Churches and congregants in Nelson Mandela Bay are being urged to adopt a ‘Unity Pledge for Active Citizenry‘ that positions the Church to engage in bringing about constructive change in the city.
Senior Christian leaders in Nelson Mandela Bay who signed the pledge at the end of last year after 14 months of deliberations sent a copy of the pledge together with a motivational discussion document to local churches this week, requesting church staff and congregants to sign the pledge.
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Outlining the background to the active citizenry initiative the discussion document says that a number of church leaders in NMB have been meeting on a regular basis for a decade “to pray, share and seek guidance on our role and mandate within the city”.
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Strategy of engagement
Faced with the spectacle of failures in the city affecting water supply, public transport, schooling, local government, manufacturing, rugby administration as well as unacceptable levels of crime and corruption, the leaders chose to ask “What is our role in this dysfunctional system” rather than to simply criticise the city leaders. Over 14 months they listened to citizens, sought input from experts, engaged with officials and deliberated amongst themselves in search of “a strategy of engagement”.
“We think the solution lies in every person, every congregation and every denomination finding its place – doing what they can, where they can, as the Lord leads them: beginning with a voluntary commitment to act on both an individual and collective basis” says the discussion document referring to the pledge which commits signatories to five active citizenry principles:
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1. This is our city
2. We each have our place
3. We have to be seen and also heard
4. Our daily routines must reflect our commitment
5. It is time to get to work
“The Church’s focus has always been on its evangelical mission – bringing souls to Christ. It does, however, have a complementary mission – bringing the Kingdom to people. After much discussion we believe our focus must be both,” says the discussion document.
Referring to recent press reports the document mentions that NMB church leaders have been playing a prominent role in the city’s education crisis and have started looking to do the same within the city’s health system.
Five key areas for church action
“This increasing presence in the affairs of the city is as a result of us identifying five key areas for church action, namely youth development; wellness; productive work; safe and working communities; and restoring value. Essentially, it is built on the notion that both churches and individual citizens (our congregants) must become involved and engaged in their communities – active citizenry.
“We would therefore encourage your church and congregants to become involved. Our prayer is that this will become a movement of positive change and act as a key leverage to get the city moving forward.”
The church and the state whose will is driven by government cannot be in the same room unless am the one that needs a mind shift.
1. The state lives and applies many philosophical views whilst the church should be driven by the King- the Father in all its works.Our education system is humanistic-everyone has a right to the detriment of the right of others as the bible demands.
How is church going to work together when it is a house divided amongst itself?
The state takes on board Islam and many other religions which unlike the church- christianity in particular, are holding on their religions like mad.They are keeping their ways of life as per their own bibles better than we do christians.
How is this church going to assist other than being roped into doing things that are anti christ in the name of democracy which does not have a space in the Kings Kingdom
No this is just going to be cohesion of the church by the state.We need a church that robustly fights against anything that is not of The Father.The five books of the law and the four gospels clearly speak on how society must be run- these principles and procedures must be applied.The church currently does not know whether to preach the new testament or the old testament.Such a church cannot play any part in resolving the challenges of poverty, crime, unemployment, abortion, etc.As long as you have so called charismatic and main line churches singing from the same hymbook but hearing the songs differently the pledge made is a stage act.As long as the church breaks The Father’s Law- we cant play a meaningful role in twisting the state away from these unGodly acts of sin.No!no!no! This church that preaches differently and now is the partner of some sort in redress with government at the centre. No no no- whatever the church does will have to do so within the rules set in government policies.This pledge is not convincing me at least- doesnt have to anyway- a layman like me but my spirit is clear- We need a church that fights to keep the commandments and a church that is driven in all its actions by LOVE as Yeshua says.This churchas we have now is in sin- sinning on how to do tithings, that has fathers and and sons central in their pulpits irrespective of what Christ says.No no no- the pledge is a delay tactic- beleive me.I am raising all of this with a view to build and return to the King’s Ways.
Khaya
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