MINISTRY THROUGH MOVEMENT SOUTH AFRICA

    • Location: 

      Witbank Central as well as Pine Ridge and Klarinet, suburbs, (7 miles) 12 kilometres from Witbank in the province of Mpumalanga, South Africa

      Main Activities

      • Sport ministry: Using sport as a door after school to teach children and young adults about Christ and teach them how to cope with life in general.
      • Addressing the needs of the poor by taking care of their children and provision of food parcels. A project to help them build better houses for themselves are underway. They also have access to counselling.
      • Running pre-schools (currently 4 namely Shamwari4Jesus with 120 students; Pine Ridge ECD Centre 37 students; Klarinet Ministries ECD Centre with 35 students and Imphumelelo Pre-school with 72 students in Old Coronation squatter camp). Shamwari4Jesus pre-school provides transport for the children from a certain part of Old Coronation squatter camp and a few children residing at the official dumpsite of Witbank. Only Pine Ridge currently receive government funding.
      • All students at the pre-schools are loved and cared for. They:
        • receive breakfast and lunch
        • are taught about the Bible and salvation in Christ
        • are prepared academically – currently 14 teachers are enrolled at King James College to obtain NQ4 qualification with specializing in Early Childhood Development and 4 will be enrolled at the University of South Africa in January 2023 for a Diploma in Grade R Teaching
        • are giving the opportunity to play safely
        • are monitored medically
        • receive counselling if needed
        • they do regular exercises to help develop their senses, brain, and muscles to better their learning ability
      • An Aftercare facility at Shamwari where learners from school are loved and cared for. They:
        • Receive lunch
        • Are taught about the Bible and salvation in Christ
        • Are assisted with homework (projects) and preparation for tests and exams
        • Are receiving exposure to different activities like workshops, etc
        • Have access to professional counselling
        • Are monitored medically
        • do regular exercises to help develop their senses, brain, and muscles to better their learning ability and to enhance their ability to focus while learning and to better their exam and/or test writing ability.
      • Church activities like Sunday Services, Sunday school, prayer meetings at the three different church buildings (Pine Ridge, Klarinet and Shamwari)
      • Prison ministry by visiting prisoners, presenting Bible Studies to change the course of their lives by opening the door for Christ in their hearts.

      Purpose: 

      The purpose of Ministry through Movement is to provide opportunities for young and old to develop Christ-like characters through movement – teaching, games, sport, music, and programs. These different kinds of movement programs provide a fun family environment where everyone can enhance their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

      Interesting Facts:

      • Our team consists of Afrikaans, English, Zulu, and Sotho speaking members (but we believe sport and music are universal languages).
      • Food is very basic with “Pap”/porridge (grounded corn flour) being the staple food (somewhat similar to “grits” in the States).
      • We love rhythmic, loud music with a lot of movement
      • We are not very punctual – it’s called African Time and it is very normal for a bride to arrive at church 3 hours later than stated on the invitation. We believe the bride and groom are the important ones and therefore when they arrive, it is the right time.

      Challenges: 

      • The biggest stumbling block for accepting Christ in the African culture is Ancestral Spirits. They believe that their ancestors still have a big role to play in their lives. Young people go to Initiation Schools where the ancestral worshipping is on the foreground.
      • The AIDS epidemic in Africa is big. A huge percentage of all children are single or double AIDS orphans, which are forcing them to either rely on grandparents for food and basic survival, or even to start to function as heads of households themselves.
      • Unemployment is increasing and, in our congregation, only 10% have a steady (but very small) income.
      • Our biggest challenge to address the needs of people for them to be able to accept the Gospel is funds.

      What is new:

      • A Natural Building Collective will be attended in October 2022 to learn how to design our planned orphanage and how to prepare the ground and material to build it. After the course the preparation will be done with the help of volunteers from the poverty-stricken communities so they too can learn about this building initiative. After the preparation phase, the teachers of the building course will come up to Witbank and the orphanage can be built while the volunteers are taught. This will empower the volunteers to build their own houses. Some of them currently live in tin (zinc), plastic, and cardboard houses.

      Dreams: 

      • To have another pre-school in Siyanqoba
      • To execute our plan to build an orphanage at Shamwari

      Needs: 

      • Funding to continue what we are busy with and to execute our plans.

      Prayer Requests:

      • Registration of Shamwari4Jesus Pre-School with the government to receive subsidy.
      • Getting the Siyanqoba pre-school up and running
      • More funds to realise our dreams and address our needs

      Contact Info: 

      Email: ministrytmovement@gmail.com