Andrew and Alexander went to Harare on Thurs 1st July and returned home on Sunday evening 4th July. Their purpose was to have leadership meetings (Thurs night to mid Friday afternoon) and to lead a public conference (Friday night and Saturday), and then to preach the Sunday services in Harare Vineyard (Alexander) and in Chegutu Vineyard (Andrew).

A team of 8 from Willow Hill Vineyard (Andrew’s church in Johannesburg) went directly to Chegutu and spent the whole time there to help an orphanage led by Moses and Refinwe. They took loads of supplies in a large trailer. Andre Kriel met with the local town planner regarding plans to build a new orphanage on the land given for that purpose. They got an extension in terms of building on the land –we needed to break ground by end of June, but to raise funds for this in the current climate in Zim for building is difficult. The team painted the lounge and passages, ministered to the leaders at the orphanage, put on a puppet show for the kids and generally had great fun doing ‘good works’!

If you happen to know of any teachers who would be qualified and interested to teach at a UK curriculum (Cambridge) school in Tanzania please put them in contact with us.

The Roodepoort Record reports the following about Willow Hill Vineyard:

“Although the Willow Hill Vineyard Christian Fellowship is a multi-faceted church one of its most fundamental tenets is the importance of people and their relationships.

1. 10 of us flew to Nairobi (Kenya) where we enjoyed great hospitality from Karen Vineyard leaders. We caught a bus to Arusha (Tanzania) where we were wonderfully hosted by David and Judi Owens and the Arusha VCF. We enjoyed a really great time of connecting and ministering with these people who appreciated connection with the Vineyard Movement.

The people are still among the nicest, friendliest, most warmly hospitable in the world. I sometimes think this, their greatest strength, is also their greatest weakness, for it is perhaps the reason why they have put up with tyranny for so long, until now it is probably too late to resist…

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WARNING - some graphic images!

PLEASE NOTE!

The Vineyard SA National office has a new email address: office at vineyardsa.org.za.

Factual summary:
Costa and Alexander flew to Harare on Thursday 10 July to show solidarity with the Vineyard churches, to take gifts of clothing, food and money, and to visit victims of political violence. Sue Marland (Vineyard pastor from Chegutu) immediately took them to visit Ben Freeth in hospital (he and his parents-in-law, Mike and Angela Campbell, were badly beaten and abducted from their farm on Sunday 29 June). Friday was spent in a meeting with the four Vineyard pastors and their wives. After the meeting they visited Mike and Angela, and preached at an evening meeting of the Harare Vineyard.