annual report january - december 2015 - Northcliff Union Church

NUC Annual Report 2015

ANNUAL REPORT JANUARY - DECEMBER 2015 (For Annual Vision Supper – 18 February 2016) SENIOR PASTOR’S OVERVIEW

Gavin Wood

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever (Psalm.136:1) Our Annual Vision Supper is an opportunity to celebrate God’s amazing grace and goodness to us as a Church and to look to the future with absolute confidence that His unchanging grace will continue to guide us. We believe the Lord is leading us to become more missional in everything we do at NUC. By this we mean that we need to be more intentional about the Great Commission as individuals and a Church. Part of that strategy has been implemented by launching Christianity Explored (CE), Discipleship Explored (DE) and the Christian Life College (CLC). Hugo Lategan has done a wonderful job of leading and facilitating CE, Ian Fraser has taken that to the next level by leading DE and developing Home Groups that broaden the base of fellowship and care within the Body of Christ. Gavin Wood has been involved in discipleship by way of teaching at the CLC. This is a 10 module course provided by the Baptist Theological College which gives people a thorough introduction to Biblical studies and theology. Keith Westberg has served well as our “Pastor-in-training’ for 2015. His main areas of focus have been Young Adults and Youth ministry. Keith has brought a real sense of vibrancy and stability to the youth ministry of NUC. This has been demonstrated in many ways, not the least of which was the ‘Lego land’ Holiday Club of 2015. Well done to Keith and his team of leaders, as well as all those who took part and contributed in many different ways. Many lives have been impacted by the love of the Lord Jesus Christ through you. 2015 was a year of growth significant growth for the Tshepo project. We continue to stand in awe of the way the Lord is using this wonderful project and how a number of Churches in the Northcliff and Linden areas faithfully work together in order to celebrate the love of Christ for our community. It truly has been a year of celebrating unity and purpose in Christ for the Church Council members. We are so grateful to the Lord for the privilege of serving the Lord as Elders and Deacons. I am delighted to report that our monthly meetings are meaningful times of engagement where we deliberate over matters concerning the life of the Church, seeking God’s wisdom and guidance in the decisions that need to be made. The truly wonderful way that God’s people continue to faithfully invest in the Kingdom of God by means of financial giving defies current trends and financial constraints that continue to challenge us from day to day. This is testimony to the fact that our God is the awesome God who is not limited by world economics. We are currently in our second cycle of the ‘Natural Church Development’ (NCD) survey which is a very helpful tool for measuring health in the Local Church. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey which took place in December. We are currently processing the information which will be studied by the Church Council at our Retreat which will take place a couple of weeks after the AVS. We plan to continue with NCD for at least another year or two in order to be able to effectively map and understand trends within the Church and areas for growth. In closing, I would like to pay tribute to Hugo and Joyce Lategan. Hugo and Joyce have become a very precious part of our Church family, seen by many as the ‘spiritual parents’ of the Congregation. Although Hugo has officially retired from pastoral ministry at NUC, as of 31 December 2015, this precious couple will continue to be an integral part of our lives and fellowship. Thank you, Hugo and Joyce, for who you are and how you continue to be a shining example of what a true discipleship is all about. 2|Page

NUC Annual Report 2015 YOUTH MINISTRIES

Keith Westberg

Children’s Ministry

This past year in children’s ministry has been an exciting one. Clarissa Ralston has moved on to pursue her studies in primary school education. At the beginning of 2016, we welcomed Warren Diamandis to run and care for the children’s Friday night ministry named Collision and Sunday morning Children’s Church. Children’s church and Collision both have a great group of committed leaders that serve within the ministries. With this, we are able to build a strong foundation for the coming year. In 2015, we saw an average of 30-40 children on a Friday night and approximately 50-60 attending children’s church. We are looking forward to the year of 2016 and to building on the foundation that has been set. Youth Ministry

Youth on a Friday night (7:30pm – 9:30pm) has been all about discipleship this past year. We have seen a steady 40-50 teens attending. Each of these teens is involved in a small group. Within these small groups on a Friday night, our young adult youth leaders, are making disciples of at least one teen each. We have seen a depth in relationship of teens over the past year and seek to continue to grow both numerically and in a depth of relationship with Christ. Teen Church on a Sunday morning at 10:00 has grown in leaps and bounds over 2015. Not only is attendance up but the level of teaching has grown in scope and in depth. Currently we have an average of 60 teens attending every week and well over 100 registered. Our young adult leaders are committed to the process of making disciples and are doing so with the teens who attend teen church every week. I personally am looking forward to see the rise of new leaders and a strong committed group of teens moving this community for the Kingdom of God. Holiday Club

Last year we had an incredible year at Holiday Bible Club, with 80 children giving their lives to Christ. We were also able to give away 120 bibles to children who have never owned one before. With an average of 320 children a day, we had an amazingly powerful time ministering to primary school children from all walks of life and many of the schools in our area. The majority of our leaders for Holiday Bible Club are teens, and they commit themselves to a week of prep work and a week of teaching children from the local community. This is not only a highlight for the children’s ministry but also the youth ministry, as teens step into leadership roles and are stretched, all for Jesus’ sake. Young Adults Ministry

In 2015 our young adult’s ministry consisted of 3 cell groups run during the week and our Sunday evening service, which is aimed but definitely not limited to the younger generations of Northcliff Union Church. Our cell groups have all grown numerically and in the depth of our teaching and application. Our young adults serve a great deal for the younger generations at NUC, particularly within the youth ministry. They are a great and invaluable asset when Holiday Bible Club rolls around, and many of our young adults are serve during NUC’s big events. Young adults’ ministry has seen many forms over the years. Going forward into 2016, an integration into the broader life of NUC is going to sought and implemented. 3|Page

NUC Annual Report 2015 MISSIONS

Adriaan van der Westhuizen

The Missions Committee helps to serve communities in and around South Africa, through supported missionaries, facilitating the following: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Planning and execution of Short Term Outreach missions Care and welfare of NUC’s supported missionaries Financial Support to missionaries Community upliftment projects

During the 2015 year, we hosted a Missions Workshop facilitated by Dr Des Henry, undertook short-term outreach missions to Winterton and Zimbabwe, and ended the year with a community outreach with Theo Burakeye to Princess Crossing, handing out 75 buckets of food and other products to the needy. Our goal going forward is to create a missions awareness among all NUC members, transforming Northcliff Union into a church-planting missional church, making members aware of responsibilities in the mission field on a daily basis. This will extend to connecting with the local community, thus improving NUC’s multiplication strategy.

PRAYER MINISTRY

Bastiaen Norel

The year started off with 21 days of prayer and fasting with 200 involved. We had someone praying for each of the 504 hours during these 3 weeks. In addition we had a dedicated time of prayer every Saturday morning during the prayer and fasting period. During the course of the year, other prayer events were arranged. These include a special prayer getaway at the Van Eck’s home, a week of dedicated prayer before the September Annual Vision Supper and an event called “One Day in the Gap”. At this time, prayer stations were set up in the hall. These prayer stations acted as prayer prompts to pray for specific world events. During Sunday services, NUC prays collectively for the persecuted Christians in one of the countries on the World Watch List. In addition, NUC has a daily prayer list for specific people who are ill, hurting or in need of prayer, which is circulated among our prayer warriors – these wonderful people set aside time every day to pray for those in our community who are facing life’s challenges. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to help achieve the goals of the prayer ministry.

FELLOWSHIP

Gary Taylor

The objective of the Fellowship ministry is for members to truly feel that they belong, and this happened in several ways during 2015. The after-service fellowship time was enhanced with the roll-out of decent coffee and iced drinking water, much to the delight of many. Pastors’ Teas took place quarterly in the Main Hall, to allow for members to chat more intimately with pastors. The Family Getaway was a great opportunity for quality fellowship over a weekend but, in 2016, we might experiment with a few alternative events to see what we can learn about people’s preferences. Both the Men and Women’s ministries made place for fellowship events, such as the Art-in-the-Park day which flourished despite the downpour. An attempt to start a Singles ministry in 2015 was not successful, but the Cradle Roll was several smaller sporting groups are emerging, and it is exciting to see Northcliff Union people participating together in Mountain Biking, camping, hiking and other activities – just enjoying each other’s company in God’s glorious nature.

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WOMEN’S MINISTRY

Antje Thompson

This ministry has many different facets which, in the last few months of 2015, have become more aligned and focused on the overarching vision of Northcliff Union Church. These include Authentic Womanhood, a teaching ministry; Seasons, a social ministry focused on building up the women of NUC; Women of Worth, an outreach social ministry; Crafts ministry and Banners ministry; Cradle Roll for infants as well as Martha’s Hands making and repairing clothes for charity. Together the ministries have served the community and NUC by providing touch points to the church via fellowship, teaching, prayer and encouragement. The different teaching series as well as Art in the Park worked in parallel to the more behind-the-scenes ministries of fellowshipping around making some beautiful things, welcoming new babies into our world and distributing clothing to those in need in our community. We look very forward to working together as a team in 2016 to build up the ladies at Northcliff Union Church to love and good works, all to the glory of God!

MEN’S MINISTRY

Johann Combrink

This year was an exciting year for the men’s ministry, with another series of quest for authentic manhood completed by a dedicated group of men exploring the great adventure of life. The key focus this time was to explore what the true meaning in life is. We also expanded our activities and had a fun afternoon watching the Rugby World Cup and playing touch rugby. We also had an awesome weekend away with 7 men on the topic of "The world needs a father". This was achieved in a relaxing setting and a lot of deep conversations around the campfire and we plan to have quarterly social events and enjoy some challenging activities. Next year the focus is to reach a greater group of men. We want to become more missional and focus outside the church as well. We are looking for men who have this ministry on their heart and want to get involved with the natural formation of mentoring relationships. Please pray for our men and families so we can be of sober mind in this difficult time to protect our families at several levels.

SENIORS’ MINISTRY

Ivan Martin

There were 11 Seniors events during 2015, ending with a bumper Christmas lunch in December all of which are mostly paid for by the workers and some congregants. The numbers range from 50 people to 100 with 60% coming from outside NUC membership, and about 10% men to 90% women. The events would entail a secular talk on interesting subjects, music, song, quizzes. A 20/30 minute gospel message is given, hymns sung and prayers for those in need. It runs from 10am to 12 noon except the year end lunch. Apart from fellowship, the main object is to bring the Word to saved and unsaved people many living at “five to twelve”. Another very practical ministry to Seniors is our 2 x weekly trips from 2 retirement homes to Cresta, driven faithfully by a group of NUC volunteers. This provides additional freedom to those without transport to get out on a weekly basis, and maintain some degree of independence. This ministry has grown to be popular, even for the 15+ workers, enabling rich fellowship to be enjoyed in serving OUR LORD for His glory and honour.

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COMMUNITY & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Northcliff Union’s predominant investment into the community is by supporting the Tshepo Community Development Initiative together with a number of other churches in our fraternal. This allows us to make a meaningful impact in our community and harness the expertise necessary. The Soup Kitchen feeds hungry people, minimizing begging & crime, while providing an opportunity to minister the gospel to those who are really at rock bottom. The Windsor Aftercare serves 45 kids weekly, keeping them off the streets and supporting their educational development. The exciting new Youth & Arts Academy provides access to the unchurched, while providing a safe hangout for youngsters who might otherwise be influenced by the culture of the streets. The Multi Media Centre also shows much promise. The Sizanane job creation initiative of several micro enterprises at the newly refurbished Scout Hall opposite NUC has created jobs for 17 people in compost production, organic vegetable growing, sales of garden products and the car wash. Your active support of these initiatives is a wonderful way to share your “gleanings” as we teach men to fish.

WORSHIP MINISTRY

Glen Thompson

Can you actually believe that it has been a year already since the completion of the installation of our new sound system? As things unfolded we found that, in order to have consistency with respect to our sound system performing at its best, we would need professional assistance. And so God blessed us by bringing in Hannes, a qualified sound technician to serve with us to the maximal benefit of all. Along with Hannes’ joining the worship teams has come some invaluable computer training on the new system. We will continue to develop the skills of our team members, but I can say with confidence that we have settled down the new system, and that we are well set in place for a great year ahead. Worship team wise, we have 12 teams spanning across the 3 Sunday services. God has added to our number gifted and godly musicians and singers over the course of the year and we look forward to an increase in this in 2016. I have seen a marked improvement in all of our teams and a deepening sense of true worship throughout. While we have exciting plans for the future, I rejoice in where God has brought us and is continuing to guide and shepherd us in this part of the body of NUC. Thanks to all of you who serve faithfully in this vital ministry!

COMMUNICATION Several enhancements occurred during 2015 to improve our communication with our many audiences through a variety of mediums. The www.nuc.co.za website was revamped to include more articles with events of interest, host sermon recordings which are being listened to at home and abroad, and be more searchable. The weekly Bulletins are attractive in colour and more regularly taken home as resource documents. A large Notice Board (between the JL Green hall & classrooms) allows for large posters and information on ministries. We are increasing our skills in producing videos which are shown during worship services, as part of a multimedia strategy. Previously inactive Facebook pages now feature photos and notices of interest and are frequently shared by NUC members to increase our reach. New Service Leaders provide a friendly face to address key events face-to6|Page

NUC Annual Report 2015 face from the pulpit on Sundays, and the slides projected on the screen keep everyone in touch with what is going on. Displays in the HUB area have been well received and should really be enhanced with the new facilities in 2016.

TEACHING & DISCIPLESHIP During 2015, we maintained several building blocks in our Teaching & Discipleship ministry. The key component is NUC’s bible-based preaching at Sunday services, which in 2015 was reinforced with sermon recordings on the website. NUC also invested in Christianity Explored courses for those new to faith, and Discipleship Explored for those wanting to go deeper in their walk. Our Christian Life College took our learning curriculum even further through theological studies in partnership with the Baptist Theological College, giving students a choice of studying with or without exams, under Gavin’s facilitation. We have enjoyed during the course of 2015 several Hot Potato Evenings which provided challenging talks on controversial topics over a meal in the hall. Prof. David Block has also blessed us twice with his insightful and inspirational ministry, drawing NUC’s record attendance of 570 for the Blood Moons presentation. We enjoyed another successful Parenting Seminar with several couples enriched as a result. As I take over this portfolio in 2016, we look forward to further expand our initiatives aimed at enriching the spiritual learning process, which include a revamped Library and Book Table in the new HUB area. Look out for some great seminars in 2016 as we “do life” with you.

WELCOMING MINISTRY

Vernon Wessels

The Welcoming Team is the face of the Northcliff Union Church and one of the main contact points for guests, occasional visitors and regulars before and after Sunday services and special events. Our objective is to serve people in a way that they would want to come back and get connected into church life. The ministry impacts the hundreds of people walking through NUC's doors each week and is split into a team of meeters-and-greeters, and a group of tea and coffee servers. Meeters-and-greeters includes about 50 people who welcome attendees, assist with parking, hand out bulletins, help with collection and counting, make sure moms and tots in the cry room are comfortable and a deacon to monitor the foyer during services and counsel people who are sometimes overwhelmed with emotion during worship and need someone to talk to or pray with. The tea and coffee team consists of about 10 ladies who selflessly serve beverages and help out with cakes and eats at special events long after most people have left for home. We have successfully handled all 2015's large events, including Holiday Bible Club, and Bad Moon Rising, which had record number of visitors to the church. Our most exciting challenge in 2016 will be bolstering the size of our teams to ensure we cover more contact points, improving our visibility and harnessing the full potential of the new foyer to better serve our Sunday guests.

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CARE MINISTRY

Ian Fraser

The following new dimensions of care were included in 2015: Visiting: The lonely, being aware of the traumatized, social work, and the missional work of evangelism; Trauma: A first-exposure training session on trauma was given to the Care Ministry team by James Glanville. We look forward to more training in this regard. Social Work: Anne Welch helped us with a number of our cases which required her Social Work skills. Congratulations to Anne on the outstanding results she received from her UNISA assessment; Evangelism: Our 2nd training session of the year covered the topic, “How to lead someone to Jesus Christ.” We are also grateful for the growing team of several women who served the Lord with us through last year. Dr. Mark Stonestreet’s seminar on “Anger – Understand it, and Manage It” was attended by 80 people. A number of people have turned to the Lord in a new way through these seminars. The Care Ministry attends to approximately 25 people per month, in addition to those who are covered in the weekly prayer email. The Ministry averages three or four contacts each, depending on the need (visits, phone calls, sms messages). To achieve this level of care through the year would not be possible without the tireless work for Christ of our team of visitors, and the Care Team Leaders who co-ordinate the prayer and care.

OPERATIONS OVERVIEW

Gary Taylor

The past year has been a very busy one for the Operational side of NUC. We commenced the year with the expanded Youth House becoming functional, now with the space necessary to house the numbers of young people making use of the premises, as we had hoped. To accommodate a growing Gym ministry among the Teens and Young Adults, we recycled sliding doors from the Hub to close off the open area behind the main hall to create a gym. The Nursery has been extended to 2 rooms now, to allow for nursing mothers and sleep times. We have extended cables from the Auditorium to the Main Hall to accommodate relays of video and sound. We have cleared out 3 skips full of accumulated site rubble and junk, refurbishing the upstairs boardrooms which are hired out to external clients and support groups. The HUB project is one of our largest for many years, optimizing the space where so much of the activity at NUC takes place. The benefits will be felt in 2016, but we thank our members for their flexibility in tolerating months of inconvenience. The new Garden of Remembrance was dedicated in 2015 and provides a fitting space for this purpose.

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NUC Annual Report 2015 Further enhance plans for the facilities will only be considered once funds allow. We thank the Lord for his provision allowing these projects to expand the tressle which supports the branches of this vine.

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