welcome to the warehouse!

The Warehouse was established in 2003 through the parish of St John's, and exists to serve the South African church network in its response to poverty, injustice and division. We work with local churches in all communities, helping them to implement sound, effective and practical acts and renewed attitudes, to see transformation in our communities.

• Going the Distance - from partnership to inter-dependence

  

  If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together ... this powerful reminder quoted in our latest newsletter.

   

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• Understanding Urban Gleaning

  

  Discipling the local church as it transforms the realm of giving and receiving

  
  “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19: 9-10

  What is Urban Gleaning?

  Urban Gleaning is a biblical model of giving and receiving with dignity. Based on God’s generosity laws in the Old Testament, Urban Gleaning is a modern-day model for ensuring that when Christians are involved in giving and receiving of time, things, skills or money, dignity is upheld to the highest standard. God has given each of us, no matter our situation or where we live and worship, a unique and precious harvest from which to live. Hence, we should embrace God’s laws not just to “do charity” but to enter into a lifestyle of generosity and pursuing equality so that society reflects God’s will for how we live.

  On a practical level, The Warehouse provides a space where people and churches can engage in Urban Gleaning through the donation of material goods, sorting of the donations and redistribution to established church networks. This is done so that churches are able to meet the needs of the community in which they reside. However, the heart of Urban Gleaning is not just about giving and distributing material goods. It’s about intentionally walking alongside the church and the people of the church as they engage in giving their time, things, skills and money in order to make God and his love for people known through how we relate with one another. With this in mind, we make every effort to be a space where people and churches encounter God’s heart for giving through intentional relational engagement.

  Heart

  Being a Boaz: Following Gods generosity laws with God heart

  “As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men: “ Even if she gathers amongst the sheaves, don’t embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
  Ruth 2:15-16

  In the story of Ruth in the Old Testament, we are provided with a “gleaning tutorial” – an example of someone who went beyond following Gods’ laws to applying the heart of God to the situation with Ruth-the gleaner. As the church, we are called to see the world as our neighbor, to welcome everyone in as family, and to extend ourselves beyond simple charitable giving. We are also called to be like Boaz - someone who makes sure that vulnerable people are not shamed, embarrassed or harmed when the Church seeks to support and help them.

  For information on general principles of how to give with dignity click here: “Giving your time, treasures and talents”

  Head

  Questions to ask myself, family and friends

  As we enter into a lifestyle of generosity, and dignified giving and receiving, some of these questions may help you:

  • What is the harvest of our lives- the skills, time, relationships, money, stuff that we have to leave aside for the poor, the vulnerable, the widow and orphan?
  • What do we have other than “material wealth” to share?
  • What is happening in my city, or even church, that may be causing vulnerable people harm or shame while trying to help them? How can I do things differently and speak up for change?
  • How can we as the church help each other to see God’s laws being followed with Gods heart? How can we move beyond charity to relational giving and receiving?

  Hands

  Opportunities to get involved in Urban Gleaning at The Warehouse

  Donate items:: Bring excellent quality goods to The Warehouse from 09h30-16h30. Please allow for a short period of time to engage with us regarding what you are donating (it may be required that some donations need to be taken elsewhere)
  Help sort and prepare donations:: Become involved with the donation process by sorting through the many items that are given to us during The Warehouse operating hours (09h30-16h30). Please telephone ahead of time if interested.
  Engage with Justice Saturdays: Come to The Warehouse the first Saturday of each month from 09h00-12h00 and get involved with a variety of fun activities including worship, prayer, bible studies, teachings and acts of service.
  Become an “Urban Gleaning Champion: Spread Urban Gleaning throughout the city and country by advocating for and setting up an Urban Gleaning space in your church or community.

  Please contact The Warehouse if you are interested in any of these opportunities or if you would like to serve outside of the above mentioned hours. Small and youth groups welcome with prior arrangement.

   

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• What does The Warehouse do and why?

  

  Our Vision

  We envision just and transformed communities where the vulnerable are cared for because the local church is a transformative presence.

  Our Mission

  We inspire, equip and connect the church to be a transformative presence effectively addressing poverty, injustice and division.

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• Please join us ..

  

  You are welcome to join us at various prayer and worship times each week.

  Join us in Monday prayers (in the building or wherever you are) as the week begins
  Join us in Tuesday prayers - talking with God together in creative ways
  Join us in Thursday worship & prayer - multilingual worship and prayer together
  Join us in Friday intercession for issues and needs of our city, country, and world

  And the prayer room is available for anyone to come and pray, rest, read .. any day between 8:30 and 4:30pm.

  You are welcome.

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• Want to be part of the change you are desperate to see?

  THE WAREHOUSE TRAINING COURSE IN CHRISTIAN SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

  “A church full of life and love, working for the good of the community in which God has placed it, is the proper end of mission. Transformational development that does not work towards such a church is neither sustainable nor Christian.”
  Bryant Myers

  The Training Course in Christian Social Transformation helps to awaken and equip church members and leaders so that the church may truly become an agent of transformation in its community. This bi-annual course has been running since 2005. It consists of a week of training followed by ten weeks in community, ending with another week-long training session. During the ten weeks, participants implement their learning in their church or workplace and complete an assignment. Below are some comments from previous participants:

  • “It went above and beyond my expectations. This really is an amazing, mind-altering course”
  • “I learnt to commit myself more to God because it is God’s community, not mine”
  • “…to take responsibility for the things around me; even if I was not there when things fell to pieces, I can help put them together.”
  • “Everybody who has a heart for his/ her community must attend this course – it’s a very helpful eye-opener.”

  DATES FOR 2013
  Monday, July 15 to   2013

  For more details and enquiries, contact Colleen at 021-761 1168 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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• What we do and don’t receive ...

  

  We are able to receive and distribute excellent quality:

  School Uniforms - white or gold shirts, black tunics, grey or green skirts or black
  Toys/Sports equipment - Washed soft toys, Soccer balls and boots, Tennis balls, Puzzles with all pieces and picture [Ziploc bag]
  Books - Good quality children’s books with no scribbles or torn pages
  Decorative items - Table-cloths; Scatter cushions
  Household items - Bread-boards, Buckets/basins, Cutlery sets, crockery: un-chipped plates, bowls, mugs and rust-free pots, pans etc
  Linen - Duvets, throws, blankets, Sheets, Pillow cases
  Jewellery - Packed well and intact
  Toiletries - Unopened/new items
  Handbags - Intact, clean and in good condition,
  Clothing/shoes - Clean and folded seasonally appropriate men’s and women’s clothing and shoes, Children’s clothing and underwear in great condition, clean whole pairs of stockings, clean ‘perfect’ pairs of socks, new adult underwear

  We do not accept:

  School Uniforms – khaki tops or bottoms, school specific dresses
  Toys/Sports equipment – General sports kit and equipment, any broken toys, battery operated toys
  Books – Adult books, magazines,
  Decorative items – not too many scatter cushions without covers, porcelain goods, bric-a-brac
  Household items – broken or old crockery sets, damaged pots/pans, chipped glassware
  Linen – Curtains or curtain accessories, blinds, bed-frills
  Toiletries – opened or used cosmetics
  Handbags – broken or stained
  Clothing/shoes – Seasonally inappropriate clothing,
  Medication
  Furniture
  AND strongly recommend that you do not give unsuitable items to anyone who cannot say NO.

  Alternative places to give:

  Urban Gleaning at The Warehouse is very specific about what we are and are not able to receive and distribute. However, if you have an excellent quality item that will be of use to someone, but is not accepted by us, please consult this list of alternative places.

  Please note: we encourage you to adhere to the highest quality of giving no matter who you are giving your gifts to (please see: Giving your time, treasures and talents) 

  Bric a Brac, adult books and other household items: Try to make a connection with your closest Charity Shop to find out what they can receive. Here is a link to a list of Cape Town based charity shops 

  We have passed items on to these ones in the past:

  - St Luke’s Hospice, 50 Lester Road, Wynberg, 021 797 5360
  - Hidden Treasure: Main Road Plumstead, Kathy 072 832 0401

  Surplus clothing and useful household items during disaster times:
  - Red Cross, 21 Broad street, Wynberg tel 021
  - Or your local fire station

  Formal dresses, dress suits and shoes:
  - The princess project http://www.princessproject.co.za 082 260 2725

  Furniture, carpets, curtains: 
  - Home from Home: http://www.homefromhome.org.za 021 761 7251
  - New Kidz: http://www.newkidz.org.za 021 981 542
  - Bapumelele Childrens Home: contact: http://www.baphumelele.org.za 021 361 8631

  When donating furniture: Please provide plenty of time between your phone call to any of the above places and the need for the furniture to be removed from your home. If a place offers to collect furniture they may need a week or so in order to schedule a collection date so please be patient with them. Please also be specific about what you are offering, especially in terms of its size and be understanding if they are unable to take it when they see it due to any reason.
  

  Disaster relief

  In times of disaster response such as community fires and flooding, we will be posting specific requests based on identified needs. This is to ensure that communities and other agencies only receive what is needed during the crisis and to reduce the job of sorting. Please check our website, Facebook, your church office, or phone us to get the specific items that can be donated at these times. This may be a good opportunity to club together with others from your church to complete a full kit, ready to be delivered straight to where it is needed. We will communicate on the above platforms, where the appropriate depots during specific disaster responses will be.

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• Giving your time, treasures and talents

  

  “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

  Whether you are bringing your gifts to The Warehouse Urban Gleaning Hub, specifically to be distributed within our network of relationships with churches, or engaging in Urban Gleaning in your own context, relationships or church, always ensure that an excellent standard of quality is upheld!

  Treasures

  • Ensure that all items, whether clothing, household items or toys are newly washed, smell fresh and are not stained, torn, chipped or blemished
  • Donate items in a well-packaged, attractive condition: folded or well stacked and protected in sturdy cardboard boxes or see-through plastic bags (avoid using black refuse bags) and if possible, pre-sorted and labelled into genders, sizes and ages
  • If an item is in generally good shape but has something that needs fixing (e.g. a button sewn on, a hem cleaned up or toy fixed) please spend the time doing this before giving the item
  • Consider buying additional gifts such as brand new underwear to accompany clothing
  • If you would like to spend money, contact the organisation you are planning to give through to find out what current needs are, especially during disaster relief. The Warehouse and churches will also have this information on websites during specific responses
  • Ensure that you donate seasonally appropriate items: this may mean that you go through your cupboards at the beginning of each season and donate what can be used immediately, or if you have items for a different season, store them until the correct season
  • Ask yourself these questions: Would I give this to someone I love? Would I be blessed to receive this? Does this give someone the message that they are made in God’s image?
  Please see the insert regarding what Urban Gleaning at The Warehouse is able to help you distribute, and our website during disaster responses.

  Time

  • When seeking to give time, consider how much and how often- this will help those to whom you are offering it, know best how to use your gift
  • If you have committed to a specific time, honor the commitment or make sure you advise if you will not be there- those you are helping may be counting on your presence
  • Be up front about what you are able and willing to do during the time you are giving
  • Be willing to do the less glamorous work when you give time. You may be very keen to contact with the people you want to serve but contact with vulnerable people, especially children, often needs to be reserved for those who are able to work with them on a more full time basis- your offer of time could be used to support the full time workers
  • See if there is anyone who would want to join you- it is always more fun doing things together and they may be looking for a way of getting involved

  Talents

  • Closely linked with giving your time, you may have a specific talent that you know could be of use to others e.g. tutoring school learners, plumbing, computer skills, counselling
  • Consider how many hours you are able to give of this skill per month before offering it
  • Find out what community outreach relationships your church is involved with and offer your skill to one of these if appropriate
  • You are welcome to contact The Warehouse for advice
  • Closely linked with giving your time, you may have a specific talent that you know could be of use to others e.g. tutoring school learners, plumbing, computer skills, counselling
  • Consider how many hours you are able to give of this skill per month before offering it
  • Find out what community outreach relationships your church is involved with and offer your skill to one of these if appropriate.

   

   

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• Stirred up and shaken: We cannot remain the same - March Newsletter

  

  Some of what The Warehouse has been up to and thinking about during the past few months ....

  http://www.icontact-archive.com/O_uOPdl6h-gHMBXAL24UcdQ9tMROnBgv?w=2

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• Explaining Corporate Listening and Discernment (CLAD)

  Four times a year, the whole staff of The Warehouse gather for a week, putting aside all other work, to listen and discern together. We listen to God, the world and each other through Bible study, prayer, story-telling from the various places we have been working, friends who come to share what they are hearing, reflections on the news and many other ways. We find that we have to fight for these times as it always seems that there is other, more important work to do. We fight for these times because we believe with all our hearts that, as the psalmist says: “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders build in vain” Psalm 127:1. We believe that unless we are hearing the voice of the Lord in the many ways he speaks, we might as well not try to do the work we spend the other 48 weeks of the year doing. We also believe that there are critical things that we must hear from the rest of the world and the churches who are in that world in order to best follow our mission to inspire, equip and connect the church to bring transformation to the world.

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• Lessons in Listening

  

  We find ourselves in an interesting space. In the second half of last year the Sweet Home Farm team changed considerably from that which was known in the previous 7 years of ministry. Historically the Sweet Home Farm team facilitated a number of groups in the community - Siphxolo HIV Support Group, Seniors Club, Masimanyane and The Superstars - but it was clear at this time of personnel changes that we had to re-evaluate our activities and enter into a program change process.

  Our main focus in this time was to highlight anything we were involved in that wasn’t actually releasing the people we were working with. Thus any activity that resembled dependency was immediately called into question. This process (which included visiting many different projects around the Western Cape, together with having many discussions with specialists in the field) led us to the conclusion that we needed to focus our efforts entirely on the youth in the community; and specifically youth development. 

  As this process continued the other aspect that we felt compelled to pursue was to actively seek to hand back to the community the ‘locus of power’ associated with running a program in the community from the outside. If our involvement stopped for whatever reason or something happened to our peace man then would anything that we have been investing in actually continue? We realised that a program which functions from outside of the community – as opposed from being energised and directed from within – would not constitute good development.

  Thus towards the end of 2012 we started the process of listening to the community. We had a parent’s forum at The Warehouse where we took time to listen to the hearts and minds of the parents of the children that we have been serving. We followed this up with a children’s forum and then subsequently a parent’s one-on-one process. All this with a view to starting a journey where we hope the end point will be a governing body run by the parents themselves. We don’t want to be a part of anything anymore where we decide what happens to the children - without the community first telling us what they want us to do with their own children.

  The process of shifting this locus of power with the parents and leadership of the community will sit alongside an interim program for the children that encompasses The Superstars and Masimanyane Girls group, as well as Intsiko Development Project (which is a creative dance group based in the community that we have been running alongside in this process). This interim program requires activity specific personnel as well as resource, and it’s likely that such investment will be required beyond the point where a parental group has been established. When the process with the community reaches its functioning fulfilment, then there may well be changes to the interim program, but funding and resource will undoubtedly remain a constant requirement. 

  We can foresee a ‘program’ emerging out of this process that will be a life giver to those in the community, and not something which encourages the spirit of dependency. We can see a time where the guys coming through the under 19 soccer team will be coaching the younger guys (for instance), where girls are playing football and netball, all wrapped around discipleship, mentoring, and homework spaces…and all sitting under an umbrella designed and owned by the community themselves.

  By Barry Lewis
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• Shalom in South Africa in 2013

  

  In Jeremiah 6 the prophet Jeremiah warns against prophets who say “peace, peace” when there is no peace. As you know peace, or Shalom, in the biblical sense is not simply an absence of conflict, but is deeper more resonant word incorporating wholeness in all our relationships - with God, our neighbours and the environment around us. 
  
  In the 1980s I lived in the peaceful suburb of Pinelands.  During my last year or so of high school and my early university years I discovered the community of Langa, which is just across the railway line from Pinelands. It was here that I began discovering that many of the preachers and prophets I’d grown up with had not heeded Jeremiah’s words, proclaiming a peace to me that did not actually exist. It was here that I discovered the whitewashing and wound dressing that much of the ‘white’ church was guilty of during apartheid. This discovery was very nearly the cause of me walking away from a faith in Christ, but God also brought me into contact with the Rev George Ngamlana who discipled me through that time, and for that I am very grateful.
  
  In 1994 we breathed a sigh of relief at the legal end of Apartheid and we declared peace. But we’ve known in our hearts that this was not the whole story. During the course of last year we’ve seen our country’s lack of peace emerge once again as actual violence. Perhaps again many of us in the church have been in the business of whitewashing walls and have not lived up to our calling. We’ve kept quiet, except when our own religious freedom was threatened or when addressing a few select pieces of morality, rather than prophetically living for something different.
  
  As evangelicals in particular, our understanding and theology of God’s mission in South Africa hasn’t been up to the task. We often display an outdated missionary mind-set of the word which falls short of what I believe is the fullness of God’s mission. Rene Padilla of Argentina, who has been one of the elders of the Lausanne Movement since the very beginning, identifies a number of dichotomies caused by this mind-set that negatively affected how we have expressed our mission in the world and our nation.
  
  - The difference between those Christian communities who are sent and those who receive creating a reality where mission is done by one group of people to another group of people.
  - The geographic distinction between “home” and the “mission field” creating the sense that mission doesn’t happen at home.
  - The difference in status between missionaries who are called to “mission” and “normal” Christians who at best support those who do mission, but aren’t directly involved in any way; the separation of the normal life of a church from mission.
  
  This failed or incomplete understanding of mission we have embraced is one of the key factors contributing to the crisis of discipleship faced by the global church and highlighted in the Lausanne Cape Town commitment. I would argue that direct consequence of this lack of discipleship has been the failure to incorporate striving for justice as part of the mission of the church. This failure is demonstrated tragically in the histories of South Africa and Rwanda - both of which were considered “Christian” nations and yet perpetuated two of the great evils of the last century, evils enacted by Christians. 
  
  But it doesn’t have to be that way. Ever since the late 1960s and the first Lausanne gathering, theologians like Rene Padilla and others around the world have argued for a more integrated or holistic understanding of the gospel. This understanding of the gospel has become known as Integral Mission, which describes a proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. I appreciate the description of Integral Mission that the Micah Network has put together.
  
  “Integral Mission isn’t simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside of each other.  Rather, in integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life, and our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. If we ignore the world we betray the word of God which sends us out to serve the world.  If we ignore the word we have nothing to bring to the world.”
  
  Using the term Integral Mission isn’t a parallel justice arm to the traditional evangelical mission of the church, it is a fundamental reworking of our understanding and practice of Gods mission and our role in South Africa. God does not pursue justice as an addendum to His mission on earth; justice is an aspect of His character and His throne is established on justice and righteousness, and so it should be with God’s people.  The Church in South Africa needs to sort out our theology as it relates to this mission.  The division of a “social” gospel and an “evangelical” gospel was a heresy that we’ve allowed to muddy the waters of our mission for too long. If our proclamation doesn’t have social consequences and our social action doesn’t have evangelistic consequences then we are watering it down.
  
  We also need to sort out our practise when it comes to engaging with poverty and justice issues.  This work should not be a PR exercise to make people feel better about the church, nor should it be a fundraising exercise to raise funds for the church. And it cannot be work that is done paternalistically, creating dependency and perpetuating the power dynamics reflected in the broader society. There are many fantastic Christian development practitioners in this country who can help churches in building effective responses to poverty – let us learn and grow and change. Let’s make 2013 a year that is marked by active engagement, servant leadership and an awakening to the significant role of integral mission of the Church in the next phase of our beautiful, rich, diverse nation’s story. (http://bit.ly/139YXka)

  Craig Stewart
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  *Excerpts from a talk given at The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa’s 2012 Bi-annual General Meeting

  Shortlink: http://bit.ly/139YXka

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• WAREHOUSE TRAINING EVENTS FOR 2013

  

  Let us help you help others ...

  1. Introduction to Transformational Development

  The Warehouse will be offering a 2-session training workshop in Transformational Development for church leaders (clergy and ministry leaders). This training runs over two full-day sessions. See dates below. Both sessions will be repeated later in the year.

  Session 1: Thurs Feb 28     09h00 – 15h00

  Session 2: Tues 23 April     09h00 – 15h00

  Venue: St Phillip’s Church, Kenwyn

  2. Training School in Transformational Development

  A four-day “school” exploring the concept, theology and practice of Transformational Development more fully.

  Dates: 15-18 July

  Details re venue and cost to follow.

  For more information, to register or to get directions, contact Colleen at 021-7611168; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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