Fltr: Prop. Ashwin Thyssen, Jean-Pierre Manuel (host at URCSA Eerste Rivier), Melayna Nel, Whitney Muller, Prop. Dewald Jacobs and Prop. Jayson Gribble
On Saturday 11th February a Contextual Bible Study (CBS) follow-up training workshop was facilitated with the Christian Youth Ministry (CYM) leaders of the URCSA presbyteries of Sarepta and Stellenbosch by Prop. Ashwin Thyssen and Prop. Dewald Jacobs. They were assisted by Prop. Jayson Gribble and Whitney Muller at URCSA Eerste Rivier Kleinvlei Congregation. This was a follow-up of the introduction session that was presented in October 2022. At this stage we are well on our way in this process with the CYM and are truly grateful for their willingness and enthusiasm.
“The role of these trained CBS facilitators will be to introduce CBS to the rest of their presbyteries and also to the congregations of their presbyteries,” explains Prop. Aidan Windvogel, CBS administrative coordinator.
The first session was started with a video of reflections of the experiences of the participants at last year’s session. It was used as an introduction to contextualize the process that they were undertaking. Prop. Thyssen then further facilitated a conversation on the objectives of CBS and the possible outcomes it offers to the CYM.
During the second session the group focused on the question of facilitation and discussed the important aspects of group work. They also explored the inter-relatedness of the role of leadership and facilitation amongst the CYM participants and the facilitators of the training session. The session ended with a conversation about confidence and the importance of debriefing, review, evaluation, learning, unlearning, and relearning.
For the last session of the day, the focus was on conceptualizing CBS, and the key objectives that are community, critical–consciousness, collaboration, change, context, and contestation.
When asking what these two training sessions meant to the participants, Melanya Nel, who attended both workshops, says: “I had a wonderful time! From last year’s camp and from the workshop this month, I felt supported and encouraged as a leader. Working with others and getting to know more of our URCSA community is great, as I feel more interconnected with our broader URCSA community.
“The sessions and training were valuable as it made me more conscious of my circumstances and how to effectively use the Scriptures. It has been something I can now implement more confidently, especially with this latest follow-up workshop.
“I thank the team for the work they have put into the preparation and implementation. No opportunity or moment was a waste, and each person present was a blessing. I am looking forward to more experiences like these in our connected URCSA community.”
Read the report of the event HERE.
Contact Rev. Stephen Pedro at stephen@kaapkerk.co.za for more information.