Report outline

STATE OF THE GUILD REPORT DELIVERED AT THE 12^TH DENOMINATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD ON THE 06 – 09 SEPTEMBER 2012 WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE PRESBYTERY OF THE FREE STATE, KIMBERLY.

REPORT OUTLINE

NOTES

INTRODUCTION The 12^th Denominational Conference provides us with yet another opportunity to reflect on the life and state of our Guild with a view to build on the foundation that has been laid over the years. It provides an opportunity to assess progress in respect of the extent to which we have succeeded or not, in implementing our aims and objectives as enshrined in our constitution. Of particular importance, it is an opportunity to examine the extent to which we have impacted on the spiritual life of men, primarily within the UPCSA, and broadly on men in the areas where we operate, and the public in general. This to us should be duty calls, and as we reaffirmed in our Egoli Conference, evangelism should remain our core business. The conference also come at a time when we have just emerged from the highest decision making structure of our church, the General Assembly, where important decisions have been made which will have a direct impact on us, both as members of the denomination and as an association. It is our responsibility as Conference to play our part in ensuring that these decisions find expression in our deliberations and resolutions, and are effectively implemented in the denomination. As MCG, we have positioned ourselves as the epicenter of leadership in our church, and therefore we need to ensure, in all areas where we exist, that we play a constructive role in making the church programs to happen. The conference also comes at a time when the General Assembly has acceded to the request of both the IYZA’s and ACCM to have their constitutions ratified and approved. This brings to finality the formalization of the five associations dealing with various interests within the denomination ranging from youth, men, girls, women and musical affairs, which serves to enrich the work of our church. We take the opportunity to congratulate both the ACCM and the IYZA for this giant leap, and hope that this will create the requisite space and platform for them to do their work. Conference also takes place when the new Moderator of the General Assembly, The Right Rev, Rod Botsis assumes office. We indeed wish to take the opportunity to welcome and congratulate Rev Botsis as he assumes this noble responsibility. As the MCG, we should embrace the new head of our denomination and offer him our full support as our spiritual father. We are confident that his leadership will assist us in our endeavor to make the MCG even more relevant to the needs of men both within and outside the UPCSA. This we believe he can ably do, after being fully enlightened by his attendance of the associations Imbizo which we held last year October in Cape Town. In the same vein, our thanks go to the past Moderator, Rev George Machikownsky, with whom we have worked so well. It is our sincerest hope that his contribution to the life of our associations will not be lost. In this regard we pray to our Almighty God to continue to give both of them the strength, wisdom and ability to perform the task bestowed upon them by our church. Conference is indeed blessed by the knowledge that a new Convener of Church Associations has also been appointed and assumed office already. This appointment was necessitated by the non-availability of the past Convener, Rev Obose, who is now our President. It is our view, that Rev Mshumpela, the new CAC Convener will handle the task with utmost efficiency, effectiveness and precision. He has already proved himself to be equal to the task already in his interaction with the associations. Consequently, we wish, as MCG to formally commend and thank Rev Obose for his successful stint as Convener. Having taken over from yet another MCG President who was the Convener before him, Rev Hans, he handled matters of association with a lot of efficiency. It was during this period, with the leadership of both, that the MCG, IYZA, ACCM and UPWF were approved. It was also during their time that the associations held two Imbizo, visited Zimbabwe and Zambia, and most importantly, played significant roles in ensuring that the agenda of associations remain firmly in the General Assembly and Executive Commission space. We thank Rev Obose for his leadership and wish Rev Mshumpela all the best in his new position. It is these events which elevates the importance of this conference. Clearly, all these happenings have brought in a new trajectory in the life and works of the MCG. Yesterday cannot remain tomorrow, but we need to take advantage of the new ideas and surge forward with speed to ensure that the MCG indeed becomes the association of choice. We should use this new environment to move a step ahead, negate the past, and look with vision, a new life, new attitudes, new energy and a new dedication to the growth of our church and our Guild. This is the reason why it was important as the MCG to revise our strategic plan, and develop a new visionary path to the growth and relevance of our guild. Indeed this was necessary given the need for us to rechannel our energies on real critical aspects of our association. The adoption of the MCG, Vision 2017 will ensure that we have a focused Guild, with clear objectives, plans and deliverables, which will enable us to measure progress and success. At the end of the day, ours is a task which should speak to the spiritual life and faith of men. MCG, THE EVANGESLIST The 6^th Denominational Conference held at Egoli, reminded all of us that our reason for existence is to preach the word, change unbelieving men into believers and impact on the faith and spiritual life of our members and men generally. All these thanks to the leadership of Rev Mdlalose, who reminded conference at the time, never to lose sight of this vision. It was on the basis of this wisdom, that conference resolved that evangelism should be at the center of the MCG programs and activities. Following the above, subsequent conferences seriously reflected on how this resolution should be put into practice. This began with a paper prepared by Rev Mamolotje Magagane, who enlightened conference about the concept of evangelism, its origin and how that should find expression in our programs. Specific recommendations and actions were discussed with a view to shape our evangelism agenda. Indeed our Presbyteries and branches have taken this task with a lot of vigor and enthusiasm, ensuring that no activity of the MCG is not spiced with evangelism. We are extremely happy that the Guild has become even more visible in church activities, funerals and events where our creator is praised and worshipped. We should at this point dearly thank our structures for doing what conference has directed all of us to do. However the 11^th Conference felt the need to intensify this program, and after the election of the new DEC, it was decided to appoint the Deputy President, Rev Mpetseni to Convene the Evangelism Committee, develop a practical and implementable program which would see a much more aggression in reaching out to men and our societies where we live. This was a giant step, as demonstrated by the program presented by him at our implementers Forum in Tshwane. This conference once more provides us with an opportunity to honestly reflect on the extent to which we have impacted on our members, our church and the broader society. We should ask questions as to how far did we succeed to bring in more men into the church, whether we have changed the lives of those who did not believe, and to what extend have we reached out to men who have never passed through a church door. We need to ask ourselves what we did with men who bring their wives and children to church services, drop them at the church gate and return to pick them up later in the day. Ours is a task that requires of us to be outward looking. We should march the streets of our townships and towns, be a nuisance in the sheebens as we unpluck men from the dungeons of intoxicating beverages, and introduce them to Jesus. Our measure of success should be those men whom we took from the streets into the church, who themselves have been turned into MCG, Evangelists. The world requires us not to be silent, but to be more visible in ensuring that Jesus reign supreme in the lives of people around us. The question for us in this conference is to ask the question, how can we do more to ensure that every MCG member is an evangelist, every MCG branch is an evangelist and every MCG Presbytery is an evangelist. We need to answer these questions and put practical programs of training and teaching that will equip all our members to make the preaching of the word their business. Our actions going forward must reflect this reality and everywhere we walk, we must be distinguishable by our love for the word. It is our hope that this conference will emerge with a program which will indeed make the MCG, an Evangelist. PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONFERENCE DECISIONS UNITY AND COHESION The 5^th Denominational Conference that took place in Cape Town, having noted the decision of some of our brothers to disaffiliate from the MCG, resolved to open dialogue with them as an endeavor to ensure that unity prevails both in our church, and specifically within the associations. All conferences beyond 2006 reaffirmed this resolution. In the same year, Conference resolved to participate in all forums created by the church leadership with a view to ensure unity in our church. The themes adopted to guide our branches included themes such as “... in one with Christ…”, “...reclaiming the union agenda….”, and “…Unity, a sure hope for our present trials…” It is these themes which guided our conception of how we should surge ahead in building our uniting church. Over and above that we as the MCG committed ourselves that we are prepared to bend backwards to accommodate our brothers who disaffiliated from us. We also committed ourselves to reopen debates on the issue of uniform if this would contribute towards the unity of the church. We, together with other associations are signatories to a letter of commitment to unity, which we did with the Moderator and the General Secretary. Endless meetings were held with our brothers, with no hope of ever securing a consensus on the matter. The MCG, working together with the General Secretary and other associations never deviated from this undertaking until the last day when our brothers indicated that the only thing they are prepared to discuss is their recognition. However as the MCG we reiterated that it is outside the bounds of our mandate to discuss issues of recognition of associations. Even at that point, we made the following commitment as the MCG; That we are bound by Article 13 of the Basis of Union document in our dealing with matters of Associations. That as MCG we are still committed to dialogue with a view to pursue unity in our denomination, and especially within the associations. That we are bound by decisions of the Governing structures/ Councils of our Denomination and that in this regard we are submitting ourselves to the leadership of the Church. That we will continue to avail ourselves whenever called upon to do so by the church leadership, i.e. the Moderators of the General Assembly and the General Secretary, and offer them our cooperation at all time. Despite the above, we have also made the point to the church that as MCG, we do not have a problem of disunity within our association. To the contrary, the MCG is as united and growing, both quantitatively and qualitatively, as ever. Our conferences are growing bigger and bigger, and the quality of our programs is also growing bigger and bigger. Our reason for engagement therefore, should not be confused to mean that the MCG has a problem with itself. We do so because we are committed to the rationale for union and would like to see all men in our denomination worshipping and evangelizing less than one umbrella. How then do we define the problem which necessitates a dialogue? Our rational for the dialogue, is recognition that a section of men within our denomination have not renewed their membership, and are intending to form a parallel association with similar aim and objectives. This is the problem. It therefore behoves on us as the MCG, in line with the Basis of Union, to discourage such actions, and endeavor to accommodate everyone within our Guild. Secondly, it was necessary for us as the MCG to listen to the reasons why the brothers decided to disaffiliate from us, and see how we can assist them. Our major concern was that those who disaffiliated were doing so under the umbrella of former denominations. This we viewed as divisive and contrary to the spirit and letter of the Basis of Union. We are however happy that the MCG, in both content and character is an inclusive association, embracing everybody within the UPCSA. We therefore found it unfortunate that our brothers withdrew from the dialogue process, and indicated that that the only matter they want to discuss currently is their recognition. In dealing with this matter we believe that the lines have been clearly drawn by our brothers. This is the reason why in approaching the General Assembly, the DEC urged for firm decisions on the matter. What the General Assembly needed to address itself to, was the request of the brothers to be recognized as an association within the UPCSA. Clearly this could have answered their request. It would have laid the basis for engagement, if any, going into the future. However, the General Assembly, in its own wisdom, decided on a mediation process. Clearly the parameters of such mediation need to be drawn and purified. What will be the strategic aim for such mediation? What outcome should be expected from such mediation? Clearly, if our brothers approach this mediation with a demand for recognition, the whole objective will be defeated from the onset. It is also very important to locate this mediation within its proper context, which is clarity that it is not mediation between two associations. This should also apply in the other associations. Until such time that the General Assembly would have pronounced itself on their application, this mediation should be contextualized between the MCG and a group of unhappy men who wish to form an association. In this regard, the MCG will define its input as listening to the concerns of these brothers and examine how to accommodate them. On the other hand, the brothers should put their concerns on the table, which necessitates their decision, with a view to find a common ground for working together. The MCG remains committed to the letter, spirit and the ideals of union. In this regard, in defining the mediation process, this should be grounded within the framework of the rationale for union agenda. Nothing we do should negate this noble goal, and the mission and vision statements of our denomination. On our side we should continue to build a strong Guild which responds to the spiritual needs of men both within and outside the UPCSA. We should continue to talk to our brothers both individually and collectively about the word of the Lord, worship together and study the Bible together. At the end of it all, ours is a goal of unity, as Jesus directed in prayer, that we should be one. We are confident where there is a will, a solution is definable. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT We are pleased to report to conference that the registration of the MCG Leadership Foundation has been completed. Then documents have been lodged with the necessary authorities. In its wisdom, the DEC decided to accommodate other associations in the foundation. In this regard, amongst the trustees of the foundation we have put in representatives of our fraternal associations. The rationale for this is because in designing and planning our training programs, we want them to be inclusive and integrated. We are also pleased to report that we have so far contracted one training provider, ESSET, who will be focusing on leadership and community development. ESSET is a training nongovernmental organization located within the South African Council of Churches. They have already developed the first three module program which will be kick starting in October. The Convenor, Rev Mzendana has looked into the program, had discussions with Thembela of ESSET to finalize the costing of the program. Currently, the Convenor is working on securing a training provider for other areas of development. The critical training required is to prepare our members to discharge our mandate of evangelizing in our communities. This will be the second part of the training earmarked for early next year. The Foundation will also be unveiling a series of leadership seminars which will take place in the Presbyteries, starting from November this year during the Implementers Forum. Esteemed leadership gurus will be invited to make presentations in these seminars. The Convenors will before the end of the conference agree on dates for each Presbytery to hold the seminar. We are very excited that this project is finally taking of the ground and there is no doubt that it will benefit all our associations. An all-inclusive training program will no doubt be cost effective, beneficial and create a common culture amongst the associations. We therefore call upon our Presbyteries to cooperate with the Convenor in this regard, especially where they have to make financial contributions for the training. We also wish to urge conference to finalize the decision on the funding of the training projects. In the 10^th Denominational Conference, it was resolved that a Development Fund be established to deal with the training budget. With the establishment of the Friends of the MCG, there was also an understanding that part of the proceeds will go to this development fund. We therefore request conference to direct the Finance Committee to sit in the course of the conference and propose details of how this fund will be operationalized. We also make a special request that every member of conference must make a pledge on how much they will contribute to the Friends of the MCG, to ensure that we lead by example. Members of the DEC have all pledged funds for this project, starting with the President. JUSTICE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The Justice and Social Responsibility Committee, led by Bro Khoza, have developed their committee program which seeks to address various social challenges affecting our members and society in general. Given our limited resource base, the Committee suggests that our focus should be on HIV/AIDS and taking care of orphans. Their view is that we should not try to do everything as the MCG, but that we should endeavor to do few things effectively. Conference will need to express itself on the recommendations from the Committee in this regard. The second issue raised by the Committee relates to the situation of our brothers in Zimbabwe. During the Council meeting in Masvingo, most of our members were touched by the economic situation in the country. Most of them donated their uniforms to the brothers while some of the Presbyteries instantly committed to assist our members in there. The exchange of emails amongst our members on our return bore testimony to the need for us to socially respond to the situation. In this regard, the Convenor of the Committee was requested to develop a discussion document on how as the MCG we can assist our brothers in Zimbabwe. The document was drafted and circulated to Presbyteries for discussion with a view to approve at Conference. We were indeed humbled by the responses we received in this regard with Presbyteries and individual members concurring on the need and necessity to assist. The Justice and Social Responsibility Commission should reflect on the proposal and recommend to Conference for approval. Realizing that most of our associations are doing the same projects, the Committee also recommends that we should table in the CAC meeting that we should have common committees dealing with issues of HIV/AIDS, Social assistance to brothers in Zimbabwe and Zambia, orphans, etc. it was proposed that on HIV/AIDS we should work with the coordination of Rev Mpofu. This approach will ensure that we have a denomination wide approach to dealing with matters of common concern. The wisdom and directive of conference is required in this regard. CAMPAIGNS AND ORGANISING Conference decided to embark on several campaigns and programs which seek to give content to our work as an association in a church environment, particularly the UPCSA. One of the most critical campaigns adopted at the 09^th and 10^th conferences was to ensure that our association reflects the demographics of our society and our denomination. In this regard, it was agreed that we should endeavor to convince our brothers from other race groups to work with us in the MCG as members. This would lead to the launching of branches in the formerly white congregations. To do this, it was resolved that our organizing committee and branches and Presbyteries should do some research to find out why these brothers are not our members. We are sad to report that we have not succeeded in getting these racial groups to join us. The MCG therefore remains an association of black men, affiliated to black congregations in the townships. Clearly this is a historical problem which requires a conscious effort by all of us to ensure that we become a truly non-racial association. Conference is required to coin more creative strategies of addressing this situation which negates the vision and mission statements of our denomination. The MCG will need a concerted effort to address this weakness and ensure that we are indeed a truly non-racial association. Conference also resolved that we need to work hard to endeavor to ensure that at least ten percent of men in the UPCSA join the MCG, and contribute towards the success of programs. The reason for this resolve was necessitated by the need to get our men to rally around common goals with a view to impact on our society. We also noted that there are hundreds of men who attend church services but are not willing to affiliate to the MCG. In the same vein, we noted that there are hundreds of men who casually attend church services, but in most cases drop their wives and children at the church gate, only to collect them after the service. These anomalies were identified as part of our scan of the environment, to examine the opportunities available which can help us to grow the guild. It is our view that we have the capacity and ability to convince these men to see reason to change and become true and real Christians. There are Presbyteries which have made progress in this regard, where the majority of men in the Presbytery are our members. This program needs to be intensified to ensure that “…every man in the UPCSA is an MCG member …” Conference also made a determination that there is a bad misconception of death amongst our members and society, which leads families to conduct very expensive and lavish funerals. In this regard many families find themselves in very serious debts after burying their loved ones. For this reason, conference resolved to embark on a campaign to discourage our members and people generally from spending lavishly on funerals. The campaign is running into its fifth year, and has seen various success levels in different Presbyteries. What however is a general view is that the campaign has not seen much success. Except for Limpopo, which drew an implementation document of the campaign, we have not seen any structured programs in some Presbyteries to implement. This is not good news for conference as it demonstrates yet another weakness on our part. Save to say that there are some Presbyteries which did try to implement as well. The rationale for this campaign remains, and conference is required to seriously reflect on the work done so far, and resolve on how to intensify it. The Campaigns and Organizing Committee has developed a program to address these deficiencies which will be tabled for discussion in the group. It is the view of the DEC that we have an opportunity to build a solid and growing association though this committee. BUILDING A TRULY TRANS-NATIONAL GUILD The 10^th Denominational Conference noted the declining rate at which our brothers in both Zimbabwe and Zambia Presbyteries were participating in the activities of the Guild. In this regard, it was acknowledged that our composition and current character does not reflect the trans-nationality of our denomination. A decision was taken that in line with our endeavors to build our Guild, and contribution to the vision of our denomination, the two countries must be visited as a matter of urgency. In the wisdom of the DEC at the time, it was agreed that we should make this, a project of the Church Associations Committee. Indeed the CAC agreed to this proposal, and subsequently visits were arranged to both Presbyteries. The delegations were well received, but it was clear during the discussions that there was lack of information exchange between the Presbyteries and the Denominational conference. It was also discovered that it is extremely expensive for the Presbyteries to fully participate in the activities of the denominational conference, firstly due to the state of the economy in both countries, and the weakness of their currency. All our associations fully concurred that there is a need to find mechanisms to assist these brothers and sisters. The UPWF and the IYZA have in this regard already commenced with programs to assist their members in these Presbyteries, from which we can all learn. In the last Denominational Conference, it was reported that a measure to ensure closer workings with the two Presbyteries, Limpopo Presbytery is tasked with the responsibility to work closely with the two Presbyteries. In this regard, Limpopo is already putting up systems, working with both the President and the Denominational Secretary, to ensure that we regularly share information, and attend conferences in these Presbyteries. We believe that if this succeeds, it will indeed assist us to build an effective trans-national association. As yet another endeavor to put this into practice, Conference decided that a Council meeting should be held in Zimbabwe. We are happy to report that the last Council meeting was held in the Presbytery of Zimbabwe, Masvingo Congregation. We are pleased to also report that this was the most attended Council, with only two Presbyteries absent. Secondly, it was the consensus of all delegates who attended the Council that this was indeed a fulfilling congregation. We are very grateful to our Zimbabwean Presbytery, especially their President, Bro Micah Zinduru and local the Minister Rev Kurauone Mutimwii, for the efforts they put in organizing this Council. The Zimbabwean Council was attended by more than one hundred and forty delegates, with Zimbabwe being the most represented. Brothers came from different regions and towns in the country, with four Ministers in attendance. In this regard, we were able to robe twelve (12) new members during the revival service. Delegates to the Council were accompanied by representatives of the IYZA, UPCSA YF and the ACCM. The MCG subsidized the transportation of these representatives, who added the much needed value to our Council. During the course of the Council, separate meetings were arranged for the IYZA and UPCSA YF with their members in Zimbabwe. In those meetings, the Convenor of Church Associations in the Presbytery of Zimbabwe attended as well. As for the ACCM, they were given an opportunity to address the Council, just before the robing of new members to introduce the ACCM to our members in Zimbabwe. The fact that other associations joined us in the Council was highly appreciated by all present. On our part as the DEC, we wish to take the opportunity to thank the leadership of the IYZA, Youth Fellowship and the ACCM for their attendance. We also wish to thank the CAC Convenor in Zimbabwe, Rev Motanganabo, for standing in for the Moderator of the Presbytery. The DEC also had an opportunity to discuss with the brothers in Zimbabwe, and serious challenges were highlighted by that interaction. On the basis of this, the DEC also reflected on this and came up with recommendations to put to Council. Those are the following; That the affiliation fee collected in Zimbabwe and Zambia should be kept in those Presbyteries to assist them to participate in the activities of the Denominational Conference. That they will determine their own affiliation fee. That the two Presbyteries should affiliate as Presbyteries for R100 each as Presbyteries. That the two Presbyteries should examine the MCG constitution and highlight sections which needs to be amended to suit their circumstances. For instance, in Zimbabwe they have Districts. Also they are unable to get the gabardine material in Zimbabwe for uniform. Once these are done they will be incorporated in the constitution. That a discussion document be developed on mechanisms to assist these two Presbyteries. Subsequent to these recommendations, the Justice and Social Responsibility Committee drafted a discussion document which was sent to Presbyteries for discussion. Few Presbyteries made submissions, which in the main agreed with the main thrust of the proposals. It will be expected that Conference should discuss and finalize this matter, and ensure that we support our brothers in the Presbyteries of Zambia and Zimbabwe during these hard economic times. Conference should also express itself on the date and year on which the Council or Implementers Forum will be held in Zambia. The DEC is convinced that as the MCG we are on track in our endeavor to assist our denomination to be a truly trans-national denomination. FINANCE AND STEWARDSHIP A detailed report on the finances of the Guild will be presented by the Denominational Treasurer. However it is important to indicate that the Guild is currently not doing well financially and we are only surviving on a shoe string budget. In the previous year, we have tried to raise funds through a raffle, which unfortunately, most of the Presbyteries did not return in total. This has affected our projections. We therefore urge that Presbyteries should be honest with Conference and submit the monies owed or the unused raffle tickets. We are also concerned that Presbyteries are not submitting their correct records of membership on the basis of which they should be assessed. In this regard we have commenced a membership system which will be able to report to conference on who our members are, and determine the actual numbers. We are also concerned about the progress with regard to The Friends of the MCG campaign. To date only the DEC members have pledged for the fund. We sincerely appeal that each of us in the conference today should pledge to the fund and also commit to recruit one more person to contribute to the fund. It is our view that if every delegate pledge and bring one more person, we can leave conference with over six hundred subscribers to the fund. Our MCG Vision 2017 proposes that we should be able to build reserve of over a million rands in the next five years. From the DEC we are confident that this is doable. We once more wish to urge all and sundry to support this noble course. YOUNG MEN MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM One of the programs initiated by the DEC was on the grooming of young men to prepare them to join the MCG and for manhood. In this regard, the YMMIP was initiated under Training and Development, under the guidance of Bro Victor Letuka. A concept document was drawn and adopted by conference. We are pleased to report that many of our Presbyteries have taken this program with lots of vigor and energy. It was intended that each Presbytery and branch will appoint a Convenor and Chaplain for the YMMIP, who were supposed to be trained in March this year. These are the people who will put a dedicated time for the guidance and grooming of the young people. Unfortunately some of our Presbyteries did not appoint these people, which means that the training did not take place. It is the feeling of the DEC that this matter should be speeded up, and that the training should take place before the end of December 2012. FORMALISATION OF ASSOCIATIONS IN THE MANUAL OF FAITH AND ORDER The 11^th Denominational Conference directed the DEC to liaise with other associations with a view to develop a draft chapter for submission to the Manual Committee of the General Assembly. This was discussed in the CAC, and a team comprising all the associations was put in place to develop the draft. The Committee was convened by Rev Mzendana. Indeed the draft was developed and discussed with the Committee in Johannesburg. A copy of the document is herein attached. The details of where the process is will be included in the General Assembly report which will be presented by the Deputy Secretary during the course of conference. The DEC is grateful to Rev Vellem who provided a basis input for this discussion and Rev Mzendana, who facilitated the document to the General Assembly Committee. Conference is invited to make further input into the document for further processing by the DEC. FORMATION OF THE MENS ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT The 6^th Denominational Conference took a decision that we should initiate processes with the South African Council of Churches towards the formation of an ecumenical men’s movement. Letters were written to the then General Secretary of the SACC Mr. Eddie Makue in this regard. Unfortunately, up until he left the Council, we had not received any responses. In the course of this year, we have made contact with the Methodist Men’s leadership and other denominations on this initiative. Since these were individual meetings, we are working towards convening the initial consultative meeting in October, where a statement of intent will be drawn and committed to. While we acknowledge that this process have been extremely slow, we are now at a point where it appears that the structure should take off the ground. RELATIONSHIP WITH FRATERNAL ASSOCIATIONS A precondition for effective functioning of our associations lies in the ability for the associations within the UPCSA to work together. There are many projects undertaken by individual associations which are duplication and not cost effective. Similarly, some of our associations share membership, such as the Youth and IYZA’s. There were also instances where some of our associations undertook projects which are church programs. It is this determination by conference which urged the DEC to work towards, and ensure that the MCG work closely with like-minded associations on matters of common concerns. This would assist and positively contribute to the instilling of efficiencies in our work, and similarly project a common thinking in the UPCSA. This is one of the objectives which conference has set itself for the term of the current DEC. We are happy to report that the MCG has a very good working relationship with our fraternal associations. We have in this regard, and at all levels attended each other’s conferences, embarked on joint projects and did major activities together. The fact that the MCG invited and subsidized our fraternal associations to attend our Denominational Conference in Masvingo is testimony to this good working together. We are very grateful to the guidance and leadership of the CAC, which led by example by ensuring that our associations work as a family. No longer do we see a clash of activities, but complementarism. No longer do we see our associations working in silos, but integration is the norm. We have indeed made huge progress in this regard, and testimony to this can be reflected in the report elsewhere. Currently the MCG is working very well with our sister association. With the appointment of the new CAC: Convenor, Rev Lulamile Mshumpela, we remain confident that the relationship between our associations will remain strong. It is our view that a strong relationship amongst the association is a precursor to a strong denomination. For that reason, we encourage all our Presbyteries to follow suite and ensure that we also have very close relations as associations all levels of our Guild. FIGHTING THE SCOURGE OF HIV/AIDS The fight against HIV/AIDS remains one of the critical challenges facing society in general and our Guild. Not only does this scourge create orphans in our communities, but it creates very serious social challenges in the areas where we live. The response to this challenge in our denomination, and our associations in general, has been to deal with the consequences, rather than prevent them from occurring. As Christians, we have always been very economical to talk freely about this disease and their causative factors. The other weakness has been our ability to find common and integrated strategies to deal with this scourge. In this regard, the DEC felt it is necessary to isolate this challenge, and ensure that it takes a center stage in our programs as church associations. We as MCG has tabled the matter in the CAC, with a view to initiate a discussion to find creative and integrated denomination wide approach to it. We believe that the church must coin a common message and intervention strategies which should be driven from a central point. It can no longer be that individual association develops their own campaigns aimed at the same audience. It will confuse our congregants and our target audience. LIFE AND WORKS OF PRESBYTERIES Our Presbyteries have performed at different levels, but in overall we are beginning to see focused programs, which are in line with our denominational resolutions and programs. Herein is a summary of the performance of each Presbytery. AMATOLA The number of branches in the Presbytery reduced from 15 to 14 from last year, while the membership reduced from 406 in 2011 to 276 in 2012. In this period under review, the Presbytery EXCO has not visited a single branch die to lack of funds. The programs implemented in the period involved buying calves and goats to nurture them for the Guild and ploughing fields and selling products for the purpose of fund-raising. Except for the ACCM, they do have a good working relationship with other associations, and have embarked on joint projects like revival services, fundraising, joint Sunday worships and visitations. They also have working relationship with other likeminded associations in the Methodist and Anglican churches. The biggest challenge they have is attendance of meetings by members. The Presbytery’s performance has been declining over the years. The decline in membership and number of branches should be a source of concern for Conference, and a way should be found to support them. CENTRAL CAPE The number of branches in the Presbytery increased from ten (10) to eleven (11), while the membership increased from 268 to 275 for the period under review. For this period, the Presbyterial EXCO only visited one branch due to lack of commitment by members and poor attendance of meetings. The Presbytery has not implemented a single program in this period. On the positive side, they have a good working relationship with other fraternal associations. Regarding associations from other denominations, this relationship only exists at branch levels, especially on fund raising projects. The challenges they face involves the non-payment of dues by members, and lack of visibility at funerals when members who passed on are laid to rest. There is a decline in the performance of this Presbytery. Given that they won the best performed award in 2010, we believe there is room for improvement. The Presbytery will need support in the coming year to return it to its days of glory. DRAKENSBERG The number of branches in the Presbytery increased from eight to nine, while the membership increased from 145 to 200 for this period under review. Except for the ACCM, the Presbytery has a good working relationship with other associations. It is pleasing to report that this Presbytery as implemented a number of projects as per their plan, which includes, inter alia, the drawing of an action plan to refocus their activities, establishment of committees, improved communication and reestablishment of a good relationship with the Ministers. Their year therefore focused on rebuilding and establishment of structures, to which they succeeded. The challenges faced by the Presbytery included the lack of attendance of meetings by some Ministers, communication with the DEC, and lack of commitment by some branches and unemployment which affects their fundraising. However most of these challenges were adequately addressed in this period of rebuilding. Judging by the state of this Presbytery in the last conference, Drakensberg must be commended for the hard work and dedication in this previous year. We are extremely excited that they are now back on course and functional. In their own words, thanks must also go to the Cluster Coordinator, Bro Khoza who invested a lot of time in this Presbytery to ensure that it becomes active. EAST GRIQUALAND The number of branches in the Presbytery remains at 14 from last year, while the membership increased from 304 to 339 in the period under review. The Presbyterial EXCO has not visited a single branch in this period. For this period they focused on evangelism and outreach programs. Except for the ACCM, they have a good working relationship with all our fraternal associations, with which they embarked on fundraising and social responsibility projects. They also relate to likeminded associations from other denominations on a project basis. The challenges they face relates to membership of unemployed members and the aged, who constitute the bulk of their members. Despite the challenges they face, this Presbytery continue to try its best to work. Like other Presbyteries, the challenge of its vastness requires creative ways of ensuring that the branches are being visited and services. The strategy of clusters can be such one strategy. However such strategies should be suitable for the Presbytery and implementable. EGOLI The Presbytery has three branches, an improvement from the two branches they always had. Their membership has improved from 71 to 80. They do have a very good relationship with other associations and likeminded associations from other denominations. In this period, they embarked on a project called Men of Faith – Child abuse, with other churches like Methodist, Anglican, Zion and Dutch Reformed. From their planned programs, they visited and supported Limpopo and Tshwane Presbyterial Conferences in line with the DEC guidelines. They also held their Board competitions and visited families of the bereaved. The challenge they have is declining membership, which they are trying to resolve by training and preparing young boys to join the MCG. On the positive side, the relations between the MCG and Ministers are improving in the Presbytery. Despite the challenges they face, this Presbytery has been consistent over years. We indeed commend them for the good work done, and urge that they be supported at all times. FREE STATE The number of branches and members in the Presbytery remains at five and seventy one respectively for the period under review. For the period under review, the Presbyterial EXCO visited two branches to deal with victimization of members and the inability of the Presbytery to deal with issues of ill-discipline. The only program implemented is the YMMIP. Except for the ACCM, they have a very good working relationship with all other associations, with which they implemented projects like joint Presbyterial Conferences and fund raising. They have however not developed relationships with likeminded associations from other denominations. The critical challenges they face is the victimization of members by some Sessions and the formation of parallel structures in some congregations. The issue of the Free State has been with the Conference for a long time. The DEC has tried several times to visit Presbytery to discuss the issue. Letters written to the Presbytery Clerk and Associations Convenor of the Free State have not been responded to. It will be important for the DEC to take up the matter with the CAC Convenor, with a view to send a delegation of eminent persons to the Free State to resolve this matter. In this regard, the wisdom of our veterans like Rev Mdlalose and Rev Mcoteli may have to be used. However despite this, our members in the Free State have continued to hold high the torch of the MCG. HIGHVELD The number of branches in the Presbytery remains at six, while the members decreased from 107 to 102. For this period under review, the Presbyterial EXCO visited two branches. Of the programs planned for the year, the YMMIP and the funerals campaign was implemented. The MCG in the Presbytery has a very good working relationship with all other associations with whom they embarked on joint programs such as fundraising, UPWF rededication service and HIV/AIDS candle lighting services. The challenges faced by the Presbytery are lack of commitment, unemployment and unhealthy relationship with some Ministers. The Presbyterial EXCO, in its visit to branches attempted to deal with these challenges. The Presbytery to a downward slide after hosting a successful 09^th Denominational Conference. We are indeed grateful that despite these challenges they are working hard to revive and rebuild. With support, we should see changes and improvements. LEKOA The number of branches in the Presbytery reduced from 03 to 02, while the membership grew from 23 to 30. The reason for the reduction of branches is because two congregations have merged. For this period the Presbyterial EXCO visited one branch. One program implemented by the Presbytery was the training of Secretaries, Treasurers and Chairpersons. Except for the ACCM, the Guild has very good working relations with other associations. Common programs implemented include social support services and candle lighting services and memorials. There are also good working relations with other likeminded associations like the YMG of the Methodist Church and the Men’s Forum of the A.M.E. Church, with which they engaged in programs like evangelism, pastoral visits and Easter services. This Presbytery is one of those which had experienced difficulties in the past. The challenges found in this Presbytery required serious intervention. The deployment of the Deputy President as the Convenor of the Cluster here also assisted to keep them going. We are proud to report that during the Council in Zimbabwe the Presbytery was well represented. Indeed there are all signs of a great revival in the Presbytery. LIMPOPO The number of branches in the Presbytery remains 10, while the membership declined from 209 to 186 for the period under review. Three branches were visited in this period. The Presbytery produced a CD on expensive funerals campaign which will be used as a campaign tool. Except for the ACCM, the Guild has good working relationship with other associations, and programs implemented include revival services, fundraising and attendance of each other’s conferences. They also have a good working relationship with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. The challenges they face are mainly on inactive branches, communication and the emergence of the UPMF. In recent times, the church Presbytery has asked questions about their participation in the cluster. A letter has been written to the Presbytery Clerk to clarify the role of the clusters. The Presbytery started well and had very good initiatives. However we have seen a decline in its performance over the past three years. It will be important for the cluster to attend to this Presbytery as a matter of urgency to avoid its collapse. MTHATHA The number of branches in the Presbytery remained at 14, while the membership decreased from 328 to 327 for the period under review. For this period the Presbyterial EXCO visited 05 branches. In terms of their planned programs the Presbytery appointed Coordinators for the LDF, YMMIP and ran a workshop on the funerals campaign. The Guild do have good working relationship with all our fraternal association, and in this regard have jointly implemented programs on HIV/AIDS, funerals workshop, evangelism, Bible studies, minute writing and financial management. They do not have any working relations with likeminded associations from other denominations. The challenges they face is to convince people on our funerals campaign and rolling out evangelism programs. Mthatha Presbytery is a recipient of the best performing branch, and more was expected from it. It is the view of the DEC that this Presbytery can do far more than it does now. We urge the leadership of the Presbytery to work hard to bring back Mthatha to its days of glory. THUKELA The Presbytery remains with 07 branches, while the membership increased from 65 to 71 in the period under review. In this period, the Presbyterial EXCO visited four branches. Programs implemented during this period include the Tiyo Soga Memorial lecture, done a strategic planning workshop and rolled out the YMMIP. Plans to implement the lavish funerals campaign were also put in place, and implementation has commenced. The Guild has a very good relationship with all other associations, with whom they have jointly implemented joint conferences, outreach programs, HIV/AIDS campaigns and the adopt a family food parcels project. They also have a working relationship with the men’s associations in the Methodist and the Lutheran Church. The critical challenges faced by the Guild in the Presbytery revolve around unemployment and poor attendance of meetings. This Presbytery has been consistent for the past four years and won the award last year for being the best performed Presbytery. It remains one of our model Presbyteries, and others can learn from it. THEKWINI The number of Branches in the Presbytery remais at five (5) in the last two years, with the branches also remaining at twenty (20). The Presbytery only held one EXCO and one General Meetings. For this period, the Branch EXCO has not visited a single branch due to the fact that it had its own challenges. They have also not implemented any of their planned pgograms. Except for the ACCM, they have good relations with other fraternal associations. With regard to ecumenical relations, they only relate to the UCCSA, due to their current challenges. The biggest challenge they faced in this period is inactive and declining membership. However, since the 12 August, after their special council, there is hope that the Presbytery will be resolved. In this meeting, they received fresh commitments from the brothers that they will continue to do the work of the MCG. We are indeed grateful that the Presbytery is on the road to recovery. In this regard, we are thankful to the leadership of Rev Masikane and his team, for the hard and wonderful job they are doing to bring the Presbytery to its days of Glory. We are also grateful to Bro Khoza, the Cluster Convenor and the Bro Trato, the Deputy Secretary, for the efforts they put to assist the Presbytery. TRANSKEI The Presbytery remains with 20 branches, while the membership has increased from 483 to 536 for the period under review. The Presbyterial EXCO visited four branches during this period. While the Presbytery has developed a plan for the year, implementation has not started due to a number of challenges. They have also not yet begun to roll out the funerals campaign, even though they keep it on the agenda at all times. The Guild has a good working relationship with other associations, with the exception of the ACCM. In this regard they attend each other’s conferences, fundraising events, cluster programs and assist each other to host Denominational events. The critical challenges faced by the Guild in the Presbytery are their inability to raise funds which affect their programs and to develop relations with other Presbyteries. This Presbytery has substantially improved from last year. They now meet regularly, and were actually in the building phase. We indeed commend them for the improvement registered. TSHWANE After a lengthy period of absence, the Presbytery of Tshwane had a successful launch on the 19 May 2012, wherein the Presbyterial Executive Committee was elected. Currently the Presbytery has forty eight (48) members. Since the launch of the Presbytery, their President, Rev Buqa, has visited all their branches, mainly to establish and discuss the challenges they are facing. Given that the Presbytery has just been reestablished, they have developed a program of action, which will be synchronized with the Denominational program after the Conference. However, in this brief period under review, the have donated 20 electric heaters to the elderly in Soshanguve as part of the Fathers day celebrations and are currently planning a leadership workshop for members. Todate the Executive Committee has held four (4) meetings. In terms of ecumenical relations, they are still establishing relations with likeminded associations. However they do cooperate with other fraternal associations in the church. This year they donated R1000 to the UPWF during their fundraising. The challenges they face relates to non-attendance of meetings by members and the general unavailability of members for MCG activities. However the PEC has developed mechanisms to mitigate these challenges, inclusive of convening an extended PEC meeting to further find solutions to these challenges. WESTERN CAPE The number of branches in the Presbytery increased from 11 to 13, while the membership increased from 243 to 275 for the period under review. The Presbyterial EXCO visited 05 branches in this period. Clusters Task Teams have been set up, which visit and service branches regularly and report to the Presbyterial EXCO. For this period the Presbytery has implemented several programs inclusive of establishing two more branches, organized leadership development workshops, implemented the clustering system and formed three clusters which are fully functional. With regard to the funerals campaign, they have delegated this to branches, because a lot of activity of funerals is at that level. Except for the ACCM, the Guild has a very good working relationship with other associations, and do embark on joint opening services for the year and invite each other when they have activities. They have also resolved to encourage their branches to embark on joint programs with likeminded associations from other denominations, and so far there has been positive successes in this this regard. The critical challenges facing the Guild in the Presbytery is lack of commitment from members, inability to work out of the current, unemployment and poverty and ineffective financial systems and inability to raise sufficient funds. However consistent follow up are done to correct these. This Presbytery has outperformed itself in this year under review. From the DEC we are extremely impressed by their level of commitment, organization, and efficient administration and prompt response to request. For this year, they are the only Presbytery who had paid in their affiliation by the end of June as per Council resolution. They are also amongst the first to pay their conference dues. We indeed believe that other Presbyteries have a lot to learn from these brothers. Some of the initiatives taken, like the local clustering system ensured that they visit and service their branches regularly. They have indeed displayed a pioneering spirit and we commend them. ZAMBIA The Presbytery of Zambia has not been visible and active for the period under review. Since the DEC visit to Zambia, the brothers have lost contact. However towards the Denominational Council in Zimbabwe, we reestablished the contact, and we were in constant communication with them. however, the communication diminished as we got closer to the Council. We still send information to them through the Convenor of Associations in Zambia and the MCG President. We were still hopeful that they will attend the Conference though. Our assurance is that the MCG do exist in Zambia, and the men are active, linking up with other men’s associations in Malawi, Tanzania and other Southern Africa countries, under the umbrella of the Presbyterian Church of Africa. We will continue to establish the relationship with them, and ensure that by the time we come to Council in June next year they will also be in attendance. ZIMBABWE The Presbytery has different structures different from those in our constitution. They have 06 regions, which together come into a Presbytery. Their membership is about 100. For the year under review, their major program was to convene Regional Conferences, which would culminate in a national conference. The funerals campaign was not implemented as lavish funerals do not affect them in their Presbytery. With the exception of the ACCM, they have very good relations with other associations. Common programs implemented are HIV/AIDS and stewardship. They do relate and work with the Methodist Church YMG and share on matters of common concern and growth. The biggest challenge facing the Guild in Zimbabwe is financial sustainability due to the economic situation in the country. The other challenges are inability to get the uniform, gabardine material and of course lack of commitment by some members. Despite all these, the Presbytery has soldiered on and continued to work hard. The DEC met with the brothers and as indicated earlier, recommended some measures which will make it easier for our brothers to effectively participate in the Guild at the Denominational level. We are confident that after the holding of our Council in Masvingo, this signaled the beginning of a good things to come. STATISTICAL LIFE OF PRESBYTERIES PRESBYTERY BRANCHES 2011 BRANCHES 2012 MEMBERS 2011 MEMBERS 2012 MEETINGS PEC MEETINGS GENERAL