Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I hope this letter finds you well. We are ever thankful for your partnership in the gospel of Christ and pray that the Lord would bless you in every way.

As a church, we have much to be thankful for. We have successfully hosted our first conference since moving to the area.

The Isolezwi conference was well attended, and it helped to attract people from the broader community. The theme of the conference was “Continuity in Leadership,” on which the guest speakers did well to share profound insights and practical wisdom.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all those who prayed for us and contributed to the success of the conference: volunteers, speakers, and everyone who attended. Your prayers, dedication, and support played a crucial role in making this event a memorable and impactful experience.

As the year draws to a close, we are filled with gratitude for God’s goodness and grace toward us. While vandalism and theft are unfortunately common in our township, we have been spared from such incidents through the grace of God. We seek your prayers as we search for someone to reside in the church outbuilding, ensuring a watchful eye on our property when we are absent.

God continues to sustain our faith, helping us to grow into a mature congregation that cares for one another: a true family. Our congregation predominantly consists of families, and although we feel the absence of the Rasephei family, we find deep encouragement in the regular attendance of the Ndlovu family. Another source of encouragement is Sister Mbali, a schoolteacher who has already established relationships with the youth in the church. We earnestly pray for them, praying also that the Lord might continue to grow his church and preserve our unity. To foster this unity and to strengthen connections with our members, we have scheduled a thanksgiving service and a church picnic for 3 December 2023. The anticipation is high, especially among the Sunday school children who are diligently preparing poetry, songs, and testimonies of gratitude. This event presents a fantastic opportunity to share the gospel with others as we thank God for giving his only begotten Son, to die for sinners like us.

We are also working towards buying a movable pool that we will use for our baptismal service as we have an upcoming baptism “ceremony.” And we are thankful to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, for this rare occasion. This will be our first baptism service on our new place. And it gives us great joy to see the fruit of the gospel and our endeavours as we work together as a church to plant a biblical church in this part of our township. Please pray with us as we desire to see more baptisms happening at our church.

Brethren, as the Bembe family, we are desperate for your prayers. My wife, Thandi Bembe, has been sick for quite a long time now. Of course, her condition is on and off. It could take up to two months without her suffering; however, in this month alone she had been sick more often. We envy your prayers as we have found a doctor that might be able to look at her condition and give us a helpful opinion. Our appointment with the doctor is on 25 November 2023 it has really taken a long time and prayers to finally hear of a specific doctor who deals with low blood pressure and other immune related conditions.

Brethren, we look forward to building on the success of the conference and continuing to create opportunities for spiritual growth, fellowship, and community impact. Please pray for us.

Thank you once again for your unwavering support and dedication to our church.

Yours in Christ’s service,

Bheki Bembe
Pastor-teacher