PASTORAL LETTER – Dec 2022
Advent season greetings to BMC family in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Advent
offers an opportunity to learn the art of waiting for new birth, both of the saviour and of the order
of the world, which will impact our lives in a tremendous way. It is the time of peace, love, joy and
faith because Christ birth brings us renewal of life, relationships, community, and our spirit. Pope
Francis reminds us “Advent, then, is a time for overturning our perspectives … for letting ourselves be
surprised by the greatness of God’s mercy,”
Advent is, he continued, “a time in which, preparing the nativity display for the Infant Jesus, we learn again
who our Lord is, who he is; [it is] a time to leave behind certain mindsets and prejudices about God and our
brothers and sisters; a time in which, instead of thinking about gifts for ourselves, we can give words and
gestures of consolation to those who are wounded, as Jesus did with the blind, the deaf, and the lame.”
Each year will have its highs and lows, in many respects this has been the case for all of us. However,
we look back with gratitude, grace and joy because God showed up many times during the low
moments of the year. Allow your faith to remind you that with God on our side we are conquerors
of situations and experiences that could potentially have destroyed us. It has been a long year, but
we are still breathing. Do not be hard on yourself, affirm the good and celebrate achievements,
successes and progress.
BMC LIFE NEARING THE END OF THE YEAR
On the 09 December BMC Staff bid farewell to Mr Thabang January who is leaving us after good
seven years of faithful service and ministry to our young people, we wish him a blessed and
successful journey at Seth Mokitimi, we will continue to offer our support to Stan until the end of
his ministerial formation. We will soon introduce our new Youth Pastor when all due processes are
completed. We also celebrated and bid farewell to Mama Happiness who is retiring after 10 years
of faithful and diligent service to BMC community.
At the beginning of the month of November, BMC Stewards were engaged in the process of
discerning, reviewing, and developing a 5 years strategy plan. An indaba will be called in the early
part of 2023 where the congregation will get the opportunity to participate in the presentation of
the Strategy Plan and taking ownership of the journey moving forward. BMC needs to be intentional
about renewal, rebuilding, and restoration of its community, to shape and form new ethos and
values. Let us together invest our time, resources, and commitment in this journey. Your
participation is indispensable.
As we look back on 2022, which for many has again been a difficult and challenging year, nonetheless
it has been a year of significant recovery for us at BMC regarding our financial situation. We have
much to give God praise and thanks for in the way his people have responded with generosity and
gratitude to the work of his kingdom through BMC. The Rhona fund-raising drive which we
launched this year yielded just short of R800,000 – far exceeding our initial target of R500,000. In
addition to this, special thank offerings marking our 66thbirthday in October amounted to R52,902.
Overall, we expect to end the year with a good surplus which will go toward off-setting the
shortfalls of recent years and lay the ground work for new mission and ministry opportunities in the
Ministers: Rev. Gavin Landers, Rev. Kamogelo Monoametsi, Rev. Boitumelo Makgamathe
years ahead. “If the Lord had not been on our side…Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of
heaven and earth” (Ps 124)
BMC Clergy and Leadership would like to wish you and your families a blessed Merry Christmas and
a Happy new year, as you travel to different parts of the country either for vacation or visiting your
families. May you be safe on the road.
Deuteronomy 8 vs 4 “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years”.
To this end God is with us.
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Rev. Kamogelo Monoametsi
(On behalf of Clergy Team)