This week I spoke to Christ for all Nations (CfaN) School of Evangelism graduate David Raphunga about plans for a “Gospel invasion” in Motherwell, Gqeberha from August 11 to August 30.

The campaign, which is part of CfaN’s vision to reach a million young people in the Eastern Cape with the Gospel, will conclude with a 4-night crusade from August 27 to August 30.

This afternoon David and colleague Patricia Mathabela are holding a campaign planning meeting with church and community leaders in Motherwell, an area which was in the news recently when US pastor Josh Sullivan was kidnapped in his church in the township while he was preaching. Sullivan was later freed by police after a shootout with the kidnappers under circumstances widely considered to be miraculous.

Dangerous places

Speaking in a Gqeberha church on Sunday, David said that as an evangelist he likes dangerous places because that is where the darkness is. “We’re going there to shine the light of Jesus and to push back the darkness,” he said.

Until recently David, who is from Johannesburg, had never been to Gqeberha and had no plans to visit the city. But God! Ever since he gave his life to Jesus at the age of 15, he said he knew he was called to ministry. He just didn’t know what kind of ministry.

He completed a Bible college degree in 2017 and then worked at a high school in a sports role. During the Covid years he battled with depression after trauma he had experienced as a result of being bullied at primary school resurfaced. After receiving deliverance ministry he began to seek the Lord fervently and in 2023  he applied to attend the CfaN School Of Evangelism in Cape Town — and was accepted.

“To be honest, I only enrolled at the school because my mom said God had told her I must apply,” he said.

During the first two weeks of the two-month school programme he said he badly wanted to leave the course. He had a history of social anxiety and stuttering, and he was afraid of speaking in public and of approaching people.

“I actually wondered why the school had accepted me,” he said..

Burden for the lost

Then David started to discover that the school was exactly the place where God wanted him to be. “That is where I fell in love with Jesus all over again. That is where I received this burden for the lost. I think that besides salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit that course was my most life-changing experience.” he said.

“It is a school where you just learn the simplicity of the Gospel. The equipping for evangelism, I would say, is really second to none. The practical trip that you go on is amazing. Right now, we have students coming from different parts of the world to come to the School of Evangelism in South Africa.”

David said they learned that in some areas where they had held mini crusades as part of their evangelism training, the crime rate had dropped and pastors who had been feuding were working together. During their practical training they saw people receiving Jesus, miracles and the Holy Spirit moving. “When the Gospel is preached, it is powerful,” said David.

In early 2024 he and his mother joined a 21-day fast convened by Prophetess Janet Brann-Hollis, who was going to minister at a church in Gqeberha. They interceded for her trip and after the 21 days he and his mother continued to fast and pray for the church in Gqeberha. During that time he often found himself weeping for the lost youth in Gqeberha, a city he did not know.

About five months later, Patricia, who had been at evangelism school with him, phoned him and invited him to join a youth crusade campaign that CfaN had started in Gqeberha.

From mid 2024 they began reaching young people at Gqeberha schools and principals in Motherwell heard about them and urged them to visit their schools, which they did. They also went to other parts of the Eastern Cape, including East London and rural towns in the north of the province. In some areas they saw an outpouring of the Holy Spirit at schools with children weeping in response to the preaching of the Gospel. The deeper they went into rural areas they went “the more the enemy started to show his face” through the influence of witchcraft, said David.

‘Marked for revival’

He said they sensed that Gqeberha is a place marked for revival. “There is this anticipation of something big happening over the city – something very big is going to happen amongs the youth of Gqeberha and the surrounding places. So, we’re really excited to be here.”

David said they are calling on churches in Motherwell and in the rest of Gqeberha to partner with the CfaN team in the upcoming Gospel invasion in Motherwell. There are also opportunities for believers to volunteer as ushers and car guards at the crusade, in intercession teams and in an engineering capacity in the construction and setup of the crusade venue.

There are also considerable campaign financial needs, including for the stage and venue setup, publicity, security, taxi transport and municipal fees.

If you would like to be involved in the campaign in any capacity you are invited to call David at +27 61 580 2358 or Patricia at +27 412 9998.

Banking details for making donations towards the costs of the Motherwell campaign are: Ruah Red Ministry, ABSA Bank Account: 4084223919.

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