Daar is oomblikke wanneer die kerk weer ontdek: ons is nie net ’n organisasie met verslae en vergaderings nie. Ons is ’n liggaam van mense wat saam leer, saam luister en saam hoor hoe die Gees van God deur gewone stemme fluister. Só het die afgelope week se Getuienisaksie-streekskonferensies gevoel. Minder soos ’n verslag, meer soos ’n ontmoeting met hoop.

Die afgelope week is Getuienisaksie, ‘n gesamentlike diensgroep van NGKSA, VGK Kaapland en Reformed Church in Africa-families se jaarlikse streekskonferensies gehou, nadat hulle aanlyn Algemene Jaarvergadering (AJV) op 29 Julie 2025 plaasgevind het.

Vanjaar het Getuienisaksie die Ringe van die Namakwalandse en Noord-Kaapse streke besoek. Hierdie konferensies het ‘n drievoudige doel: Eerstens, om die verslae van Getuienisaksie se werk na die ringe en gemeentes te neem, aangesien hierdie werk namens hul behartig word, tweedens om te hoor waarmee ons gemeentes en ringe besig is met betrekking tot hul roeping om te getuig en te dien en derdens, om by die gemeentes, wat hoofsaaklik vir hulle onderskeie getuienisaksie bedieninge verantwoordelik is, te hoor hoe ons hulle vanaf sinodale kant kan ondersteun en help, asook hoe ons mekaar se hande kan versterk om saam te getuig en te dien.

Getuienisaksie vier die werk wat God deur mense doen

Maar selfs meer as ’n drievoudige doel, het daar ’n viering plaasgevind: die viering van God se werk deur mense, in dorpe groot en klein. Oral het getuienisse soos vars water begin borrel, herinneringe dat ons saam sterker staan as alleen.

Op Woensdag, 20 Augustus, is ‘n werkswinkel by VGK Vanryhnsdorp gehou waar daar met Ringe in, en rondom, die Namakwaland-streek vergader is. Ds Sampie Snyders van Kuboes gemeente het gesê dat hy baie beïndruk was met die konferensie, dat hy baie geleer het, en dat hy dit baie geniet het. “Ek dink dat meer sulke konferensies gehou sal moet word wat ons, as kerkraad, sal help om die boodskap na ons gemeentes terug te bring sodat hulle dit ook kan verstaan,” het Albert Roberts, een van die ouderlinge in dieselfde gemeente ook van hom laat hoor.

Die volgende dag het dieselfde gees van saamgroei die Karoo aangeraak – ’n ander streek, ander mense, maar dieselfde Gees wat harte oopmaak en hande saamvat.

Op Donderdag, 21 Augustus, het ‘n werkswinkel met die ringe en gemeentes in, sowel as rondom, die Karoo by NGK Beaufort-Wes byeengekom. “Ek kon baie kon leer, dit was baie opbouend, en dit sal ons jongmense regtig help om die Evangelie te verspei, soos met die idee van Jesus en die Brood,” het Johneve Daniels, ‘n afgevaardigde van Graaff-Reinet, gesê. Volgens ‘n ouderling van Rietbron gemeente, Pieter Baardman, was dit ‘n baie opbouende en inspirerende ervaring, terwyl ‘n ander ouderling van dieselfde gemeente, Br Heidrich Baartman, opgemerk het dat hy baie bly was om daar te kon wees.

In elke getuigende woord het dit duidelik geword: hierdie is nie net programme of projekte nie. Dit is mense wat, in eenvoud en geloof, mekaar herinner dat die lig van Christus nie deur grense gestuit word nie – nie deur streekgrense, taalgrense of selfs generasies nie.

Die verteenwoordigers het aangedui dat hulle dankbaar is vir die voorreg om eerstehands meer oor die werksaamhede van Getuienisaksie binne en buite die grense van Afrika te kon hoor, asook vir die geleentheid om saam te kon besin oor die kerk se Getuienisaksie werksaamhede. “Baie dankie aan al die verskeie bedieninge wat hul idees en ervarings gedeel het, en my ook toegelaat het om te kan deel, dit was vir my, as ‘n jongmens, ‘n eer om meer te leer oor my kerk en die geskidenis daarvan te kan leer, het Brian Leeuw van VGK Kroonvalle ten slotte opgemerk.

En só het die week afgesluit soos dit begin het, nie net met ’n verslag nie, maar met ’n getuienis: God werk, hier, nou, deur ons almal.

Witness Ministry invites Presbyteries to reimagine fresh and relevant ways to witness today

There are moments when the church rediscovers itself: we are not only a body with structures, reports, and agendas. We are a living community where voices rise, stories are shared, and God’s Spirit can be heard in the ordinary words of ordinary people. That is what happened this past week, when Witness Ministry’s regional conferences turned into spaces of encouragement and testimony.

The past week, the joint Witness Ministry Service Group of the DRC, URCSA, and RCA family’s Regional Synods had their annual conferences after their online Annual General Meeting on 29 July 2025.

This time around, they visited Presbyteries of the Namakwaland and Northern Cape regions. These Conferences have a threefold purpose: To take the reports of the work of Witness Ministry to the Presbyteries and Congregations seeing that the work is done on their behalf, to hear what our Congregations and Presbyteries are busy with regarding their calling to witness and to serve, and thirdly, to hear from the congregations, who are primarily responsible for the witness ministry of the church, how we from synod side can support and help them and how we can strengthen each other’s hands to witness and serve together.

Witness Ministry celebrates how God is working through people

Yet beyond this threefold purpose, something deeper unfolded: a celebration of God’s work through His people. In every conversation, testimonies surfaced like fresh streams in dry ground, reminding us that we witness best when we do so together.

On Wednesday, 20 August, we met and workshopped with the Presbyteries in and around the Namakwaland region at URC Vanryhnsdorp. Rev. Sampie Snyders of Kuboes congregation said he was very impressed with the conference, he learned a lot, and he enjoyed it very much. “I think that more such conferences should be held that will help us, as a church council, to bring the message back to our congregations so that they can understand it too,” said Albert Roberts, one of the elders from the same congregation.

The very next day, that same spirit of growth and encouragement carried into the Karoo, where believers gathered with open hands and expectant hearts.

On Thursday, 21 August, a workshop with the parishes and congregations in and around the Karoo convened at DRC Beaufort West. “I was able to learn a lot, it was very uplifting, and it will really help our young people to spread the Gospel, like with the idea of Jesus and the Bread,” said Johneve Daniels, a delegate from Graaff-Reinet, according to Eld. Pieter Baardman from the Rietbron congregation, it was a very uplifting and inspiring experience, while another elder from the same congregation, Br. Heidrich Baartman noted that he was very happy to be there.

As the voices of young and old blended, one truth became clear: these were not just workshops or reports. They were reminders that Christ’s light shines across boundaries, between regions, between generations, even beyond continents.

The feedback we received from representatives of congregations who attended the conferences is positive and constructive. They are glad and grateful for the opportunity, not only to hear and learn about the Witness Ministry activities of their churches in and outside of Africa, but also to reflect with congregations from neighbouring presbyteries from our church family about Witness Ministry and to learn from one another. “Thank you to all the various ministries who shared their ideas and experiences, and allowed me to share. It was an honour for me, as a young person, to learn more about my church and its history, Brian Leeuw of Kroonvalle congregation concluded.

And so the week closed just as it began, not with a formal report, but with a testimony: God is at work, here, now, through us all.