By Rev. MZ Manqele, 19th Episcopal District
The 36th Session of the MM Mokone Memorial Conference
By Rev. MZ Manqele, 19th Episcopal District
“A MORE EXCELLENT WAY”
The Mangena Maake Mokone (MMM) Conference welcomed Ronnie Elijah Brailsford Snr and Supervisor Rev Carolyn Elizabeth Brailsford and experienced their leadership during the sitting of the Annual Conference. Bishop and Supervisor Brailsford led the annual conference in all its deliberations. The Annual conference enjoyed the leadership of our Bishop and Supervisor and the several learning opportunities that were presented.
The Annual Conference was held virtually with both the bishop and the supervisor leading the meetings from their home, starting in the early hours of their days due to the time difference between South Africa and the United States of America. The Annual Conference spreads over five Provinces of South Africa—Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northwest. Whilst this conference would have been attended with a lot of members travelling long distances, travelling was limited to the “HUBS” that were set up at nearby churches. Still, the business of the Annual Conferences was duly completed ending with some stretching resolutions that now require follow-up action. The business of the Episcopal District continues in the upcoming Planning Meeting scheduled for the middle of December 2021.
Of importance during these meetings was the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to all the structures of the church. Like a wildfire that sweeps across the mountain ranges where wild natural grass grows, COVID-19 has swept across our conference and our country, leaving a lot of devastation in its path. And yet, like wild natural grass, we too have proven to be resilient in many ways. The flames of the pandemic may have scarred us, but they did not consume us. It is almost two years since our country saw its first case of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Since then, many of our members have succumbed to the virus and have passed on.
Nevertheless, beyond the statistics lies our story of tragedy and pain. There is no local church, component of our church, nor family within our church that has not lost someone we knew and someone we loved. The resilience of our pastors, who have kept our faith alive and helped us take our loved ones to rest in dignity, is both a story of extreme passion and calling. Our church has stood together in our fight against that pandemic in ways that have not been seen since our fight for our own democracy in the recent past.
This year saw a difficult time in the financial and membership growth of the conference and indeed the 19thEpiscopal District. So, this annual conference was no ordinary annual conference. The pandemic also touched many of the conference members, who either became severely sick or were even called home and succumbed to the pandemic. As we look at the grave damage that this disease has caused, we know that we shall rise again because of our faith in the Lord.
The pandemic has, subsequently, led to very reduced attendance numbers in the churches during the year due to members fearing for their safety and health. At the same time, during the conference, reports showed that a high level of precaution was taken at the local level in adhering to the health protocols to ensure the safety of everyone during the worship experiences in the district. Bishop Elijah Brailsford Snr also went at length explaining these protocols and rules to ensure adherence at all Annual Conferences. The finances also followed a downward spiral during this time. In its State of the Church report, the committee went at length to explain this reality and further made recommendations as to how some of these challenges are to be given attention. So, like Martin Luther King, Jr., we have a dream that one day, this sickness shall be defeated, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
The annual conferences were well-attended virtually, and the members answered the roll call. The highlights of the annual conferences were the teachings from the bishop from time to time and the music and the singing. Here, we were blessed with the singing talent of our own supervisor, who is a legend in her own right. Bishop Brailsford emphasized that “we cannot become what we need by remaining who we are.” Therefore, change is inevitable if we are to move forward, as we lead by being servants. As Jesus once called all His twelve disciples and told them: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last.” The conference was reminded every step of the way that we need to have empathy. We need to understand and empathise with one another, and we need healing, which will bring about transformation and integration among everyone. After all, leadership is about having genuine willingness and true commitment to lead others to achieve a common vision and goals.
