Out of Africa

Some of our Club View young people

The words ‘Out of Africa’ not only refer to the title the popular 1985 film, but also now to us. But we are not the only ones to be out of Africa. Others include Bill Graham, Donald MacIver, David Miller, Douglas Campbell, Ronnie Christie and Norman Reid. Although these names of former missionaries associated with Dumisani Theological Institute mean little to our non-Free Church of Scotland friends, it is salutatory to note that there is now only one Free Church Missionary in South Africa, Dr Alistair Wilson.

The question then is this: who is going into Africa, specifically to Dumisani? One answer, for which we thank God, is that two South Africans, Wayne Gratz and Greg Phillips, will join the Dumisani team this coming New Year.  But, without in any way detracting from their contribution, neither Wayne nor Greg are joining the team under the auspices of the Free Church of Scotland. Does that matter?

In one sense it doesn’t matter at all, for both are very fine Christian men who will hugely contribute to Dumisani’s future ministry. But in another sense I think it does matter. It matters, first, to the Free Church in Scotland. What does it say about our missionary commitment if we are now satisfied to have only one Free Church minister serving in our oldest mission area?

It also matters enormously to the Free Church in Southern Africa. The FCSA is painfully conscious of what seems to them be a weakening of Scottish commitment towards their work and witness. As our own period of service was running to its close, time after time African colleagues asked me why Free Church interest in them and their church had reached such an all-time low. I could not answer the question because I was as baffled as they were.

Personally, we have now made the transition from Africa to Scotland, from King William’s Town to Croy, and have settled in remarkably well. The flights home were totally uneventful. We were met by our friends Peter and Marion Morrison, as well as Calum Ferguson, secretary of the International Missions Board. Next day, Murdo Murchison from Doune gave us the loan of a car from his stock and we drove up to Glen Urquhart to spend an enjoyable weekend with Stuart and Gemma, Daisy and Murphy. The following Tuesday we moved into our home, ten miles east of Inverness. The move was stress-free, apart that is from dealing with a complicated heating system and the bureaucracy of banks and telephone and electricity companies. In some ways it is good to be back, but not only are we missing the African heat, we are also missing our many South African friends, including the singing of the members of Club View FCSA.

Thanks to your prayers and God’s answers, Elizabeth is in very good form and is sleeping well. Except for a daily aspirin, she is now off all medication, including sleeping tablets. Predictably, she has already started on our garden. We are both, for the time being anyway, enjoying relative leisure, to such an extent that one morning we slept until 8 o’clock, after going to bed at 9 o’clock the previous night!

So far as the future is concerned there seem to be two main possibilities before us. Either I can respond to a call from a vacant congregation, if I get one, or I can accept a Scottish-based post that I have been offered, working as the representative of a missionary organisation. Already my diary is filling up. I’m down to preach in nearby congregations every Sunday from Christmas Day to the end of March. This, along with some writing, a couple of church committees and exploring the possibility of setting up a Friends of Dumisani Scottish charity should keep me occupied for the time being. In addition, I have been asked to become the Programme Coordinator for our denominational annual in-service training week, starting 2013, and to teach a module on missionaries for next year’s Free Church college Saturday course, starting in October 2012.

We cannot adequately express our gratitude to you for all your past support and interest in us, but would you please continue to pray for us, especially for wisdom in making the right choices for the future when the time comes.

As we will be sending very few, if any, Christmas cards this year, we wish you a very happy Christmas and God’s blessing in the coming New Year.

With our warmest greetings,

John and Elizabeth.

Our new address is:

1 Ardgowan, Croy, Inverness, IV2 5PA, UK.

Tel: 01667 493210,  Mobile: 07775 082331

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