Spirit of repentance released over Rustenburg at historic reconciliation rally

Child in arms of Angus ‘symbolic’ of New Beginning

 [EasyGallery id=’newbeginningcrusade’] Photos: CHRISTO NEL

A powerful spirit of repentance was released over the multiracial crowd of more than 20 000 people as evangelist Angus Buchan led them in prayer at the New Beginning reconciliation crusade in Rustenburg on Saturday, said Pastor Francois Burger, the coordinator of the team of local church leaders who hosted the event.

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He said the ring of people who prayed together on the athletic track surrounding the field at the Olympia Stadium was a powerful picture of unity — especially in Rustenburg, which has a history of racial conflict. Most of the people who attended the crusade heeded a call by Buchan to gather on the track, link hands and join in a prayer of humble repentance and to seek God’s healing for South Africa in accordance with His word in 2 Chronicles 7:14. The rally was arranged to pray for reconciliation, restoration and revival in the aftermath of mass mine strikes and deadly violence in the area.

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As Buchan led the prayers he held a two-year-old girl, Jordan Pretorius, in his arms and later held her hand as he kneeled in prayer. Unknown to him, the little girl was a strong visual representation of the day’s “New Beginning”  theme as she had been adopted by a Pretoria pastor and his wife after she had been found abandoned in a cardboard box, reports Volksblad in an article published yesterday. Nothing is known of little Jordan’s biological family but she is now one of six children of Charné Pretorius and Pastor Bert Pretorius of 3C Church in Centurion. The couple have adopted three black children and have three children of their own.

Global impact
Burger said he was amazed by the impact of God TV’s live international broadcast of the event.

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“So many people are phoning us from around the world. We are getting testimonies all the time,” he said.

He said many people received Christ during the day, and a woman’s deaf ear popped open when Buchan prayed for healing.

God TV communications officer Al Gibson said today that they hoped to have the crusade broadcast up on “Video On Demand” soon, providing viewers the opportunity to view it at their leisure. (Gateway News will publish details when this becomes available.)

During the rally Buchan addressed the various protagonists in the mine unrest in South Africa. He said mine bosses should not be greedy and should pay their workers properly. He said miners should lay down their weapons and return to work and produce more in order to earn more money.  And he told the police to operate with caution and not to exceed their authority. Each group should not only think about its own interests but about the interests of all, he said.

He said the moral standard and the future of South Africa was not in the hands of the Government but in the hands of believers who were called to lead by example.

At the conclusion of the rally everybody sang the South African national anthem, Nkosi Sikele Afrika, which Buchan said was probably one of the few anthems in the world that was a hymn, written to glorify God.