New waves in the Doxa Deo Family

Issue 8 October 2011New waves in the Doxa Deo FamilyIn Doxa Deo we believe doingAlan Plattchurch as a team! (Visionary Leader)The day of the Lone Ranger is over! Teamwork means workingtogether towards a shared vision or dream. If we are going tohave an impact in our cities, every partner needs to realise hisor her importance in God’s plan. We are called the Body ofChrist – not the collection of body parts of Christ (1 Cor 12:12).We believe that doing church as a team is God’s design for effectiveministry. Every partner in the Doxa Deo dream has a place and apurpose; but we’ve got to learn to work together. There is just nosubstitute! The challenge is to respect each other’s gifting. There arefew things more beautiful to God than seeing His people serving andworking together in a unified rhythm. It’s like a symphony to His ears!God has designed us to need each other. For us as a ministry it isimportant to realise that individuals will not be able to take a city forGod. No one person is meant to carry out this assignment alone; itwasn’t designed to be that way. This dream and purpose will only beachievable when we work together as a team. A full symphony underthe direction of a Master conductor will always sound better than aone-man band.But how do you know if you are really living out the value ofteamwork? A value is only a value when it forms part of your dailythinking and actions. Use the checklist below to see if teamwork is areality in your functioning as a partner in the Doxa Deo dream.Teamwork is when we appreciate and respect the gifts of others. It iswhen we synchronise capacity to achieve much more than we wouldhave individually. But most importantly, teamwork is based on trust.The days of the Lone Ranger are long over! Let’s work as a team tomake an impact in our cities.BlessingsAlanChecklistAm I practicing the value of teamwork?Tick the options that best describes you:□ If someone asks me, I will be able to explain the Doxa Deo dream to them!□ I know what the individual gifts of my fellow partners are.□ I find myself talking to others and sharing information about opportunities in my campus and thebroader Doxa Deo Family.□ I am committed, I understand that I need to take up my responsibility – I cannot wait and watchothers getting involved. I need to be involved!□ I do things that show my fellow partners I care about them.[1]

Bloemfontein teams upfor greater city impact!YOU DO THE MATH!Doxa Deo Fichardtpark Campus+Fountainhead Church=Doxa Deo Bloemfontein CampusEugene Lombard (Worship Leader,Doxa Deo Fichardtpark Campus)We can expect unusual things to happen whenChrist is present and at work in our cities –Bloemfontein can testify to that! Our FichardtparkCampus will soon merge with FountainheadChurch. The new campus will be known as the DoxaDeo Bloemfontein Campus with Danie and JoharitaRoodt supporting Chris and Anet Gerber in theirroles as campus leaders of the merged campus.This is truly an amazing story! It is justbreathtaking to see how God has everythingplanned out to the finest detail.The story started with a storm which brought winds of more than 75 km/h tothe city of Bloemfontein. In November 2010 these winds almost completelydestroyed the church tent belonging to the Fountainhead congregation. Thedamage amounted to a staggering R1.5 million. At that point Danie Roodt,Campus Pastor of our Fichardtpark Campus, reached out and supported theFountainhead team and from there onwards the Doxa Deo and Fountainheadteams connected on a regular basis, sensing destiny in their relations.Danie approached Chris with the possibility of the two congregations becomingone powerful body, with the vision of impacting the city of Bloemfontein on alarger scale. Chris immediately embraced the idea and an intense journey ofprayer and seeking God’s Word began. Subsequently God stirred theleadership of both congregations to dream about such a future together. Afterlong discussions and several God-moments, we believe that the comingtogether of these two churches is God’s will.The dream was shared with both congregations on Sunday, the 19 th ofSeptember. We celebrate the buy-in of both our congregations to see God’sreign in the city of Bloemfontein. The official “engagement party” will take placeon the 13 th of November at the Doxa Deo auditorium, the permanent venue ofthe new joint church called the Doxa Deo Bloemfontein Campus.Who is Fountainhead?Tim Wimble, an elder at Fountainhead, tells us more about the heart of theirministry. As you read, it will become clear that there are many similaritiesbetween Fountainhead’s vision and the Doxa Deo dream.We are one of many churches in the city of Bloemfontein who wants to seeGod glorified and people’s lives transformed by God’s power and grace. Weare committed to proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ inour neighbourhoods, our city, our province, our nation and the nations of theworld. It is also our greatest desire to disciple those who respond to the call ofthe Gospel.Fountainhead Church was planted in Bloemfontein in October 1996 by Bernardand Wendy Yeowart out of the Bryanston New Covenant Church in Gauteng.On the 10 th of February 2008, Bernard handed over the leadership of thechurch to Chris Gerber and became part of the NCMI (New Covenant[2]

Ministries International). Chris Gerber, alongside his wife Anet, leads the churchwith a team of elders and their wives. This team functions together inaccountable relationships and lead the church by facilitating direction,discipline and vision.Fountainhead has a very strong emphasis on fellowship and group life. Closeto 70% of their congregation is currently part of a small group. The studentcontingent is also very exciting with up to 900 students attending the Sundayevening service.A new team leading the Doxa DeoAkasia Ministry PointMariette Schutte (Campus Pastor Wife, Brooklyn Campus)Doxa Deo officially established a ministry point in Akasia,Pretoria. Louis and Lynette Fourie, formerly from our BrooklynCampus, are taking leadership responsibility and already theministry point has 170 partners and 30 J-Zoners! Read further tofind out how this ministry point came into being.It has been a dream of the Doxa Deo Family for quite some time toestablish a ministry point in the North-Western area of Pretoria. Andso, once again, we became witnesses of God’s grace. About two yearsago a men’s cell group together with their families started congregatingin a school hall in this part of our city. At that stage, Doxa Deo NorthCampus began to assist by occasionally sending a team member tominister the Word of God. Soon the need for a more permanentarrangement arose. Louis and Lynette Fourie, then involved in ourBrooklyn Campus and specifically the Life Centre, felt a stirring toserve on a permanent basis at the Akasia Ministry Point. AlthoughBrooklyn Campus is saddened by the loss of Louis and Lynette, theyare also excited and committed to see God’s reign established in thecity of Tshwane. As we know our Brooklyn Campus will always be apioneering role player excelling in new church plantings.Louis and Lynette are permanently engaged with the Akasia MinistryPoint from July this year, and already there are 170 partners and 30 J-Zoners! Praise God for His faithfulness![3]

School of Divinity outreachto Kildare Jan Botha (3 rd year full-time School of Divinity student)During the October holiday the East Campus Ignite students departed foran outreach expedition to Kildare – a community in Bosbokrand near theKruger National Park’s Kruger Gate. The aim was to help out in thecommunity and also experience the local culture. Read more to find outhow God worked through Ignite students, touching and changing thelives of the Kildare people.The main contact person was the local Pastor, Jonny Ndlovu. Weresided on his family premises for a total of nine days. Upon arrivalwe were welcomed by many people from the local church who wereeager to help us in any way possible. Culturally we experienced howthey live – we bathed in a bucket of water and used their long drop.We ate with them, some food we never knew were edible. Wefetched water (a 6 km walk!), chopped wood, bought items fromtheir local shops, made bricks and tended a garden.Throughout our stay we shared the Gospel wherever we went,seeing a Sangoma give her life to Christ! We were also given theopportunity to teach daily at their local gatherings. The Pastor toldus that what we were teaching on was perfectly in line with whatthey have been considering in the months leading up to our arrival.This is a testimony of how the Spirit works in our two differentcommunities in one Spirit.By God’s grace we saw many sick people healed through our timeof ministry. One man who was paralyzed from a stroke recovered infull and a women who suffered from AIDS, who couldn’t even sit orhold food in, walked and ate again.We were exposed to unconditional love from our brothers andsisters in Kildare. It was hard to leave their community and to returnto our western culture where we frequently do not experience thesame intensity of love and community. Kildare has not seen the lastof Ignite and the relationship will only grow in the future. We give allthe glory to our Lord Jesus Christ for we could see Him in thepeople of Kildare.[5]

A place to call home: Ki-DeoCorlette Calitz (Doxa Deo Midstream Campus)Ki-Deo is one of Doxa Deo’s children’s homesand connected to our Midstream Campus inCenturion. Ki-Deo creates a loving home forchildren who suffer the consequences of abuse,neglect and orphanhood. Through Ki-Deo God istouching the lives of our children in a veryspecial way. Read further to learn more aboutKi-Deo and find out how you can get involved!On the 15 th of July 2005 Ki-Deo opened its doors to 11 childrenfrom different ethnical backgrounds, giving them a place to callhome. We strive to provide quality accommodation in a small,family-size house which does not label the children as“institutionalized”. Children receive health care rendered by medicalprofessionals, therapeutic counseling, schooling, relaxation andcultural activities at Ki-Deo. Our goal is to give our children a stableenvironment in which they can grow, live and learn. Ki-Deo is aplace where we can invest in children’s lives, laying a solidfoundation based on love and acceptance. Arriving at Ki-Deobroken, children will leave as restored young adults ready to makean impact in the city!At Ki-Deo we treat them as normal children. They invite friends forsleep-overs, birthday parties and occasional visits. Once a year wetake all the children on a well deserved holiday which they alwaysenjoy a lot! Wish you could see their faces – just being kids andenjoying every moment. However it remains very sad when it comesto their birthdays and there is no family to share it with them: Thehurt in their eyes when they ask when their mommy and daddy willcome to visit because they miss them, or the fact that we don’tknow where some of the children’s family is. We can do our best tofill the gap, but the longing for a family of their own will never goaway.It is shocking to know that more than 9.2 million children in SouthAfrica do not stay with their biological parents and need a place likeKi-Deo to care for them. You can help make a difference by gettinginvolved and investing in these children’s lives.[6]

ChecklistHow you can help Ki-Deo:Contact:Theresa Geldenhuys (House Mother)• 083696 8600 • 012644 2524•theresag@ki-deo.co.za • www.ki-deo.co.za□ Financial support□ Monthly debit orders□ Donate groceries□ Donate toiletries□ Volunteering as weekend or holiday parents□ Helping with birthday parties□ Sponsoring social activities (movies,eating out etc.)□ Donate or sponsor clothingDid you know?All our children’s homes in the Doxa DeoFamily is managed in partnership withuMephi.http://www.umephi.org/From day one we really experienced the hand of God at Ki-Deo. He is our provider and healer. During this six years it was magnificent to seehow the Lord touched these children’s lives, healing and restoring their broken hearts. It is amazing to see how these children grow up tobecome the DOXA (Glory) of DEO (God).Do you have stories,news or other informationthat will bless the Doxa DeoFamily?Please share it with us...NEWSLETTER EDITORChantalle Schutte:chantalle@doxadeo.co.za(+27)12 991 5838[7]Can’t wait tohear fromyou !