Stephen & Megan Carey: Partnership

A month ago we met with a local church called Hope Church. The purpose of the meeting was to build a relationship with the pastor and see if this could be a potential church to join us in our ministry to the students. We have been asking the Lord to show us a church that was not only multi-ethnic, but also a place where our students would feel at home and would receive sound teaching. Our biggest issue, here in South Africa, is the lack of sound, biblical teaching within the churches.

We found the pastor, Neville, and his church to be a delight and very welcoming to us. To start things off, that very weekend they were launching their “Week of Prayer”. They transformed their sanctuary by setting up various booths with different areas to reflect on and pray for; such as marriages, families, community, etc. They asked us if we would like to be included by setting up a table of our own, so that their church community could pray for the Saasveld campus as a whole, but also more specifically for the needs within the Christian Centre. We were thrilled to provide prayer needs regarding our campus. Below are some of the booths that were there.

Our table of prayer for NMMU Salsveld Campus and Christian Centre.

List of NMMU Salsveld Campus prayers that the students came up with:

1. The work load is very heavy: Please pray for our semester tests, there are some of us who are writing more than 2 tests a week.
2. Souls to be added to the kingdom: Please pray for us as students that we acknowledge God’s grace in our lives and take Him seriously. Also, that we may achieve the purpose that God sent us here for.
3. Unity among students: Please pray for the racial division on campus. For each of us to see and love one another as Christ does.
4. Aids, Abortion, and Alcoholism: Please pray for the loose morals of our campus. Many students live for self gratification and the result sometimes has horrific consequences.
5. Financial difficulties: Please pray for those of us who do not have bursaries. When struggling with financial issues either here or at home it makes focusing on school very difficult.
6. Students on practicals: Please pray for all the students away on practicals. It can be a lonely time and a real dry season in their faith. Also, please pray for those students going on practicals next year who need drivers licenses which is a minimum requirement to go on practicals.

List of Christian Centre Prayers:

1. Every year students find themselves going back home for the holiday breaks. Please pray that as they go back to the environment where they came from they would be a light in a dark place and salt amongst their family and friends as Christ tells us to be. Pray that they would be strong and courageous to live a life that stands out, but also that radiates the love of Christ.
2. Please pray for the multiracial and cultural differences that are quite visible and present on campus. It is one thing to know that Christ unites and that all believers make up His body, but it is another for students to actually live this out. Pray with us that students would come together under the power of Christ’s love and that cultural differences would be put aside.
3. Please pray for those students who were a part of this campus ministry, but have since graduated and now find themselves serving in a church ministry. Pray that the Lord would use them and that they would continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
4. Please pray that the Christian Centre would continue to develop extraordinary students who are shining examples to those around them in everyday campus life and in academics. It is due to this that we have found favor in the eyes of the faculty. Please pray that this would continue to be the case as we serve Christ on campus.
5. Please pray for spiritual growth within our group and for guidance, wisdom, and strength for the leaders within the Christian Centre.
6. Please pray for our student relationship with Hope Church. That through God’s grace the Christian Centre students would find a church home and a place to worship there.
7. Please pray for the following Christian Centre events that we have coming up this semester. - Prayer night (Oct. 15th): where we gather as a group to pray over the needs of our campus and to pray for one another - Exam Prayer (Oct. 23rd): an outreach to our campus which allows us to share the gospel with them but also to pray for their exam needs - Closing Function (Oct 24th): where we honor the Seniors who will be graduating. They pass on their wisdom and give encouragement to those following behind them. It is a time of fellowship and encouragement amongst the Christian Centre students.