To the Elders, Leaders and members of likeminded churches:
Dear Brothers,
On behalf of the Germiston Baptist church, I greet you in the name of our glorious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and trust that you are experiencing His joy in your service of Him.
The reason I write is that we as a church are looking for other churches to partner with us in fulfilling a wonderful ministry opportunity which the Lord has graciously and providentially placed before us.
By now many of you will have met our brother Romeo Maloka, as he has attended various fraternals, courses and conferences. Romeo is a very personable and gifted young man who has felt the call of the Lord upon his life into full time ministry. We as a church have recognized his commitment and gifting and affirm that call. Romeo joined us as a consequence of having done some correspondence studies which led him to a deeper conviction of the doctrines of grace. In his time with us, we have been privileged to observe his giftedness as he has ministered amongst us in various capacities. This was particularly evident as he led our Holiday Bible Club in Buhle Park, which has helped establish a presence and ministry opportunity in the area.. (The photos and videos are on our Facebook page.)
We as a church have agreed to officially take Romeo on as an intern under my oversight and mentorship. Our desire is threefold.
- To get him enrolled on a distance learning program through the Bible Institute in Cape Town to equip him academically and theologically for ministry. We are open to other options for study as well.
- To get him involved in a structured pastoral internship here at Germiston, to train him practically for ministry.
- When he is ready and the time is right, to initiate a church plant in Buhle Park, a rapidly growing township/suburb just south of Wadeville. It is severely under churched and there is not a single doctrinally sound evangelical church in the area.
All the above will fall under my oversight and our authority as a church.
Romeo lives in Buhle Park, is well known and respected in the community. He has already started a Bible study in his home and is ministering in three of the local schools on a weekly basis.
The challenge we are facing is that we as a church are unable to meet the financial requirements for such a venture. As you will appreciate, we are ministering into a less than affluent community in Germiston, and although we are drawing folk from various areas in Gauteng, we are struggling against the socio-economic conditions of a neighbourhood in decline in almost every way, particularly financially.
To that end I write to you as brethren in Christ and fellow partners in the gospel, to ask if you, as a church would prayerfully consider partnering with us in the development of Romeo Maloka as we seek to establish him and more particularly, a new work in Buhle Park. Alternatively, you may know of other likeminded churches, here or abroad, that may be interested in partnering with us in this important ministry opportunity.
We estimate that we will require R6,000 per month to support Romeo in his studies (for 6 years distance learning program) and will thereafter look to support the new work in Buhle Park at a similar level until it is on its feet. Germiston is committed to provide support of R1,000 from within our own giving and so are seeking further support for a further R5,000 from partnering churches.
We would love to hear from you and to discuss exactly how we could set up a God-honouring and glorifying partnership for developing a Christ-centred Gospel ministry in this area. We are convinced as a church that the field is “white unto harvest” and look forward to attesting what the Lord will yet do in this matter.
Yours because of His grace
Rev. Peter Sammons
Pastor
Germiston Baptist Church