, the Church will face a certain loss of identity. When we make decisions or engage in actions it should always be informed by these marks and a desire to not only maintain these attributes, but also to strengthen them and express these realities more clearly.

by Jaco Bester

David Carlyle and “Faith for Daily Living”

It is often really difficult to establish clearly what some self effacing people do and David exemplifies this characteristic. After trying to establish the role of this retired lawyer in the “Faith for Daily Living” I am still not exactly sure, but there can be little doubt his knowledge of English and attention to detail is well used in the production of the little 72 page booklet which Faith for Daily Living publishes every 2 months. It is designed to fit comfortably into a pocket or handbag and consists of a message for each day with Bible readings from the International Bible Reading Association together with other articles poems and prayers. Its daily message sets out to be a non-denominational guide to confident Christian living.

FFDL originated in 1961 when the Rev. Arnold Walker the minister of the Methodist Metropolitan Church in Pietermaritzburg moved from writing a daily devotional article in “The Witness” to publishing a monthly booklet in. In 1973 he left the full time Methodist Ministry to establish an Editorial office in Durban. He was then on his own financially with small monthly circulation of 750 copies—a huge leap of faith. Arnold Walker continued his involvement with FFDL until his death in 1998 but from about 1985 was increasingly assisted by Brian Thomas an attorney by profession but who for a time acted as a pastor of the Stella Presbyterian Church later at the Overport Congregational Church. Following Brian’s sudden death in 2002, John Borman the present editor, was appointed.

Some 118 000 copies are currently distributed every two months and the readership is far greater than that as the booklet is passed on to different readers as well as in some places it is used by whole families. It is distributed to over in 80 countries world wide—to many English speaking countries, many African countries, and even Russia and Saudi Arabia but of course most of its circulation takes place here in Southern African countries. FFDL is not run on accepted business principles. The booklets are never sold and no accounts are sent out. Books are sent without obligation to anyone who asks for them and FFDL is reliant entirely on voluntary donations to meet expenses. These are not inconsiderable for a last year’s expenses for FFDL amounted to R 3 500 000 but then God’s way are not the world’s ways for He has thorough the generosity of the readers, enabled the ministry of the FFDL to grow and prosper.

400th Anniversary of the King James Bible

Previously we have drawn attention to fact that this year is the 400^th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible. This has of course been the basis of worship for so much of the English speaking world and has been the centre piece in missionary endeavour over the past four centuries in many parts of the world. To mark this anniversary the following events have been organized over the weekend of 19 to 21 August:

1. Songs of Praise with Richard Cock and a massed choir.

Admission is free but tickets must be obtained prior to the event from Letitia:

ph 031 207 4933 email: timms@biblesociety.co.za

Venue: The Durban Christian Centre Jesus Dome 44 Garth Road, Mayville, Durban

Date: Friday 19 August 2011

Time: 6.30 for 7 pm

2. Beachfront Bible Walk for about 5 kms.

Registration: Letitia p. 031 207 4933 or on the day at Ushaka parking lot B.  Breakfast rolls and refreshments on sale.  Each person who completes the course will receive a KJV 400 medal.

Date: Saturday 20 August 2011

Cost: R20 per person (the cost of an Out reach Bible)

Time: Registration 8:30 to 9:15am

3. Combined Church Service at Frere Road Presbyterian Church 

Date: Sunday 21 August 2011

Time: 9.30 am

The Man Whispered

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" And a meadow lark sang. But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me" And the thunder & lightning rolled across the sky. But the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you." And a star shined brightly. But the man did not see.
And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle" And a life was born. But the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and let me know you are here" thereupon, God reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
I found this to be a great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted. even in our electronic age . . . so I would like to add one more:
The man cried "God, I need your help" . . . and an e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and encouragement. But the man deleted it unopened because "Fw:" was in the Subject; and continued crying…..

The good news is that you are loved. Don’t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t packaged the way that you expect.

From the web site: http://www.inspirationalonline.com/stories/s-z/whisper.html

Malcolm Dix

Malcolm is of course Berea’s Session Clerk and has been for more than 10 years. During most of this time he has been Berea’s representative on the Thekweni Presbytery. As Berea’s membership is less than 150 we are entitled to send only one member of Session to Presbytery with our Minister. For the past 3 years Malcolm has taken on the onerous duty as treasurer for Thekweni Presbytery. This is not exactly a glamorous position and as with so many other honorary jobs it demands a great deal of time and close attention to detail. Much like the best referees in a rugby game—-he should hardly be noticed but is crucial for the smooth running of the game. When things go wrong all attention is fixed on him and how he can diplomatically solve the issue. It is not his task to make policy but rather it is his duty to implement Presbytery’s policy in respect of finance. This means gathering all the assessments due from each of our churches in the Durban and surrounding areas. This is a fixed percentage of each individual church’s total income. Malcolm has to keep an eye on the expenditure as he reports to Presbytery. So what does Presbytery do with the money collected?

Each Presbytery is different and circumstances will determine how the money is disbursed. On occasions when General Assembly is held in this Presbytery, it will mean involvement there. It may mean assisting with the establishment of a new church, or the funding of a special meeting such as the recent meeting of folk involved with leading the music in churches, plus the education of Ministers either those in training or existing ministers. Then of course there are the costs involved with running Presbytery itself and the Umtintweni cottages for retired Ministers, or the Treasurer and Presbytery could simply act as a conduit for the payment of work undertaken in the name of the Church. Outside organizations need to believe that when money is paid over it will be spent honestly and for the purpose it has been donated.

With all this to do and it is by no means a complete list, small wonder that there is not a host of folk queuing to take over from him.