By AE Media
Meet Theuns Pauw who has stepped into the big shoes of AE founder Michael Cassidy as South African team leader of the influential evangelism ministry he established 57 years ago.
African Enterprise (AE), the ministry founded by Michael Cassidy in 1961, has recently appointed a new leader for its South African team. The appointment has been long-awaited, having been open since the end of 2013. We thank the Lord for his faithfulness in hearing our prayers.
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Theuns Pauw, African Enterprise South Africa’s new Team Leader, has been in position for six months now, and is enjoying the new challenge and is settling well into the AE family. Theuns came to AE from Franschhoek, where he pastored the Shofar Church.
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Theuns grew up in Stellenbosch, the eldest of three siblings. He matriculated at Paul Roos Gymnasium in 1995, and after graduating from Stellenbosch University in 1999 with a degree in Management Accounting, Theuns went to the UK to gain work experience and travel. By this time however, he had no more interest in church or the bible, and had chosen a prodigal path of excessive drinking, womanising, drug experimentation and occasional bar-fighting!
But, his mother and a group of praying friends in their neighbourhood in Stellenbosch, petitioned the Lord for four years to intervene and save him. On Sunday March 23 2003, God answered their prayers, and revealed Himself powerfully to Theuns while alone in his apartment in London! He repented for the next three days, and became a new creation!
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Theuns felt God calling him back to South Africa to get equipped and preach the gospel in Africa. He joined Shofar Christian Church in 2004, where he completed two voluntary years of service and three years at Bible School, before being ordained as a pastor in 2007. During that time, in 2006, he married the lovely Charlene and they have three amazing children, Christiaan, Esther and Reinhart.
Charlene Pauw has had a long-standing relationship with African Enterprise, having been led to the Lord as a young lady, while still at school, by Michael and Carol Cassidy in their home one afternoon. Theuns and Charlene both have a strong sense of call to the position and are very excited about the new journey the Lord is taking them on.
Theuns describes the story shortly before commencing the work at AE, “The last year, for me, has been an incredible journey of discovery and rediscovery, leading me to approach African Enterprise with a sense of calling and an increasing urgency to partner together in bringing in the harvest. I didn’t presume in what capacity the Lord wanted me to serve at AE, except that He has put in me a passion to preach the Gospel and see the lost come to salvation, ever since I came to faith 14 years ago.
“I considered myself an unlikely candidate for the Team Leader position, but God was leading when I applied, and I was acutely aware of His presence during the whole interview season … and that He was preparing my heart for this great work of AE. This is a big move for us, but one we are fully persuaded the Lord has ordained. Therefore, we are joyful and expectant.
“We are truly humbled at being given this privilege to become part of the AE family, and I relish the opportunity to learn from seasoned evangelists and elders in the faith. I honour the many men and women of God who have helped establish and build AE, but especially Michael and Carol Cassidy, for their faith, hard work, and obedience to the Lord.
“AE has a powerful legacy and countless testimonies, which by God’s grace we will continue to build upon, staying true to the vision of, ‘Evangelising the cities of Africa through word and deed in partnership with the Church.’”
Michael Cassidy is thrilled about this new appointment and commends Theuns as he leads the team, “I particularly thank the Lord for Theuns’ deep sense of call to this position, his passion for evangelism, his commitment to discipleship, spirituality and lay training, his administrative and financial skills, plus his experience of the person and gifts of the Holy Spirit. With all this goes a very strong commitment to racial justice and compassionate action. All of this will greatly strengthen our AE South Africa team. Please keep Theuns, Charlene and their children in your prayers at this time. And please join our AE mailing list in support of the team.”
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