Having looked at Bruce’s call to follow Christ, we want to let you know about our call to ministry. This is obviously very different than the call to Christ, but it is also a call that we could not resist. I don’t want to bore you with too many detail of our lives. When Bruce finished school he did his 2 years in the army and then took the first job he could find which was Nedbank and then 3 years later that he moved to Total SA which was also one month before we got married. Jenni finished school and worked at the SABC, attended Rosebank Bible College and worked for Lever Brothers and Quest Personnel.
We knew God was calling us to ministry. For many who knew Bruce, it would surprise them that he is in pastoral ministry today. He admits that he was a public speaker. There was a time when he was in school when he had to give a talk in SCA and although he had 20 minutes to fill he couldn’t get through more that 1 – yes ONE MINUTE!
After spending the first 2 years of our marriage seeking God’s face for the future, we felt God leading us to the Bible Institute in Kalk Bay. We spent 3 years there, and at the same time we were very involved in ministry in local churches as a youth worker. At the end of 3 years of study we had to figure out what was next and we spent 10 months back in Johannesburg preaching on weekends and doing temp work.
In September of 1996, God clearly led us to take up the pastoral position in the Mbabane International Baptist Church. We stayed here for 3 years making great friends and affirming again our call to ministry. There were many times when we had to ask God if pastoral ministry was really what He has calling us to. A verse that God used to affirm our call was Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” This is what we have seen God do as we have been privileged to minister to the nations through local churches.
God then led us to pastor Empangeni Baptist Church where we have been for the last 10 years. These have been years of great growth and maturing and we are excited at the way that God has grown us for his work. We have been stretched in so many ways by the gracious working of our Sovereign God. He has allowed us to serve Him and have influence into so many lives. While we have enjoyed God blessing, we have felt that God wants us to move on.
Now we feel called to leave the Baptist Church and start a new church under New Frontiers. This has been confirmed in a number of ways. Firstly, God spoke to us through His Word. We were challenged in the example of Abraham who was told by God to leave his country and go to a land that God would show him. God made it clear to us that this was what we were to do. Secondly there was a prophetic word that was given. God, in His grace, used other people who did not know us, to speak into our lives. A particular example of this occurred in December 2008 when we were attending a service at God First Church at Ferndale High. During the worship time, a young man, who had been sitting behind us, stood up to share something that God was impressing on his heart. He spoke about someone who was standing on the edge of water wondering whether to climb onto a ferry. The water was rough and there was concern whether they would reach the other side. He said that He felt that God wanted whoever this message was for to know that it was alright to climb on with their family. Jenni and I immediately looked at each other knowing that this was for us. The final way was the inner witness of the Spirit. As we had prayed about whether we should be doing church planting, God, by His Holy Spirit, gave us a real sense of peace and a lack of fear. Daily we are praying for an increase in faith for what lies ahead.
Already we are seeing one more piece of evidence to confirm our call in this area, and that is the way God is supplying our needs in various ways. Lord willing, soon we will write about this as well as a testimony to the faithfulness of God!
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