THE Zimbabwe Guardian brings you the full text of the response by Bishop
Paul Verryn of the Central Methodist Mission who has been criticised
for harbouring Zimbabwean refugees.
According to one Methodist Minister Dion Foster based in Gauteng, South
Africa the "Bishop's statement offers valuable insights into the
challenges that displaced persons face in South Africa. It also gives
some clear facts about how the Church has stepped in to help refugees,
and what systems are in place to manage their care and safety. Lastly,
it gives some critique of the Police, and local government's handling of
this matter."
FULL TEXT
THERE is abundant precedent in the history of two millennia of the
Christian Church's existence of the Church being used as a shelter for
the destitute and vulnerable in society. For instance, during the second
world war, about 450 000 people stayed for a night or five years at
Central Hall in downtown London . Throughout Africa the Church has stood
as a symbol of hope to those devastated by war, disease, poverty and any
number of natural disasters. Ultimately the Church expresses a
preferential option for the poor and marginalized of society.
For the past twenty years, Central Methodist Mission has quite
specifically been engaged in a ministry to the homeless on the streets.
This ministry has included a feeding scheme, primary health attention, a
sup****t group, counseling, advocacy and searching for appropriate job
op****tunities. The prevailing value is that we show compassion, but do
not create dependency; we engage the fundamental humanity in all people
and refuse to stigmatise people because they are poor. These are not
heroic principles, they are fundamental to an understanding of our
faith. In fact, it would be ludicrous to imagine that you call yourself
Christian and sustain an immovable prejudice against another human being
for whatever reason, whether it be that they come from another country
or are of a different age or gender. This was the foundation of the
Church's critique of apartheid. This does not mean that as Christians we
have succeeded in winning the struggle against these evils. They can
domicile themselves subtly in all of us.
When the tragedy of displacement for people from all Africa became more
evident in South Africa it was a natural and obvious imperative for the
members of Central Methodist Mission to engage the challenge as part of
its ongoing ministry to the inner city. To say ‘no' to those asking for
shelter when there is no alternative available would be to deny our
reason for being. It would present a Christian community with a
contradiction which would belie the essence of the gospel. This does not
mean that all who call themselves members of Central Methodist Mission
applaud the approach and enjoy the “invasion” of their posh church
premises. Despite the fact that they may never have lifted a finger to
dust a pew, their unhappiness has been vitriolic and intolerant.
A recent anonymous letter to our Presiding Bishop captures well the fact
that xenophobia and racism belong to the same stable.
The letter was a shameful exposure of violence, prejudice and deceit and
all in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Let us not pretend that some
of the instruments for massacre and unrelenting hatred are not evident
in our rainbow South Africa .
What should the Christian response be to the marginalized?
I would be the first to recognize that the building is overcrowded. I am
also concerned about the cleanliness and hygiene of the building. I am
deeply worried about whether a building that was never designed for this
present condition will survive. Health, nutrition, warmth and safety are
constantly on the agenda of committees that have been meeting every week
to ten days. The murder that took place earlier this year has deeply
traumatized us all. We have always tried to ensure careful conflict
resolution strategies, insisting that to talk will lead to better
resolution of differences. Every person that stays in the building is
registered on a database which captures next of kin, educational
qualifications and skills. Each person is told the following is not
permitted in the building:
No drinking of alcohol
No smoking of anything
No fighting
No stealing
No illegitimate *** ( married persons are accommodated in a separate
area).
All persons staying in the building, are required to keep the place
clean and wor****p every day.
If a resident chooses not to observe these valued principles they are
evicted. These rules have emerged from our experience of what creates
problems in community. In some respects they are not unlike the
commandments. We have more than 25 people who constantly monitor the
sustaining of these disciplines. They themselves are subject to the
rules even though they may not always succeed in keeping them.
Furthermore, it would be an absurdity to imagine there is no conflict.
It would be even more bizarre to think that more than 500 people can
co-exist without stealing taking place. But considering the strain of
the cir***stances the results are remarkable.
Not to put too finer a point on the fact, it is im****tant to note that
as soon as one crosses the threshold of a church, nationality ceases to
matter. Any reader of the New Testament will quickly discover that in
Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, bond nor free.
Therefore, what politically is called an asylum seeker, in the church is
a member of the family. We are reminded that the first refugees in
Central were in fact South Africans. They may not be running from an
exploitative dictator, but they are refugees from poverty and
hopelessness in the country of their birth.
Is there a building out there?
This is a unique moment in the Church's history in the inner city, this
is a unique moment for South Africa in its relation to its mother,
Africa . We cannot underestimate the honour of needing to care for those
seeking refuge at our hands. Amongst the people that we host are school
principals and teachers, accountants, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters,
financiers, people with careers in marketing, journalists, politicians,
people from the medical professions to name a few. This is a chance for
us to provide hope for families who have been completely dispossessed in
their homelands. If recent figures released are accurate then one in
four of the Zimbabwean population is now in South Africa and the impact
of our caring responsibly could produce no less than a small miracle for
our context. It is not a matter of skilled labour stealing the jobs of
South Africans. It is an op****tunity for South Africans to be skilled by
people who have an experience of building a nation free of colonialism
and oppression. In fact, the skills that have been driven into this
country miraculously match exactly what is needed in our present economy.
Some of the most amazing giftedness has emerged in the building. We have
a ballroom and Latin American dancing class. We have sup****ted a group
of journalists in establi****ng a website and office in Braamfontein. We
have a fly fi****ng project in the building. We would like to establish a
firm of accountants; sewing and cooking projects are underway and
several of the group are engaged in a farming project near Randfontein
for the District Women's Manyano Organisation. We have established a
registered clinic in the building and hope to launch a computer ABET
centre.
Many dreams are in the pipeline. Obviously the intention is for
individuals to gain independence and economic sustainability as soon as
possible so that measurable contributions can be realized in an inner
city that is exploding with potential and vitality.
Although people who enter our building think that they are simply
seeking a shelter or needing a blanket or wanting a plate of food or
requesting start up finance, in fact they are engaged in a profound
confrontation of the status quo which says that the poor are irrelevant
and the dispossessed have nothing of value to offer. In fact the Mission
stands in sharp contrast to capitalist mindset and seeks to overthrow a
precarious economic paradigm.
Ultimately a nation can be judged on what realistic hope it offers to
its poorest people.
How can we be more effective?
What is the Christian response to the marginalized?
Is there a building out there?
How can we be more effective?
The Zimbabwe Guardian
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