The PCC participants and the host families gather in front of the conference building. They are about to get to know each other.
Rugby: The host family introduced us to the rules of the game while watching TV. South Africa won.
Dinner with the host family: We had lasagne and a berry dessert with cream and crumble.
The PKK participants were asked to ask their host families questions about church life.
On the way to church, you can discover some unexpected things - like this invitation to the Oktoberfest at the International German School in Pretoria.
Street scene: An old car drives past a new shopping centre.
This is the church of St John's parish, which has been in existence for around 30 years.
Dr Emmanuel Kileo and other PCC participants at communion. The congregation's new pastor Kornelia Schauf hands them the bread.
On Sunday afternoon, our hosts made a braai for us - a barbecue.
The pastor and deacon of St John's parish were also present.
Following the visits, the PCC participants discussed their experiences in a large group.
Rugby: South Africa's Springboks win against New Zealand's All Blacks
Visiting parishioners of the Johannesgemeinde in Pretoria.
From Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, the PCC participants visited ELCSA and NELCSA families. This gave them the opportunity to get to know church members and gain an insight into church life in South Africa. We accompanied one group.
Equipped with five questions about church life, the journey began.
"What does your dream church look like?"
was one of the questions. The following wishes were formulated, for example:
- The church should be close to the people.
- The content and not the form should be central.
- The church should be radiant - transmitting its message by being appealing and having a “vibe”
Other questions about faith, church and life were also discussed:
- How does health insurance work in South Africa, Brazil and Germany?
- Is there a state pension? Is it secure?
- Why is the ball only allowed to be thrown backwards in rugby?
The participants learnt that rugby also plays an important and (warning: a little joke) almost religious role in South African society. While rugby was initially a sport for the white population during apartheid, it was Nelson Mandela who made rugby appealing to everyone with a symbolic gesture and thus preserved it as a national sport. The name of the national rugby team - Springboks (Afrikaans), describing the “national animal” of South Africa - was also deliberately retained.
"First of all, I thank God that I am allowed to play this sport and I thank our supporters who remain loyal to us from all different social groups - like the homeless man who cheered us on when our bus drove past him to the fans in the stands ...", said one of the Springboks players, who narrowly won the match against the All Blacks. The players also stood for a diverse society. Whilst watching the game together, the host informed them about the most important "rule" in rugby: the referee has no idea what he is doing ;-).
The sunday services main theme on the next morning was forgiveness of sins: a church service with holy communion was attended in the German-speaking Johannesgemeinde in Pretoria.
Other #PCC_24 participants staying with other families also attended. If one expected a “typical African” service, this service did not fulfil the expectations - it was a German service with a choir and a church brass band. Only the translations on a screen reminded us that the service took place in Pretoria:
En op sy reis na Jerusalem het Hy deur Samaria en Galiléa gegaan.
The PCC participants were fortunate to be able to attend the introduction of the new German EKD pastor Kornelia Schauf from the Lippe regional church. She will be pastor in the church for six years from today. Incidentally, she made an excellent dessert with berries, cream and crumble, which some of the PCC participants were able to enjoy the previous evening. At the end of the service, the new pastor greeted the PCC participants present.
The Sunday service was followed by a lively church coffee on the church grounds, where many enjoyed a good chat. The socialising then continued with the host family with a braai - barbecue. The new pastor and the new youth pastor of the church also attended.
Youth Pastor Julia Bingießer, who comes from Germany and is a member of the sisterhood and brotherhood of the Protestant Johannesstift in Berlin (Germany), explained that she holds an English-language contemporary service with a praise and worship band for young people twice a month in the Johannesgemeinde.
After the braai, the participants returned to the PCC conference venue and shared and evaluated their experiences gleaned from their visit.
It turned out that the church services are very diverse: in German, in English, for young people, for old people, led by volunteer church members and members of different cultural backrounds.
Perhaps church life is as diverse as the Springboks rugby players would like it to be for society?
We would like to thank all the host families for taking us in and for your hospitality! You have provided us with a unique experience!
