Praat Saam Briewe
Praat Saam Briewe

Kyk na die telbord en neem ’n besluit

Mandy Rittmann
GERHARD MAHNE SKRYF:

Die rugbyafrigter Eddie Jones se resultate was vroeër baie goed, wat mens aan die NG Kerk se goeie resultate van die verlede laat dink. Jones was die Springbokke se hulpafrigter (tegniese adviseur) toe ons die Wêreldbeker in 2007 gewen het. Deesdae gaan sy Wallabies vinnig agteruit, soos die NG Kerk onder die “afrigting” van sy algemene sinode (AS) die afgelope jare in die hek duik.

In sy artikel “Afrikaanse kerke loop leeg” skryf Jean Oosthuizen soos volg: “Sedert 1985 het die NG Kerk meer as ’n halfmiljoen van sy lidmate verloor wat genoeg is om 900 gemeentes van 500 lidmate elk vol te maak.”

Afgebreek in korter periodes beteken Oosthuizen se getalle, in sy eie woorde, die volgende:

1985 – 2019: 500 000 (met Jesus se ware opstanding in gedrang)

2003 – 2019: 309 000 (die 16 jaar van die gay-debat)

2018 alleen: 21 000

Oosthuizen berig verder dat ’n meningspeiling oor hierdie statistiek die volgende opgelewer het:

Slegs 4% het die NG Kerk verlaat as gevolg van emigrasie.

Die kerk word nie meer as relevant gesien nie.

Die gay-debat en botsende geloofskwessies staan lidmate nie meer aan nie.

(“Afrikaanse kerke loop leeg”: Jean Oosthuizen; nuuskanaal: [email protected] 2019-01-31).

En hierdie daling hou net nie op nie! Dit blyk hoe ruimer die huis word, hoe kleiner word dit. Die nuutste Kerkspieël, uit ’n vierjaarlikse groot bestekopname van die NG Kerk, toon ten opsigte van die periode 2018 tot 2022 die volgende:

Sewe-en-veertig gemeentes het in die afgelope vier jaar weer gesluit en 452 predikantsposte is weer eens beëindig, waarvan net 5.2% dié van afgetrede leraars is.

Hierby is daar ook ’n steeds groeiende aantal gemeentes van ’n 100, waaronder 56 hulleself die afgelope jaar amptelik in ’n kategoriale Koinonia-sinode georganiseer het. Hulle wil nie die kerk verlaat nie, maar doen dit uit protes teen die Bybelvreemde besluite van die AS oor die afgelope jare.

Kyk na die telbord. Hoeveel “wedstryde” moet die NG Kerk nog onder sy huidige “afrigting” verloor? Hoeveel lidmaat-ondersteuning wil die AS nog prysgee? Hoeveel lidmate moet nog loop? Vanaf 15 tot 20 Oktober “speel” die AS weer in Boksburg. Kom ons bid vir hierdie belangrike “wedstryd”.

“Here, God, Heerser oor alle magte, herstel ons; laat skyn die lig van U aangesig, sodat ons verlos kan word” (Ps. 80:20).

* Rubrieke, meningstukke, briewe en SMS’e deur lesers en meningvormers weerspieël nie noodwendig die siening van Republikein of Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) nie. As mediahuis onderskryf NMH die etiese kode vir Namibiese media, soos toegepas deur die Media-ombudsman.

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Republikein 2024-05-03

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Premier League: Chelsea 2 vs 0 Tottenham Hotspur European Championships Qualifying: Coventry City 1 vs 2 Ipswich Town English Championship: Coventry City 1 vs 2 Ipswich Town Katima Mulilo: 12° | 32° Rundu: 13° | 32° Eenhana: 13° | 32° Oshakati: 15° | 32° Ruacana: 15° | 33° Tsumeb: 16° | 30° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 13° | 31° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 21° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 05:43, High tide: 12:02, Low Tide: 17:54, High tide: 00:23 Swakopmund: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 05:41, High tide: 12:00, Low Tide: 17:52, High tide: 00:21 Walvis Bay: 16° | 25° Wind speed: 28km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 05:41, High tide: 11:59, Low Tide: 17:52, High tide: 00:20 Rehoboth: 14° | 29° Mariental: 17° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 16° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 14° | 22° Luanda: 25° | 28° Gaborone: 14° | 27° Lubumbashi: 12° | 26° Mbabane: 12° | 26° Maseru: 11° | 25° Antananarivo: 13° | 24° Lilongwe: 13° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 28° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Cape Town: 15° | 19° Durban: 17° | 28° Johannesburg: 16° | 25° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 28° Lusaka: 15° | 27° Harare: 13° | 28° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.2 | EUR to NAD 19.92 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.44 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.62 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.09 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.64 | USD to EGP 47.9 | USD to KES 133.98 | USD to NGN 1379 | USD to ZAR 18.45 | USD to ZMW 27.05 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 76046.88 Down -0.04% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1692.54 Up +0.10% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13322.85 Up +0.03% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26113.71 Up +6.81% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9146.09 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - 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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 283.14/OZ DOWN -0.0175 | Copper US$ 4.51/lb DOWN -0.0056 | Zinc US$ 2 926.30/T UP 0.5% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 84.22/BBP DOWN -0.0008 | Platinum US$ 955.29/OZ DOWN -0.0002