Preparing to say goodbye
In less than a month we will be saying goodbye to Father Athanasius Akunda, who will be returning to Kenya after Pascha to teach in the theological seminary in Nairobi. He has been in South Africa for 13 years, and will be sorely missed, and very difficult to replace.
We have been having a series of meetings with him so that others will know what he has been doing, in order to be able to continue his work, and one of the things we are planning is a farewell service and party and mission rally on Easter Saturday, 18 April, at the monastery at Gerardville, which we hope will be attended by people from all the parishes and congregations where Fr Athanasius has served.
Fr Athanasius Akunda, Deacon Stephen Hayes, Simon Shabangu, Fr Elias Palmos, 23 March 2015
Today four of us went to Soahanguve, where Fr Athanasius started his ministry in South Africa in 2002, to look at some land which Simon Shabangu has been trying to arrange for us to get to build a church, after years of worshipping in school classrooms and houses.
We looked at several pieces of land, but the most interesting was on a hilltop in Soshanguve south.
This one was high on a hill, with a ZCC Church over the road.
It has magnificent views on three sides, and room for a church and a community centre and other buildings.
We took Simon home to his family, and Johanna Ramohlale was one of the youth members of our Mamelodi congregatio0n back in 2002, when Fr Athanasius first came, and was still at school. She recently qualified as a doctor.
Fr Athanasius Akunda, Johanna Ramohlale, Simon Shabangu, 23 March 2015
