Classes

We've taken on leadership of three ongoing classes as part of our work here. Like the BEC operation, two of them are currently suspended for the holidays, and will resume in mid-January. The three are quite different from each other, but one thing they share in common: a lot of the time is spent in discussion of questions raised by the students -- which keeps us on our toes, as all of this is necessarily off-the-cuff.

Every Friday afternoon there is a lunchtime class at the BEC. It nominally starts at 1:00, but it's normally more like 1:20 or 1:30 before anyone is there. It's supposed to end at 2:00, but I think 2:30 is the earliest we've ended. This class is open to anyone who wants to show up. The space we have to meet in is small, and the BEC has to be staffed, so Paul leads this class while Jane tends the shop with Sister Mary. So far we have had one to three students each week. It's good to have a little something prepared as a starter, but primarily it consists of responding to questions. Mostly the students are people who have only recently started really studying, and they generally have very good questions, and we explore the Bible together to find the answers. The process is made interesting by the variety of first languages: Zulu, French, and English. However (so far at least) those who attend speak English well--it's just a matter of understanding each other's accents!

On Tuesday afternoons, there is a class at the Lamontville Good News Centre - as we mentioned before, this is located in Lamontville township, southwest of Durban proper. The people who come to this class have come into contact through the crèche, through knowing Sister Rose, who lives there and works at the crèche, or who just happen to be there when the class starts. Something is prepared in advance, and generally that prompts questions. Also, questions on any Bible matter are welcomed. This class can go for an hour, or (we've been told) for much longer, and sometimes the discussion is quite lively. There are a couple of regulars, but there are always first-time attendees too. Many of these have only rudimentary knowledge of the Bible, and often only rudimentary knowledge of English as well. Some bring their own Zulu Bibles. When needed, Sister Rose helps out with translation.

The third class is biweekly rather than weekly, held every other Sunday afternoon at the Durban ecclesial hall. The photo above was taken this past Sunday. The students are all current or former BEC students, a mix of recently baptized members, and serious students who have typically completed two or more of the Bible courses through the BEC. We have a lunch, prepared by a pair of sisters from the Durban meeting -- Jane is currently setting up the schedule for the next few months. Then there is a talk prepared by one of the brothers, with a time limit of 30 minutes. We then have up to 30 minutes of discussion on the topic of the talk, and then 30 minutes of open question time. This class has multiple purposes. Above all, of course, it is for all of us to better understand God's word, and there is great discussion involving everyone, as would be the case at a Christadelphian Bible study anywhere in the world. An important secondary purpose is to help prepare the newer brothers for conducting the main services on Sunday mornings; they get valuable experience preparing and presenting talks, in a less formal environment. It is an opportunity for the students to get to know one another, since many of them only know Mary and maybe some of the volunteers at the BEC. And, because most of them come for Sunday meeting before the lunch, they get to know some of the other members as well.

In the picture, the four people closest to the camera are the main leaders. Bro Boniface and Sis Mary Wilondja on the left (this is the Mary who works at the BEC), and on the right Bro Mthole and Bro Serge. At the back are two of the more faithful attendees at the Friday class as well, Bro Terrence (very recently baptized, next to Paul), and Dieu-Donné, a very thoughtful student. About 2/3 of the class are baptized members. We are told that once the holidays are over, this class may be twice as big, some weeks.

Complete change of subject: don't think we've mentioned our "bakkie" (pronounced "buckie", for reasons no one seems to know). It's what South Africans call a pickup truck, and it is our somewhat-the-worse-for-wear transportation while we're here. As you can see, it has the Good News of the Kingdom of God logo on the hood and both sides, as do all the vehicles owned by the 2010 initiative. So far we've noticed a number of people looking at the signs, but no one has asked us about it.