What we do

With the help of generous friends like you, Second Table Ministries works to . . .

• Equip desperately poor black churches in South Africa to address the most urgent needs in their communities, including hunger, clean water, education and employment.
• Encourage both white and black congregations to work together closely as a vital step toward racial reconciliation.
• Keep people informed of the needs and opportunities for service in South Africa.

How we work

Second Table Ministries uses an innovative approach to helping people in need. We . . .

• Encourage primary control by local South African communities.
• Engender cooperation between white and black churches.
• Require a meaningful financial investment by communities that benefit. The people we work with have an incentive to help themselves and a stake in the outcome.
• Insist on a sustainable outcome that continues after our involvement in a project ends.

What we’ve accomplished

Second Table Ministries has helped establish:

• Community centers
• Daycare centers
• Meal programs
• Community water supplies
• Educational programs
• Community vegetable gardens
• Job training programs
• Partnerships between South African and American churches

To provide a life-changing gift right now through PayPal, click on the Donate button above. Or, mail a check to:

Second Table Ministries
PO Box 1947
Poulsbo, WA 98370

“It’s not what you believe that counts, it’s what you believe enough to do.” Richard Stearns, President, World Vision

Our South African partners continually amaze us with their selfless concern for the “down and out.”

In addition to their efforts to help the poor in the informal settlement shanty towns around them, Maranatha has a continuing ministry to some 250 youthful (aged 17-25) offenders incarcerated in the Groenpunt Correctional Center just Southeast of Sebokeng.

Sleeping Quarters

There is scarcely any group more “down and out” than youthful offenders in South Africa.  Most come from a tradition of subservience and now they have been further stigmatized because of their incarceration, often abandoned by their families, and upon release return to communities where the unemployment rates reach 90%.

In February we went with a group of Maranatha leaders as they visited Groenpunt.  Their goal is to befriend these young people, provide counseling, share the Gospel, initiate special events, and help to facilitate transition  into society upon release.

Singing a Greeting

Group Assembly

It is clear that Maranatha has endeared itself to both offenders and staff alike.  Our group was welcomed with open arms.  Though attendance was optional, nearly all of the 250 inmates participated in the event.  As we left, staff and young offenders urged that we all come again very soon.

In the coming weeks STM will be working with Maranatha to see if we can help strengthen this amazing service to these troubled kids.  We know that friends like you will want to help.

Thanks for all you do to respond to the challenge of Matt. 25.

Wendell Verduin   

Life is a daily struggle for our ministry partners in South Africa.

And remembering that helps me better understand God’s purposes for my own life. I believe you can relate to that.

Here’s just one example. Burial of the dead is a specially significant issue for native South African cultures. Because of poverty, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, unhealthy living conditions, and the many related health issues, death is a daily reminder of their dire circumstances. The CIA World Fact Book reports that life expectancy for South Africans born in 2011 is 49.33 years. (This compares to U.S. life expectancy of 78.37 years.) South Africa is near the bottom of the life expectancy list – 214th out of 220 countries listed. Amazingly, we have seen five funeral homes located in one single roadway round-about in Soweto.

Weekends are the time for burial. Our pastors there seem to be constantly involved in comforting the sorrowing and burying the dead.

A Saturday in Avalon Cemetery, Soweto

All too often, families who experience the death of a loved one do not have the resources to provide for proper burial. Three years ago Maranatha formed, and now manages, a Burial Society. Participation has been limited to 100 families, each eligible to designate 10 individuals for coverage. They have reached their 100 family goal and currently some 1,000 people are covered by this insurance-like program. Since more families want to join, they are considering expansion.

The way this works is that families pay R100 (about $13) to join and then are required to pay R70 monthly thereafter. To date the Society has handled 14 burials and no families have been removed from coverage for lack of payment.

The “policy” pays up to R5,000 (about $650) for each funeral which includes care and storage of the body, a coffin, a grave site and fees, a hearse for the day of burial, a tent for the graveside ceremony, a tent, tables, and chairs for the event at home, and a bus to transport relatives to the cemetery. The Burial Society holds annual fund raising events to supplement its income. They are considering the economic development potential of this ministry, wherein they would provide their own undertaker and perhaps train church members to build coffins.

STM has not, and does not expect to be, financially involved in this ministry, but we wanted to share this with you to help communicate what our partners there are dealing with each day.

Thanks for caring and sharing in our service in South Africa. I can’t tell you what an encouragement it is to know that you stand with us in this ministry. Your prayers and support make all the difference.

Wendell Verduin

One of the striking experiences for those visiting South Africa is seeing the ubiquitous security systems - including high palisade fencing, broken-bottle-topped brick walls, concertina wire, gating, and security warning signs that surround the homes in middle and upper-class neighbor- hoods all over the country.

Beautiful neighborhoods of scared people, walled in – people afraid for their lives and property.  In the wealthy areas almost no one is to be found outside their “secure” little piece of “paradise.”

Rosaline

Martha

 

And close by, stark neighborhoods with searing poverty – a majority of the people living more or less as do Rosaline and Martha – desperately trying to feed themselves, and to eke out an existence in whatever way they can.    

This is the environment in which STM works – supporting the black churches as they serve, and encouraging the white community to join in by opening their hearts, as well as their wallets.

Thank you for your continuing help and support.

We’ve just returned from our three-week visit to South Africa. The very good news is that our partners there are doing an amazing job with what they have. We will be communicating some of the details with you in the weeks ahead, but I wanted, first, to share some personal reflections as we completed this visit.

On this trip we were more deeply immersed in the very poor settlements than ever before. We had the opportunity to talk, individually and in groups, with at least 100 of the very poor in the settlements served by our partners. The need is enormous and the stories shared with us are heart wrenching. We imagine our SA partners like weary rescuers at an ocean liner disaser, trying to decide where to throw the life line. They are doing all they can. They appreciate the help we provide but in the face of the human suffering, so much more is needed. Pray with us for more rescuers, more life lines so help can be given by our SA partners to people like Martha and Roseline, who we visited last week.

Martha Mtzali

Martha is 60 years old but seems much older.  She is very ill with TB.  She lost her job as a domestic worker during the Apartheid Struggle, hasn’t been able to find a job since, and now lives with her two sons on a pension of about $170 per month, in a 10 x 12 tin shack, with no electricity or water. It was blistering hot when we visited her.  She told us its very cold in her shack in the winter, wet inside when it rains, and dust comes in everywhere when the wind blows.   Martha’s Home Martha uses a group pit toilet about a block away (imagine going to that in the middle of the night, especially when you are sick.)  She carries her water by bucket from a tap 200 meters away.  There is one bed she shares with her two sons aged 18 and 21. The settlement has no health services or stores where she can buy food or supplies.  There is no transportation out of the settlement other than by taxi which is expensive and often requires a 4-5 hour wait.  Maranatha’s volunteer community service youth ministry, Etelang Pele, helps provide food for Martha when they can, but their resources are minimal and there are so many others like Martha who need help.

The excitement was palpable.

The  reality of the connection with North Point was a major focus of the service. Through heroic last minute efforts of our own David Blaskowsky and Maranatha Administrator, Petrose Segele, the new projector (a gift from NP and STM) was set up and operating. Our hope is that this will be a most useful tool to facilitate our communications in the future.

The  video we presented included greetings from Pastor Mike Pickard, a song from our own choir, and “Hello’s” from NP youth. These simple messages of greeting were astounding to this full house of worshippers. They seldom experience the interest of the outside world in the circumstances in which they live and serve.

Another highlight that made today so special was their anticipation of the eminent launching of their satellite church/community center in Klipkop. We hope and pray this can begin within two weeks.

In the interest of healing the awful scars of Apartheid, STM was able to encourage attendance by two retired Dutch Reformed Church pastors at this service as well. They are indeed amazed to see the relationships that are developing in these disparate components of the body of Christ. We are eager to see more of the DRC leadership join us in a growing spirit of reconciliation and unity.

This ends our communications to you from South Africa and we hope to see you all next Sunday!

Kelly & Wendell

From the Sewing ladies we purchased and are bringing back a skirt, blouse, and trousers they have made so you guys can see the quality of the work. The also hosted us to a terrific lunch.

We did not have time to see the Poortjie toilets but Swart said the building is finished and they have just been waiting for the approval from the municipality to hook up to the water and sewer system. They have just recently received that go ahead so that work should be finished soon. We asked Swart to send photos so that FCRC can see the finished product.

We will send you a full report with photos when we return home.

Blessings,

K & W

“My hope and prayer is that our program today will be used by God so that many of you will accept Jesus as your Savior and that you will follow Him as you complete your time here and as you one day return to your communities.”

These were not the words of one of the four URCSA pastors or the 12 members of the Maranatha Congregation accompanying Rev. Mike Betha on this occasion; these were the words of Mr. M.D. Mkwanazi, Commissioner of the massive Groenpunt (“Greenpoint”) Prison complex where some 5,000 adult and youth offenders are incarcerated.  He spoke these words to about 250 of the prisoners of the “Youth Center of Excellence” where these youthful offenders, aged 17-25 years, are held.

Our Western focus on separation of church and state is not an issue in South Africa. So this day, not only the Commissioner, youth facility manager, Mrs. P.M. Mofya, four of the URCSA pastors present, a number of youth offenders, and even a guy named “Wandel” from a church named North Point in Poulsbo, America, presented the gospel to these young prisoners.  Nearly all offenders were present even though attendance was optional.  The messages were interspersed with inmate performances of music, dance, poetry, and comedy – most all with a Christian focus.

It is clear Pastor Mike has endeared himself to inmates and prison management alike.  He visits weekly as a chaplain (unpaid) and occasionally conducts special events like the one we experienced.

After lunch provided by the prison, a trainee “offender” journalist interviewed the five of us who had spoken and pleaded that we return again as soon as we can.

This day was another remarkable experience for us in so many ways, but especially the amazing impact of Pastor Mike and his Maranatha Congregation, and the enormity of the physical and spiritual hunger of a desperately hurting majority population in South Africa.

On reflection, our thoughts turned to the words of John 4:35, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields – they are ripe for the harvest.”

Its 2:30 pm Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19, 2012.  We’ve just returned from 5 1/2 hours of worship and other congregational activity at Aliwal North partners.

Words can’t describe what we’ve experienced today (many of you can relate).  For worship the church was packed with some 350 people.  There were numberous components of the service each preceded and followed with sponteneous congregational singing in both Afrikaans and English.  Components included:

• congregational singing in both Afrikaans and English
• two announcement guys (others interspersed) – in Afrikaans and English – Craig, your job may be in jeopardy!
• laying on hands for the newlye elected Executive Committee and Sunday school commission
• 7 or 8 songs and dance performances from a variety of different groups – incl. Sunday school classes, Mens’ Action; and the church choir
• greetings from STM and North Point with NP video
• bringing forward of tithes & offerings (NP gift given)
• prayers by many different congregants
• two short sermons by Bradley from each Testament – core of the messages:  our responsibility to serve God and our neighbors – That young man can preach!

The service itself lasted for 2 hrs. 15 min and no one was observed minding their watch.

Immediately after church the children met in a mass Sunday school class.

After this North Point-sponsored meals were served in shifts (they don’t have enough tables & chairs) to over 100 hungry kids from the neighborhood.  For many this is the only real meal they will have until next week.

Hopefully the photos will capture much of the joy and exhuberation of this day.  Kelly’s videos should be great when they can be processed by the technological wizards at NP.

We so wish you could have experienced this day with us.

W & K

Aliwal North Congregation

Aliwal North - Everyone In The Picture

Sunday Meal at Aliwal North

Boys eating at Aliwal North

Mike escorted us to Klipkop to share the good news that we can now proceed. Over 100 members of this little church of some 38 families joined us at the little windowless shack that is their church and then later at the new site for the church/center. This is what we observed and heard as we considered the settlement this little church will serve: 

• Its a community of thousands living in row after row of windowless metal shacks



• Unemployment of adults is over 92%
• There is no electricity, therefore no lights day or night, no refrigeration
• Water is available only from a few scattered taps and carried home in buckets – 3 x the work when its laundry day
• Toilets are rare and mostly only a pit in the ground
• Sickness and death are constant companions because of the lack of sanitation and the spread of HIV/AIDS
• There are no shops, no stores, no transportation – only the little shack that is the Klipkop church
• Residents’ meals are cooked and homes heated only by open fires and parafin heaters

Their dream is for a real building with toilets; a place to worship; a creche (daycare) to care for the children; maybe a facility where they can get some training which could lead to a job; maybe health services of some kind and, for sure, a community garden.

Now together we can build the facilities and then will come the challenge of spiritual and physical service.