 Social Action Outreach Ministry
Mission to South Africa
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Mission in South Africa Sunday!
The weekend of March 29 and 30 our guest preacher was Pastor Mike Tessendorf from South Africa, shown to the right with his wife, Michelle.
Pastor Mike is a co-executive director of Helping Hands in Africa, and along with his wife, Michelle, they have guided this ministry in reaching the poor of South Africa. La Casa has made a three year commitment to Helping Hands in Molelwane Village, and is sponsoring a feeding program, pastoral stipend, AIDS awareness, and orphan care. In addition, the church/community center is being built in Molelwane Village, where Pastor Patrick is beginning his ministry! See below for pictures of the new church La Casa has helped build!
South Africa Mission 2008!
Thirteen members of La Casa will be traveling to South Africa in August to see the dedication of the church building in Molelwane Village that La Casa helped to build!
In addition, the team will be ministering with some inter-generational events and educational programs, as well as a feeding program. Pastor Tessendorf from South Africa was our guest preacher March 29, and everyone in worship got to see the slides of the new church firsthand! Pastor Patrick has begun his ministry there, and we are excited as La Casa asks for your prayers for this special ministry as it continues to grow and unfold!
La Casa In South Africa!
Construction has begun in Molelwane Village on the church/community center!
We have new pictures of the church the Holy Spirit has built in South Africa. The church in Molelwane Village near Mafiking, SA is possible through the gifts of La Casa ! From this there will be a base for the church to reach out in the community, have Sunday School and VBS, a feeding program and much more.
Also, they have called a Pastor, Pastor Patrick, whose stipend is a gift from La Casa. The church building is almost done! Pray for Pastor Patrick as he begins his new ministry !
La Casa will plan to be in place to help dedicate the church as our SECOND trip to South Africa, with firm dates of August 1-11, 2008!
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More Pictures
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Shown to the left is the church / community center under construction in February, 2008. The blessing and dedication of the building will be celebrated while the La Casa team is there next August.
We will keep the La Casa Community posted and hope to get more pictures as well.
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La Casa will build a church/community center, which will house a five-day a week feeding program, as well as serving as a social hub in the village, and providing a place to house educational ministry about AIDS prevention, and orphan assistance.
La Casa's partnership with South Africa began several years ago, when a member of La Casa, Ron Meister, approached our pastors with a dream of serving in South Africa. His employer had visited South Africa through a group called Helping Hands in Africa (HHIA).
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La Casa de Cristo has sent the first check in our support of building a church/community center in Molelwane Village and they have broken ground. Our high school and junior high students are raising $3000 to provide a well for the community. To read the letter of thanks from Africa, click here.
For more information about La Casa's first mission trip in 2007:
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Plans for South Africa Mission
After returning, the leadership team approached the Board of Trustees about partnership with a village in South Africa. The Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways, one of the villages visited by La Casa on their trip was called Molelwane. Pastor Mike and Michelle Tessendorf, the leaders of HHIA, have worked for two years to get permission to build a church/community center in this village . (Note, the church functions as a feeding center, fellowship center and school as well). Right after we returned, the headman of the village and tribal council approved HHIA to purchase land!
The La Casa Board of Trustees, meeting in August 2007, approved a three year partnership with HHIA to build the church community center, provide a five-day-a-week feeding program with the children in the village, orphan care, AIDS education, and the cost of calling a pastor, for an amount not to exceed $150,000.00 over three years, until January 2011.
As was mentioned by Pastor Garman in a recent sermon, we are called to go to "Jerusalem, Samaria, and the ends of the earth" to share the Gospel. We are excited about La Casa in South Africa, and plan to return sometime in 2008 for the dedication of the church building. To learn more about HHIA, go to www.helpinghandsinafrica.org .
-- Written by Pastor Jeff Ruby, co-leader of the 2007 South Africa trip along with Ron Meister.
