PROJECT BRIDGE TO HOPE

July 31, 2023 Off By Mike

“Thank you for crossing the bridge “

These were the words of Pastor Boyce as we left Thembalethu Baptist Church. Thembalethu, a Xhosa word meaning OUR HOPE, is everything but that. When you travel from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, you travel through the scenic Garden Route with the beautiful town of George on the left-hand side of “the bridge”. Thembalethu, the informal-dwelling town is positioned on the “other side”.

As we left the church grounds in Thembalethu the pastor took me by the hand and simply said “Thank you for crossing the bridge and visiting us, most people are too afraid to come, and from those that did come, very little has materialised from their promises”. I was at a loss for words, too ashamed to even start and make excuses for the lack of support for the church in an area where nearly 50,000 people live in poverty. The majority of residents in Thembalethu are Xhosa speaking as well as a big number of people from across Africa. Most of them have a simple desire to have a job that will enable them to take care of their families. Many residents of Thembalethu are Christian but the presence of Islam is also very real.

The attendance in this church on a Sunday is around 60-70 people and the Sunday offering amounts to around R300.00 ($17.00) due to the poverty in the township. The pastor goes without salary but still faithfully serves his congregation. On weekdays they have a creche for 2 to 7-year-olds that runs from 7 am to 4 pm on a daily basis. They provide the toddlers with two very very basic meals a day, pap and soup, and the creche fees are R200 per month per child for those who can afford it. They have three teachers that take care of the toddlers and 3 young ladies that do aftercare for 7 to 15-year-olds at the church. The greatest desire of the pastor, even before considering his own needs, was that the 6 staff members could be paid a salary. They all serve as volunteers.

Yes, the bridge the pastor was referring to is a literal bridge that crosses over a highway from one side of the town to the other. But our spiritual consecration is also to cross spiritual bridges: cultural bridges, racial bridges, and especially economic bridges. And we need to cross that bridge as often as possible. Poverty can be overwhelming, but we do believe that we can make a huge impact in this community when we focus on one church at a time. If you are at a loss of where to become involved or take a group on outreach or whatever support you are able to give please contact us.