by Henry John Van Rhyn, 15th Episcopal District
The 5th Boland Annual Conference Lay Organization Convention was held on the weekend of June 10, 2022, to June 12, 2022, at the Simms Chapel Montagu, under the leadership of their newly elected lay president Brother Henry John Van Rhyn. One hundred sixty-three lay delegates, presiding elders, and pastors attended this event.
Van Rhyn hails from the town Worcester in the Western Cape in the Boland region. He served most of his young adult and adult life in the lay organization. He served in various leadership capacities at local, district, and conference levels. He presented to the lay his vision: “Lay and clergy working together” as the direction for the lay organization in a post covid era.
This historic event highlighted the legacy of the late Brother Theodore Messiah, who served as Director of Lay Activities in the 15thEpiscopal District and the Cape Annual Conference Lay President. To honor the life and legacy of this iconic lay leader, a black-tie event was organized with his wife, family members, and friends of the late Theo attended. In addition, lay persons who served for 25 years or more were honored with the “Theo Messiah Long Service Award.”
The keynote speaker, Brother Pietie Le Roux, delivered an exceptional speech highlighting the late Theodore’s contributions. In addition, the speaker compared a flight Crew on a Boeing Airplane and the lessons learned from Theo’s life. Here are some highlights of the speech.
Flight crews will always welcome passengers with a smile. Theo was that welcoming face at our events. He could make new, young, and old members feel at home in the Lay Organization and the church. I am sure Brother Theo was often disappointed in the turnout at Lay meetings and functions, especially during the icy cold winter months. But he did not give up.
The flight crew members do not focus on only one or two aspects of the flight. Maximum passenger safety, satisfaction, and comfort are their top priorities. Brother Theo was praised by many at his memorial and funeral services for the fact that he had a “high level” view of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in its totality and focused always on the interaction between and complementary nature of the various organizational inputs and programs and how it will give the worshippers and the church at large, the maximum benefit for growth.
The flight crew members share a wide range of information with their passengers, from the welcome and introductory comments to the safety rules, the weather conditions, time of the flight, and emergency procedures. Brother Theo was always eager to update the members of the various Lay Organizations on happenings in the church.
The flight crew knows they must identify people who can show leadership and assist other passengers during emergency situations. More than one generation of leaders in the Lay Organization informed me that they regarded Theo Messiah as their mentor and coach.
The flight crew is extremely good at creating brand consciousness. The same with Brother Theo; he was proud to be an AME Church member and very proud to introduce the AME Church to others. From school days, everybody knew that Theo Messiah was an AME.
The flight crew is most aware of the vulnerable passengers throughout the flight. But, without fear of contradiction, I can say that the members from rural areas, poor churches, and those burdened under personal and other challenges were always on Theo’s radar.
The flight crew members do not only cater to their passengers’ spiritual well-being during flights. They also feed them during the flight, clean –up afterward, and even sanitize the toilet and other facilities after use. Brother Theo was an outstanding leader with many senior titles, but he remained humble to serve the Church and the Lay organization in any capacity he needed.
Brother Theo maintained a realistic balance between the spiritual and the physical dimensions of human life. That is why he criticized the SA government for its corruption and arrogance. Nevertheless, he carried on the struggle for a South Africa in which the human dignity of all people, including the poorest of the poor, will be respected with dignified and affordable housing, quality education, accessible health care, and a fair legal system that will be so irrespective of color or class.
The flight crew shows their warm human side to passengers throughout the flight. To those who knew him intimately, Brother Theo will agree that he never played the victim game; he never looked for someone to blame.
The flight crew will see the passengers off at the end of the flight after the airplane has safely landed. They will greet them with a goodbye smile and wish them a pleasant stay till next time.
Our brother Theo was often the last to leave, the last joke, the last update, the last word, the last laugh. Yet, in the light of the above, we can all agree that Theodore Messiah reflected greatness and profound honor.
The convention closed on a high note, and the lay members were motivated to work with their assigned minister in advancing God’s Kingdom.
Submitted by the Rev. Quinton W Liebenberg, M.Div., Pastor Ebenezer AMEC Ceres
