Harvest Christian Church

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

When a team from Harvest visited Atlanta Georgia in 2008 and for WorkLife training, we could never have imagined the impact that WorkLife would have on our congregation and the city of Port Elizabeth. The variety of tools and material that you provided as well as the wise instruction and the caution that Work Life needed to be integrated gradually into our environment over a period of time, has certainly paid dividends. Over the years our people have started taking ownership of their mission and mandate at work where they have the most influence and spend the most of their awake time. This process has also aided those of us who serve the Lord in the domain of church to improve in our effectiveness in the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. The disconnect that existed between believers’ Sunday experience and their Monday reality has narrowed significantly through the application of your materials and process.

WorkLife has now been integrated into the fibre of Harvest. We currently have a seven fold strategy in place sustaining and endorsing the importance of worklife: Once a year we spend two or three Sundays in a row specifically preaching work life messages and then commissioning people into the 7 or 8 domains of society where God has placed them; Twice a week Work Life discipleship tools reach at least 1400 people directly; Once a month Entrepreneurial Round Table consisting of business owners and entrepreneurs who meet to seek solutions to matters of common concern; Three times a year we offer a work transition course for those between jobs; Once or twice a year we offer workshops/forums on worklife issues, assisted by your work assessments and materials offerred on line; We have worklife groups that meet, but with a bit more focus and awareness we could make this available to many more people; Lastly we have just launched a conciliation process whereby christians in business can call on the assistance of a team of volunteer lawyers to arbitrate in business disputes. Much of the above is due to the tireless efforts of our work life champion, Ian Vermooten and a team of willing volunteers.

Your recent visit to South Africa and Port Elizabeth was most timely indeed. It served as a catalyst to take Work Life to another level of consciousness and engagement and introduced us to new strategies like “The Switch” and “Monday Morning Atheist” and others. Your passion and testimony and dedication to the cause that God has called you to, has also inspired us and our congregation yet again. It was also very rewarding to see the proverbial “penny drop” in the hearts of many pastors and congregation members from all over the city during your city meetings and breakfast event.

We thank God for your obedience and commitment to this vital cause. May it spread like wildfire wherever you go and wherever your material may reach. May societies be transformed and nations changed when people take up their mantles as workers in God’s kingdom to work for His glory wherever He has called them.

May God bless you abundantly.
Daan Botha, Eldership, Harvest Christian Church
Port Elizabeth, South Africa