Establishing Catalytic Week, an annual national outreach which aids in launching new movements in South Africa, last year continued to produce encouraging results in 2016. Last month’s update shared about following up campuses in the Eastern Cape. Walter Sisulu University movement began through the Catalytic Week initiative. Along with setting foot on 40 campuses in the Western Cape, another highlight was establishing a joint outreach with Cape Town Baptist Seminary.
For the second year, my team hosted seminary students from Cape Town Baptist Seminary (CTBS). Six seminary students spent one week aiding us on the university campuses. The young seminarians learned how to share their faith with individuals and small groups. They encountered diverse experiences communicating the Gospel to atheists, Muslims and the uninterested.
Usually during this outreach, I model initiative evangelism by partnering with a CTBS student. Bevin from CTBS walked with me on the campus of UWC. On this occasion, I started a conversation with a young student named Liandre. The university student explained he grew up in church, but did not believe church was for him. Bevin desiring to know more began to communicate with him in his mother tongue. Liandre shared his reasons to Bevin in the Afrikaans language. Liandre expressed his struggles with his sexuality, and found the church not a welcoming place. Bevin appreciated his candor and asked Liandre if he could continue to encourage him and answer his questions about God.
Bevin’s heart to follow-up with Liandre demonstrated his pastoral heart. A few days afterwards, Liandre called Bevin to find community. Liandre wanted to visit the CCCSA movement on his campus to learn more about God with other Christian university students. I was excited to have Liandre meet the CCCSA student leader on his campus, Dale. Please continue to pray for Liandre that he will know God’s love and see God’s love demonstrated by the students involved in our movement.
The seminarians were amazed by the varied beliefs of the university students, and effectiveness of our ministry tools to reach students with the Gospel. Continue to pray for these future pastors who will take these evangelistic experiences and apply their new ministry skills to deal with the current realities people contend with in South Africa.
Sincerely,
Leon Best, Jr.
Best Times 