Life without supermarkets - update

Well here we are approaching Holy Week and I promised I would let you know how I got on with the challenge of giving up supermarkets for Lent.  This has been a harder challenge than I imagined it would be and has made me realise just how much we rely on supermarkets in this society. 

Here are some of the things I have discovered:

• ·        We have a great butchers in Ivybridge (Gribbles) and I ordered a meat pack from them during the first week which has given us practically all our meat for Lent.  I found that you can order the meat online and just tell them when you want to collect it so that made my life a bit easier as I thought I would have to be popping in every week.  I have decided that even after Lent, I will continue to buy my meat from them as it is good quality, locally sourced and by eating a bit less of it, good value for money.  I also realise that unless people use the local butcher he is likely to go out of business and then we will have no choice but to go to a supermarket for meat that is not locally produced or the same quality.

• ·      I have been ordering some vegetables and fruit from Riverford Farm to be delivered here free of charge on a Thursday.  It is all organically produced and very good quality.  More expensive than I would usually pay for fruit and veg but we have been eating less of it to compensate.  I have also found that by buying less, it is making me use up every last thing from the fridge instead of continually buying more and this has significantly reduced our wastage and made me more imaginative in what I cook.

• ·         I have also been visiting our local farm shop next to Endsleigh Garden Centre to buy some extra things I couldn’t find elsewhere especially milk.

• ·       Nature’s Larder in Ivybridge is a great source of dried and store cupboard ingredients such as dried fruit, flour, rice and pulses.  They also sell environmentally friendly cleaning products but I haven’t needed to buy any of those as I had stocked up before Lent (maybe cheating a bit but I knew how busy I was going to be so had to make some allowances!)
• ·      Another great place locally to buy fresh food is Ben’s Farm Shop at Yealmpton but again it is quite expensive so you need to buy less!  I have discovered they also sell things like cereal, washing powder etc loose so you can take your own container and fill it up which is great for cutting down packaging waste.
• ·        People have asked me if I have spent more money over these weeks but I have found I am actually spending less as there is not so much choice of things to buy and I am just buying basic ingredients.  However, I have a growing shopping list of things I need once Lent is finished so I will be needing to do a big shop next weekend so it may even out!
• ·       I was wondering whether I would be able to find wine!  I have managed to get some at a farm shop but it is probably more expensive than I would usually pay for wine so again I have been drinking it less!  Probably not a bad thing!
• ·   It is not as convenient to buy things in different places and I have struggled a bit particularly in busy weeks to get the things I need.  I have had to be a lot more organised and plan ahead more carefully and also have had to manage without more often and think of a contingency plan. 
• ·       I’ve lost 4lbs in weight – could be coincidence but maybe not as we have been eating less and much more healthily.  That is a big personal bonus!
• ·      The two things I have found hardest to find are yoghurts and orange juice and I have missed those.  We did find some at Darts Farm but they don’t keep so you can’t stock up on them!
• ·         Confession time – there have been a few times that we have in desperation bought one or two items at our local Co-op such as cat litter and milk.  I checked the Ethical Consumer website and in a score table of supermarkets based on ethical issues, the Co-op came out top of the league so I felt that wasn’t too bad a slip!

I read about some facts concerning supermarkets and it doesn’t make comfortable reading.  

For example, did you know…

• ·         Almost 50% of supermarket fruit and veg contains pesticide residues?
• ·       UK supermarkets make 40p in every £1 on bananas and plantation workers only receive 1p of every £1?
• ·        Every time a supermarket opens the local community loses on average 276 jobs?
• ·         In the 1970s, British supermarkets had only 10% of the UK’s grocery spend.  Now they swallow up 80%, influencing how we shop, what we eat, how we spend our leisure time, how much rubbish we generate.

(Shopped – The Shocking Power of Britain’s Supermarkets – Joanna Blythman)

So this experiment has made me really think about the food we buy, the welfare of animals and food producers, the miles food travels, how much waste it generates and the chemicals often used.  It has made me more aware of how the power of the big supermarkets has a tight grip on us and how we live, by virtue of their convenience and low prices.  It has made me want to break free from that grip and become less dependent on them - for the sake of my own health and wellbeing, the taste of my daily food, the welfare of the animals and food producers and the effect on the environment.  I will be using supermarkets again because I have to, but I will certainly be using them less and being more thoughtful about how I shop for our food. 

The African church

During our visit, Rachel and I had the privilege of visiting the Connexional Office of the Methodist Church of South Africa where Rachel led the staff devotions. 

    

After the morning prayers we were taken for coffee to a room in which there was an amazing exhibition telling the history of Methodism in South Africa. 

I learned that Methodism in South Africa began as a result of lay Christian work by an Irish soldier of the English Regiment, John Irwin, who was stationed at the Cape and began to hold prayer meetings as early as 1795.  This paved the way for missionary work from 1816 onwards and the establishnment of mission stations along the Cape.  The Methodist Church of South Africa formerly began in 1833 and gained independence from the British conference in 1926.   Today there are reportedly 2 million members in the Methodist Church of South Africa.

 The first black President of Conference was shockingly as recent as 1964 and the first female minister was ordained in 1976.  Sadly, to date there has not yet been a female President of Conference so we will watch this space with interest for the future!

What saddened me here (and in other countries I have visited) is the way the churches seem to operate in a very ‘British’ way and don’t always reflect the culture within which they are placed.  If you look at the photos below of one of the churches we visited, it is interesting that there is nothing to give it away that we were in Africa (other than maybe the palm trees!) – it could be a church anywhere in the UK.

The township churches definitely had a more African feel to them and even though the services were organised in a very ‘British’ style, when the congregations began to sing in worship, their passion and exuberance burst out and we felt that we were truly worshipping in a way that was natural to the people. We were in awe of Rev Steve Day who has worked hard to learn to speak in the language of the people and who on the day I was with him in the township church of Good Hope, led the entire liturgy in Xhosa.  The local people are amazed that a British man has gone to the trouble of learning their language and he has earned a lot of respect for that. 

          

From various countries I have visited it seems that congregations feel that the ‘British’ way is the correct way to ‘do’ church and I have a sense that in the building of congregations, much of the original culture of the indigenous people has been lost.  There is a colonial feel to a lot of our churches overseas and that makes me feel sad. 

Ernest Cole, writing in 1967 (House of Bondage) about the arrival of Christianity in South Africa states that ‘The white missionaries, no matter how high their purpose, could not help but impose their own Western background onto African converts whose traditions and culture were far different.’

I know from various African Christians with whom I have spoken that many are grateful to the white people for bringing Jesus to them but often want to be free to worship in their own way rather than in a way imposed on them from Britain. 

It seems that we have a long way to go within the church in releasing people from the religious traditions and culture of our way of doing church, so that they can be enabled to worship and run their churches in a way that is at one with their own culture and traditions.

Again Ernest Cole writes, ‘The Africans learned from white example that Christianity can be treated as little more than a religious social club, something to join because it is somehow better to be inside than outside but not something to affect ones everyday life deeply.’  How I pray that the African church will be able to hold on to Jesus and not allow dead religion to squash their faith and passion for God. 

The other thing we learned about the churches from our visit is that there is still a lot of segregation within the church with different groups for blacks, whites and coloureds and there is still a lot of prayer needed for the healing of old wounds and bringing about unity so that the church of Jesus can be an example to the rest of society in reconciliation and fellowship. 

The Magnify programme, run by Jane, seeks to do just that as it brings together women from across the cultural and racial divides in a common sisterhood and that is a powerful, prophetic statement in this country and a lesson in unity to all of us wherever people are excluded or separated. 

I close with the words of a song from the song book at the Connexional Office which is a prayer for the nation of South Africa:

Who will save our land and people?

Who can rescue us from wrong?

We are lost – faint, false and foolish

We have slighted God too long.

Save the people, Lord our Saviour,

Guide us home from country far

Holy fire consume our rancours;

Thy Kingdom come – in Africa.

Reflecting on apartheid

One of the aspects of life in South Africa that is well known around the world is the years of apartheid and we were keen to find out more about this during our visit.  We knew this would not be an easy thing to do but felt that it was important to learn some of the national history.  I can’t hope to do it all justice in a short blog but will give it my best shot!

We visited the Apartheid Museum which was opened in 2001.  The museum was developed as a way of telling the story of apartheid in all its complexity in a way that informed people about the history but also to bear witness to suffering, heroism and tragedy.  It was also built in the hope it would serve as a warning of what happens when people believe in the superiority of one group of people over another.  The museum took us on a dark and difficult journey that ended in hopefulness for the future. 

At the ticket office we were randomly given tickets classifying us as either ‘white’ or ‘non-white’ and we had to enter through different gates allocated to our race group.  Mark and Rachel had ‘white’ tickets and mine was ‘non-white’ so I had to enter separately.  In a very small way I experienced the uncertainty and vulnerability of being separated from my group and wasn’t sure if that meant I would be spending the day alone as it was not clear where and if we would meet up. 

We saw many of the signs that were used during the apartheid years to keep the races separate in all aspects of life.  Some of these shocking signs are below.

    

   

We learned some of the history of the nation of South Africa which is very long and complex! Here is a bulleted summary!

•      Originally African people – Zulu, Xhosa and others

•      1487 – Portuguese settled

•      1647 – Dutch – settled – became known as Boers

•      British Rule – 1795 – 1803

•      Dutch Rule – 1803 – 1806

•    British Rule again – 1806 – became part of the British Empire and people began to move there and colonize the country

•      Diamonds discovered 1867 and gold in 1884 – British determined to keep control of the native people

•      1879 – Anglo-Zulu war – Zulus defeated

•      Anglo-Boer wars 1880-1881 and 1899-1902

•      Union of South Africa formed 1910

•    Natives Land Act 1913 – Gave 8% of land to the native Africans and 92% of the land to the white people

•      Apartheid introduced in 1948 by the National Party who came to power in this year – they set about creating laws that separated people in terms of race.  We saw plaques listing 148 apartheid laws that affected every aspect of people’s lives.   Hendrick Verwoed who was then minister of native affairs said that ‘the effort to solve the ‘native problem’ lay at the heart of the apartheid project’ and spoke of the need to create ‘permanent solutions’.  He called apartheid a ‘policy of good neighbourliness.’ He also declared that ‘African education should be inferior to that of other races’.  He later went on to become Prime Minister of South Africa in 1953 and was assassinated in 1966. 

•      Protests within the country and from outside

•      Nelson Mandela imprisoned for anti-apartheid protests for 27 years – released in 1990

•      Apartheid ended in 1994 with fully democractic elections – Nelson Mandela voted as President

•      A new South African flag was designed as a flag of union between the different groups in the country

•      A new constitution was introduced in 1996 founded on equality, justice and freedom for all.

Coming away from the museum left me reflecting on how appalling injustice like this can be allowed to take place but I remembered that this has happened time and again throughout history and even good and well-meaning people have stood by and allowed their fellow human beings to be treated in sub human ways – it still happens today where there is oppression of people around the world.  It made me wonder if there are ways in which I am complicit in the oppression of others through my lifestyle or through keeping silent where I ought to speak out.  I pray that if I am aware of the ill treatment of others I would have the courage to speak out, act in their defense and be prepared to change my way of life accordingly.  Not an easy thing to do.  

The museum ended with a feeling of hopefulness for the future and for the healing of hurts and division and gave me a fresh impetus to pray for this wonderful nation. 

‘South Africa so utterly improbably is a beacon of hope in a dark and troubled world.’ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Flame of Democracy

The preamble from the South African Constitution

    

Pray for South Africa (some of this is based on information from Operation World)

•      New President Cyril Ramaphosa – that he will deal with corruption in the Government and lead with integrity and wisdom.

•      High crime rates fuelled by poverty, desperation, lack of justice and illegal firearms – pray for the police, those working with children and young people at risk, the jobless, prisoners and the hopeless and desperate.

•      Continued legacy of apartheid – inequality, poverty, racism. 

•      For the church to lead the way in unity and reconciliation.

•    The nation is 75% Christian so pray that the believers will unite to seek to address injustice and poverty.

•    Pray for healing and unity – especially where some Christians were seen as slow to denounce apartheid and divisions remain.

•     Pray for the refugees and migrants living in or travelling through South Africa and those who seek to help them.  

Preaching in the township and prison visit

Today I'm including a report from Mark

Preaching in the township.

We arrived at Germinston Methodist Church on Sunday 18^th February and all I knew was that someone was going to pick me up at 9.30am and take me to a local township to preach. I didn’t know who and I didn’t know where I was going! So it was an exciting step of faith. A brother arrived at the church and I bid fair-well to Carolyn and was off!

We arrived after a short journey by car at the church building, which was a roughly built construction of concrete with a tin roof!

After discussing the order of service with the minister and choir outside (which was our vestry!) we prayed and processed in to wonderful singing.

What a joy it was to share in worship together! Joy! Rhythm! Harmony! God’s wonderful presence! It was mainly ladies and several children. The building filled up and it got hotter!

I preached from Mark 1:9-15 and weaved in some of my testimony. The congregation were most responsive and it was a joy to share God’s word with them ably assisted by the minister who kindly translated for me in to Zulu.

After the word came the most joy bit – the offering! The congregation came up to the front singing and dancing to place their offering on the table at the front and then sang and danced all the way back to their seats! Amazing!

The young people led the congregation at various points during the service. I was also blessed in song by the people as they sang over me and waved! Wow! What an amazing experience.

Near the end of the service there were various ‘votes of thanks’ from difference members of the leadership, which I returned as the privilege was all mine.

I thank God for this experience and am so grateful to have been allowed this honour of sharing God’s word with this flourishing part of the body of Christ in South Africa.

Joyful worship in the township

Visit to Modderbee Prison, Benoni

I was collected from the manse by one of the brothers from Germiston Methodist Church in his mini-bus/ taxi at 0645 and we delivered his Muslim passengers to Benoni Muslim School before going on to the prison. A quite surreal start to the day!

I met Kyia, a lay pastor from one of the local Methodist Churches.

Once checked in we met with other Christian leaders and we were eventually led through to a canteen where we assembled for a session from the Purpose Driven Life series led by an evangelical Catholic lay-pastor!

All the projector equipment and speakers were set up and the inmates arrived in their orange jump-suits.

What a wonderful privilege to be with these spiritually-hungry men!

The worship was wholehearted and passionate.

We watched a session by Rick Warren and then split into small groups gathered around the tables in the canteen.

I sat with the leader and about 10 men.

We looked at various Bible verses together on the theme of discipleship. There was a real sense of love and unity and a desire to change to be more like Jesus as we shared together. The Holy Spirit joined our hearts together. We prayed together and then rejoined after about 40 minutes with the other groups for the closing worship.

I was asked to share a greeting with the men, to encourage them to attend the forthcoming Alpha course and to pray God’s blessing over them! What another honour!

One inmate came up to me from our small group and said how his heart was full of joy at the fellowship we’d all shared together and I completely understood what he was saying as mine was bursting too!

Thank you Lord for this amazing experience and the joy of sharing fellowship with these precious brothers.