Pastor leading campaign to thank God for sparing SA during pandemic

Giving glory to God by thanking Him for hearing His people’s cries for help — and for graciously sparing them from millions of Covid deaths predicted by experts – is a serious matter, said Pastor Sibusiso Khoza.

The senior leader of the Grace Tabernacle family of churches told Gateway News is currently facilitating a citywide thanksgiving event in Nelson Mandela Bay that will be hosted by local church leaders on the Donkin Reserve on February 20.

It is the 9th so-called “Ebenezer Park and Praise” event he has helped arrange around South Africa since starting in Queenstown in 2020, he said.

“At the beginning of the first hard lockdown, things were bleak. They predicted a million Covid deaths in Gauteng alone. And 1.5 million in the country. The high and mighty of this world said the streets of Africa would be filled with dead bodies. 

“But then, millions of believers began to lift their voices in prayer, towards the throne of God. And he was gracious to us,” said Khoza.

He said he had heard from prayer networks that at the start of the pandemic at least five million people were praying together about the Covid threat. 

“Psalm 50, verse 15, is very clear. ‘You call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, you will glorify Me.’

“Trouble came, we called on the name of the Lord, He delivered us. We owe Him glory.

“God will not share His glory with another and the glory for our preservation does not belong to PPE  or protocols – although we graciously comply with those.  It is nothing short of a miracle. And it is the responsibility of senior leaders to direct the praise to God. If we don’t do it, someone else will take the glory,” he said.

Khoza said while every Covid death was tragic, God deserves glory for preventing the millions of deaths that were forecast.

He said typically each of the thanksgiving events he has helped to facilitate has comprised a time of praise and worship, thanksgiving prayers led by leaders of various churches in the area, and a short message on the power of thanksgiving. At one or two of the events leaders made altar calls and some people came to Jesus.

The events have been held outdoors to allow as many people to attend as lockdown regulations allowed.

Khoza said that thanksgiving boosts confidence in the Lord which is a key to approaching Him in prayer

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. — 1 John 5:14,15

He said that after some thanksgiving events he had heard several senior leaders say they now felt ready for a big stadium event.

” If we can get senior leaders imagining, again — dreaming of big meetings for gathering souls, let’s do it. 

“That’s the one thing that has come out of this that we did not foresee. It’s the encouragement that has come to the leaders. And that has been a great blessing.”

Khoza said: “This pandemic season has really undermined the voice of the Christian faith. The Church was shut down while other sectors were allowed to open – and one of the reasons for that was to stop us from singing praises to God together. Many people have fallen away.  It is important that we raise a voice and acknowledge that God really did an awesome work,” he said.

He said he is hopeful that the Nelson Mandela Bay event on February 20 will be the best to date in terms of attracting people of all race groups. It will start with praise and worship from 1pm and the prayer programme will start at 3pm.

He said he was also speaking to leaders in other areas, and would keep on facilitating thanksgiving events “as long as the Lord gives us the grace to do so”.

“So I think it’s going to be going on for some time. God is a good God, and we need to give thanks to Him.”

“So as we raise altars of prayer, we are expectant to see a mighty move of God,” he said.

Khoza said he had also been contacted via social media by Christians in Ghana who were interested in what he was doing. He said he hopes the vision spreads through Africa like wildfire.

For more information about Ebenezer Park and Praise events call Pastor Sibusiso Khoza at +27 71 424 6252

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