Die einde van sy marathon as leier van die Bethel Congregational kerk is in sig, maar volgens eerw. Daniel “Danny” George het hy nog baie om die gemeenskap te bied.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George het die afgelope Sondag (24\u2009Augustus) op ‘n ho\u00eb noot uitgetree nadat hy di\u00e9 gemeente vir 16 jaar gelei het. Hy het toe ook sy laaste diens by die kerk waargeneem.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Die laaste diens wat ek Sondag lewer, is wanneer ek finaal by die Bethel Congregational kerk afsluit. Die grondwet van ons kerk s\u00ea wanneer jy aftree-\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ouderdom bereik, kan die gemeente jou aanstelling vir twee jaar hernu en daarna vir nog twee jaar. N\u00e1 daardie aanstellings kan jy nie verder gaan nie. So, ek het nou al al die aanstellings ontvang. Nou tree ek af. Ek sal nou nie verdere aanstellings kan aanneem waar ek permanent aangestel word nie, maar wel op ‘n deeltydse basis \u2013 ook nie by dieselfde gemeente nie, maar by ander gemeentes wat byvoorbeeld nie ‘n voltydse predikant kan bekostig nie.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Ek is altesaam 41 jaar in die voltydse bediening van die kerk. Dit is ‘n taamlike lang reis. God het ‘n seisoen vir almal beplan. Ek dink vir my om \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bethel-kerk toe te kom, was ‘n se\u00ebning, want hier het ek die ondervinding gehad om te deel met so baie uitdagings wat ons as gemeente gekonfronteer het. Dit is absoluut wonderlik om net te weet dat God altyd aan die stuur is en Bethel- kerk is net een van daardie dinamiese gemeentes wat ‘n mens toelaat om te groei.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George is oorspronklik van Gqeberha in die Oos-Kaap en s\u00ea dit was nooit in sy gedagtes om ‘n predikant te word nie.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Op skool het ek een keer ‘n paar leerders verteenwoordig en namens hulle gepraat. Agterna het ‘n onderwyser my genader en voorgestel dat ek n\u00e1 skool regte moet gaan studeer. ‘n Ander onderwyser het weer voorgestel dat ek ‘n onderwyser word omdat ek goed was in Afrikaans. Ek was destyds en is nog steeds ook baie lief vir die kunste en opvoerings. Ek het skool klaargemaak en nooit beplan om in die bediening te gaan nie, totdat ek een aand by ‘n geleent- heid was en gevra is om te bid.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘n Gawe vir bediening<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Daar het iemand George voorgekeer en ges\u00ea dat hy ‘n gawe het om God se kinders te bedien. Hy was toe onseker, maar mettertyd het die roeping om ‘n predikant te word, gegroei en hy het die geleentheid gekry om verder in hierdie rigting te gaan studeer. In sy meer as vier dekades as geestelike leier was hy in staat om ‘n paar gemeentes te bedien \u2013 ook van so ver as Noordwes en Gauteng.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ek het as ‘n baie jong predikant in Mmabatho begin. Daar het ek geleer om Setswana te praat. Daar het ek ook geleer om in die bediening te groei. Dit was ‘n baie arm gemeente en later het daardie gemeente een van die sterkste gemeentes geword toe baie van die mense by die kerk kom aansluit het en ons kon groei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Van daar het ek na Kliptown in Johannesburg beweeg. Ons het daar ‘n nuwe gebou in Kliptown opgerig, want die ou gebou het inmekaargesak. Dit was ‘n baie uitdagende bediening in Kliptown, want Johannesburg is verskriklik vinnig en ‘n mens moet aanpas met die gebeure in die omgewing. Ons kerk het van die begin af verskriklik gesukkel om net sin te maak in die gemeenskap waarin ons was. Later het dinge goed aan die beweeg gekom en ons kon as die Kliptown-gemeente uitreik.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n George is later as die gemeenteleier van die Bellville Congregational kerk bevestig. Hy meen om hierdie gemeente te bedien, was “een van daardie grootste en mooiste uitdagings”. Hy s\u00ea di\u00e9 gemeente was geestelik baie betrokke en het hom toegelaat om sy gawes uit te lewe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God se kerk \u2013 nie ‘n mens s’n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Dit was seker 15 van my beste jare wat ek by daardie gemeente kon deurbring \u2013soveel so dat met al my gemeentes, natuurlik, as ek nou in Mmbatho kom, is daar verskriklik baie herkenning; as ek in Kliptown kom, is dit dieselfde. Mense herken jou en mense sal altyd van jou deelname in hul lewe praat. Ek het byvoorbeeld gister (Donderdag 21\u2009Augustus) ‘n brief van mev. Marie Brown ontvang waarin sy my bedank het vir die tyd wat ek in Bellville deurgebring het \u2013 16 jaar gelede. En so praat sy namens baie van die mense in Bellville. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ek het op 1\u2009September 2009 hier by Bethel begin. Van die eerste oomblik af het ons oplosbare uitdagings gehad. Dit het harde werk vereis, om van die eerste dag, tot vandag toe, die kerk van God bekend te stel as die kerk van God. Dit is nie die kerk van ‘n mens nie. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Bethel doen uitstekend.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hy spog ook dat Bethel oor die jare verskeie ondersteuningsgroepe ontwikkel het, soos byvoorbeeld vir dwelmverslaafdes, wat vir verskeie mense vanuit verskeie lewenspaaie aan die hand vat en help. Sy groot begeerte is dat die kerkgebou in Groenheuwel voor sy aftrede ingese\u00ebn sal word vir die gemeente in daardie gebied, maar as dit nie so is nie, s\u00ea George, is hy tevrede.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hy beskryf homself as iemand wat baie gesondheidsbewus is en hy het al ‘n paar marathons agter die blad. Hy sien ook daarna uit om nog marathons te doen en oefen gereeld.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nog ‘n mylpaal is dat hy vandeesweek ook sy 70ste verjaarsdag vier.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shireen Willemse, ‘n senior kerk- bestuurslid, het oor eerw. George ges\u00ea: “Ek wonder dikwels of ons as gemeente werklik verstaan en of ons jou liefdearbeid hier by Bethel werklik waardeer het. Jy het net gegee en gegee en gegee. Namens hulle almal ‘n opregte en hartlike dankie. Namate jy die volgende seisoen in jou lewe betree, mag God jou welverdiende rus, uitstekende gesondheid en baie vreugde en lag gee.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Die einde van sy marathon as leier van die Bethel Congregational kerk is in sig, maar volgens eerw. Daniel “Danny” George het hy nog baie om die gemeenskap te bied. 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