Another year has passed and we’ve still got no better at writing our prayer letters. This comes with genuine repentance over our neglecting of our partnership in this work – we are extremely, indescribably grateful for your prayers and loving support as well as many resources which are the backbone of the work out here. We really endeavor to do better! 

Time seems to be speeding up with every month that goes by and the work at Hope Church is still exciting and exhausting in pretty much equal measures. We are excited by continued growth in numbers: in all the different areas of student work, at church on Sunday mornings and evenings, in all our children, toddler and youth work and the church plant in Soweto. Many things have been exhausting too and we would value your prayer for our staff team, particularly all those who seem to be going through extraordinarily hard times at the moment. We have also seen many of our staff team grow in maturity and shape their roles to really suit their gifts and strengths. We are seeking to do that ourselves – to be better at prioritizing and to work on clarity and communication as we seek to manage others too. As before, we would value your prayers in that as we both seek to teach and train others, especially for James as he seeks to grow people in strengthening their weaknesses and in preaching and bible study leading. We lost a lot of apprentices at the end of 2018 to get married or move into corporate work etc, but we are blessed to have added Jane Kratz to the team as co-ordinator of women’s ministry and our pastoral care.