Floyd & Sally McClung

I sat with a group of our leaders yesterday, debriefing our efforts for the last three months to plant churches in Red Hill, and other communities where we work among the poor and needy. It was an honest discussion about whether our efforts have really made a difference.

One leader said, “If we had sown more seed of the gospel we would have definitely reaped more fruit. Did we do enough?” Another commented, “You encouraged us to reproduce our church with new converts in the last three months. I think we may have failed.”

Around the circle set some of the most awesome, Godly, dedicated people I have had the privilege of working with in the last 45 years of ministry. Their humility and passion challenge me deeply.

The one leader who felt she may have failed to reproduce themselves as a church, was the team leader for our work in Red Hill. Red Hill is where we have done the emergency relief work the last three months (all of the shack homes in Red Hill except two were burned down in terrible wildfires three months ago). We have rebuilt 78 homes in three months, held several out door celebrations, prayed with countless people, developed very deep and meaningful relationships, been a voice for the people to the government and to citizens groups, and prayed for deliverance for people fearful of harassing demons and “spirits.” Many in Red Hill live with continual fear and hopelessness.

One lady in Red Hill commented that she never thought Jesus would take her back because she ran a “shabeen” from her home. A shabeen is a township beer hall, and usually a center of violence and prostitution in the community. After seeing a drama about a father forgiving his daughters for their drunkenness, this lady had hope that God will be merciful to her.

The battle to plant a church through holistic discipleship amongst the poor is a tough battle. One key, the most essential key, is leaders who are trained with the skills and attitudes to know how to overcome the cultural and spiritual obstacles of working with the poor.

Africa will not be changed without developing a new generation of leaders who are not fixated on authoritative, hierarchical power over people. That’s what CPx, our training program, is all about. And by the way, we graduate 68 leaders today from the teaching phase of CPx!!

As we held our debrief with the leaders, I helped them gain perspective on how well they had done in Red Hill.We asked the question,  “If our goal is to plant a church that produces lasting fruit in Red Hill, when do our relief efforts start counting? Only when the church is up and running? Or do all the hundreds and thousands of hours of love, prayer, fasting, hammering nails, listening to the people tell their stories, does all this count as well?”

On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of amazing success stories, Red Hill is probably a 5 or a 6 - now. But the story is not over. In terms of faithfulness, love, service, wise and humble leadership, I would give our efforts a ten.

Not just a ten for good works, but a ten for wisdom and skill in working with the people. The people of Red Hill were blown away by the fact that our team is a multi-cultural team of whites and blacks. Our team members speak local languages.  They took time to listen. We did a lot of things right – and it is turning the community around.

And of course, the story is not over. A long-term team now takes over the work in Red Hill and is deeply and passionately committed to see a movement of churches born in Red Hill. The team has the same ministry philosophy of servanthood, holistic discipleship, and avoiding dependence on us as outsiders. They are determined to see a number of little churches gathering in the newly-built shack homes in the days and weeks to come, led by new believers as they learn to lead Bible discussions, pray, worship and gain confidence and commitment to take the good news of Jesus to other communities near and far away.

No, we didn’t fail Red Hill. In fact, knowing that it was a deeply divided community before we got involved, that it was filled with fractured half-families and scores of single parents living together (only one or two couples were married in the whole community), knowing the people had learned with good reason not to trust anyone who said they would help them, our efforts in Red Hill have been effective.

The community is starting to come together. The Red Hill Attackers soccer team has been re-birthed after we donated new uniforms. We were cheering like crazy when the Attackers won the first annual All Nations Red Hill soccer tournament against six other very good teams.

The people of Red Hill have become friends. They listen with open hearts when we proclaim the gospel in open air meetings and at celebrations.

I was deeply proud of our leaders as we debriefed the last three months of ministry in Red Hill, Bo Kaap, Masiphumelele and Ocean View. You would have been proud of them as well.

Thanks for your part of making Red Hill a story in the making of God’s transforming power.

PS. If you would like to donate to the work in Red Hill or one of the other communities where we serve the disadvantaged and plant churches, we have started the All Nations Crisis Relief Fund. If you are interested, write to us for a list of projects you can help sponsor.

I learned something this past week that really impacted me and confirmed that we are on the right track to make a lasting impact on Africa. I learned that between 1980 and 1988 the US government pumped $83 billion dollars of foreign aid into Sub-Saharan Africa. $83 billion dollars! During that same period of time living standards dropped and infant mortality rose. Once again, we learn that foregin aid does not disciple the hearts and minds of people. God uses people to disciple people.

After forty years of traveling all over the continent of Africa,  I am convinced that the hope of changing Africa is a new generation of servant hearted, disciple making leaders. Leaders who think Biblically and act like the New Testament followers of Jesus.

Sally and I are giving our lives to train such leaders who will help lead this continent out of the morass of pain and poverty it is experiencing.

We are greatly inspired by the students who are gathered from 15 nations for CPx, our leadership school here in Cape Town. There are 68 amazing students in our school, 43 from all over Africa. They are the hope of changing Africa!

In three weeks time one of these leaders is launching ‘Explore Africa.’ Explore Africa is an initiative of short term and long term teams throughout the continent…the vision is to change Africa through making disciples, training leaders and planting simple, disciple making, leadership empowering movements. A big part of this will be abstinence “clubs” on university and high school campuses…the clubs will empower and encourage young men and women to live lives of sexual purity, to be disciplined followers of Jesus Christ, and serve as simple disciple making churches on their campuses.

If a new generation of young leaders do not disciple the nations of Africa, the nations will disciple the young leaders!

Another goal of “Explore Africa” is to raise up a new generation of servant leaders who are equipped to disciple nations. Sub-Saharan Africa has been evangelized many times but it has not been discipled. Outsiders can inspire temporary behavior modification in Africans but unless their minds are renewed from animistic world-views to a Biblical world-view the changes are only superficial. Animistic world views combined with poverty imprison people in dependency, hopelessness and a paralyzing victim mentality.

Last night we were in Red Hill, the community where we have been working to do relief work after the fires that swept through there. One of our teams did a gospel drama by the light of cars shining on the actors. The wind was whipping sand in our faces, but the people of Red Hill were drawn into the simple drama story portraying a father who drove out his daughters for prostituting themselves (a big problem in disadvantaged communities: very poor people do desperate things), then took them back at the urging of a man with a message of forgiveness. Several people accepted Christ.

Our teams have labored long hours in Red Hill, but they now near the end of “Phase Four” of the relief work. We are transitioning to longer term development work and to planting simple home based churches. We are dreaming about Red Hill experiencing transformation.

One man in Red Hill named Sydney was convinced there were demons or spirits under his shack home. He believed these spirits were more powerful that God. His little son work up every night screaming from bad dreams. The local sangoma (witch doctor) promised to take care of the problem for a lot of money. But one of the couples on our team offered to pray with Sydney, and since that day his son has not experienced one bad dream. Sydney has opened his heart to Jesus in a new way, and poured a concrete floor in his shack home!

One of the keys to transformation in Red Hill is servant leadership. It is the key to changing Africa. There is a desperate need for a new generation of leaders and a new expression of the church of Jesus Christ, making disciples, training servant leaders, and planting holistic church planting movements that preach good news and live good news to the poor and needy.

Thank you for standing with us to make a difference in Africa,

Spirit-filled and Spirit-led young African leaders know only too well the giants of poverty, sickness, foreign domination and failed leadership at work to destroy their great continent. They also have a vision of what God can do through them as servant leaders to turn things around in Africa. Floyd McClung, leader of All Nations in Cape Town, South Africa, invited some of the young African leaders attending CPx to share with the other students some of Africa’s beauty and pain.

In his introduction to the special session, Floyd set the tone for what followed, “I believe God planned the nations, tribes and peoples of Africa. God planned each individual and God planned each “nation” of individuals. God made Africa and Africans. How will we serve Africa, and how will we respond to the challenges of Africa?” he asked. Floyd believes that Africa, once enslaved, now needs to be served. “The beauty in Africa will be set free by people with serving hearts,” he says.

The All Nations CPx has brought young leaders together from several countries in Africa and from other continents as well, to learn what it means to be servant leaders, especially in Africa. The majority of these sixty-six men and women are from African countries where the words ’servant’ and ‘leader’ are often polar opposites.

Africans Speaking About Africa

Three of the African leaders in CPx, Bruce Chitambala and Sydney Musonda from Zambia, and Vakele Dlamini from Swaziland, opened their hearts and shared what they see are the bright spots but also the shameful realities in Africa. Bruce described the good news about Africa and the bad. Africa is the most “Christianized” continent. It is a continent of amazing natural beauty. “Her unique and colorful peoples are hospitable and gracious to strangers. Her vast natural resources can feed the world.”

However, Africa is a continent ravaged by HIV and AIDS, wars, crime and poverty. Bruce talked about his crushing loss when his favorite aunt died from complications from HIV and AIDS. Most of the African CPx’ers raised their hands to show they had lost a friend or relative to HIV/AIDS. Bruce wept as he described how his mother would cut up her dresses to make shirts for her children and how he had to sell colored iced sugar water to help buy food for the family. “And we would be described as one of the privileged few,” he said. How Does Africa Break the Cycle of Poverty?

How does Africa break out of the cycles of poverty and disease? Bruce, Sydney and Vakele agreed: “Africa’s most compelling need is servant leadership. Our leaders must learn the difference between significance in God’s eyes and success in man’s eyes. Sadly, many of our leaders are more interested in how much they can acquire than how much they can give. Africa has enough to meet the need, but not the greed, of all her peoples,” one said. Sydney explained that most African men want an education and with it, the perks of a good life, cars, money and clothes. “Naturally, a person wants to take care of oneself first,” he said. “But we must raise up young men and women with a bigger vision, who will make a difference, to go back to their countries to impact the young generation with new role models. Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Bruce and Sydney and Vakele have given up good paying jobs and careers to invest their lives to train and equip other African young leaders.

Child Headed Households in Africa

“Africa is sick, and we need a healing message,” Bruce declared. “Everyone knows about HIV and AIDS but one result of this pandemic is the massive number of child-headed households. The family, though highly esteemed, is endangered. It is plagued by poverty, ignorance and unfaithfulness among partners. We have to speak about purity and abstinence to men, since this is not the norm,” Sydney says.

Bruce shared his conviction that many Churches in Africa are weak and dependent. “Those planted by international aid agencies are often enslaved in dependency. This is why I am excited about the simple church model in which everyone learns to love one another, studies the Word of God together, and take responsibility for each other,” Bruce says.

Sydney spoke about the need to disciple believers. “If Africa is so highly Christianized why it is also so highly infected with HIV/AIDS? What is wrong?” he asked. “People need to be discipled,” he said. Bruce, Sydney and Vekela voiced their conviction that Sub-Saharan Africa has been evangelized but not discipled.

A New Kind of Leader - Courage to Be Different

All of the African leaders in CPx see themselves as part of the new thing God wants to do in Africa. “It is time to rebuild Africa,” Sydney says. Floyd McClung also believes this.

“This is the one of the main reasons we moved to Africa. God wants something new to be birthed in Africa,” he says. “We sense God birthing something new through CPx in the hearts of these young leaders. God is longing for His people in Africa to break free from hierarchical models of leadership. God is longing for African leaders to break free of the old ways of dominance and control, and to unleash the potential of Africa to bless the rest of the world. We are dreaming and working toward holistic church planting movements all over the continent. God will not be satisfied until Africa is ready to come to the party!” he says.

“What is God’s response to these huge challenges? Do we continue to do church the way we have in the past? Will old ways of thinking solve the old problems we face?” he asked. “Perhaps the old problems have been caused by the old ways of thinking about church and the kingdom of God. My heart is exploding with longing to empower the bright young leaders of Africa who see the problems of Africa and are open to change,” he says.

What about Women in Africa?

It takes a special bravery for an African woman to speak up, but Vakele Dlamini is willing to be that kind of woman. “We have experienced love and acceptance on all fronts here,” she told her fellow CPx’ers. “We are free to share our brokenness, our same struggles.” As a woman in Africa, there are many struggles. “Women are almost non-exsistant,” Vakele says. “We are raised to listen to men, respect our culture and traditions, and be silent. Men are customarily allowed several wives and mistresses, and a woman, out of fear, must submit to this,” Vekela says. She said this practice contributes to the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS. Even for women in churches, this is a “huge difficulty,” Vakele says. “Like many women, I do not know where to find my place.” Vakele believes the African men and women at CPx hold the key. “Guys like ours need to embrace change, and target other men to help them change,” she says.

I want to tell you what God has been doing here in Cape Town, especially in CPx and Red Hill.

We have 70 outstanding students enrolled for six months IN CPx, our leadership training program. Actually, they are not students in the normal sense of that word. All of them are leaders with varying degrees of experience. They come from 15 countries, 43 of them are Africans.

Every single student feels called to be involved in some way long term to make a difference in Africa or the Middle East. It has been a big faith challenge for us to hold this school. It takes a lot of money to rent housing, provide good teachers, organize transportation, feed, and do set up for so many students. We don’t have permanent facilities so we have had to work hard to find temporary housing.

The students are fantastic! And we are very encouraged by the fact that more than half of the student fees have come in through the a few sponsors, but mainly through the students themselves working and sacrificing to cover their own fees. We still need a big release of finance. I would appreciate your prayers as we need another R250,000 to pay for the remaining housing, food, and tuition costs. Tuition, board and room for one student costs about R10,000.

It is a worthy investment. These are emerging leaders that will change nations. God is using CPx to impact their character through teaching on servant leadership, their understanding about simple church and church planting movements, and their skills to be more effective leaders. We are empowering them to advance God’s kingdom in every sphere of life. Quite a few of them feel called to the Muslim world. All of them are learning how to do church in a holistic way.

Regarding the work we are doing on Red Hill (wild fires burned down the shack homes of 78 families a few weeks ago and we have gotten deeply involved), a lot of progress has been made. We have completed “Phase one” of our relief efforts. That involved helping everyone who lost their home to rebuild at least a one room simple home. We have been able to help several families rebuild a complete “beautiful shack” which costs about R20,000 plus labour. We are trying to hire local guys from Red Hill to provide jobs and job skills through the project.

We are busy now making sure everyone has windows built into to their home, and new galvanized metal sheets for roof and walls. Next we will try to make sure everyone has concrete floors. We are hiring guys who live in Red Hill to build beds and cupboards. We begin skills classes this Saturday teaching carpentry and other skills. We are studying how to turn this into along term sustainable endeavor.

We are also very focused right now on visiting every home in Red Hill to make sure everyone has a personal presentation of the good news of Jesus and what he has done for them. Without the transformation of a person’s heart, they will not have the spiritual and moral strength they need to overcome addiction to alcohol, drugs and abusive relationships in their families.

About ten days ago we held a big celebration on Red Hill with pap and chicken and lots of music and dancing and celebrating. It was the first time since the fire destroyed the homes of the people that they had time to rejoice and be happy. We presented new soccer uniforms to the “Red Hill Attackers” soccer team because their uniforms were all destroyed in the fire. Since then we have held two football tournaments with our CPx guys and teams from Ocean View. This has brought a lot of life to the men.

Would you pray about helping us meet the big financial challenges we face right now? By investing in a scholarship for one of our students, you are investing in the people of Red Hill. Our students are involved daily in people’s lives in that community. We will be grateful for anything God leads you to do. And please pray for a spiritual breakthrough on Red Hill. The spiritual atmosphere is changing - but we are longing to see a huge breakthrough that results in a new church born there. It will be a light on the Red Hill!

Yours for the lost,

Floyd

PS If you would like to help sponsor a student leader in CPx or help provide a “beautiful shack” for the people of Red Hill, you can send your donation to:

All Nations account.
Account number: 072 110 619
Standard Bank
Fish Hoek branch - # 77 Main Rd., Fish Hoek, South Africa
Branch code: 03600980
Tel number of the bank: +27-21-748 1817

Please make sure you include in the reference either Red Hill or CPx as you make the deposit. Thank you!

Dear Friends,

The relief work in Red Hill continues. As you read this we are completing the task of getting all of the 72 families in the two burnt our settlement camps into a shelter so they are out of the wind and rain. The people did a lot of work themselves but we supplied about R100,000 of building materials, including wooden posts, zinc sheets for roof and siding, and windows and doors and frames for the windows and doors. This initial effort just got the several hundred people out of the rain. It did provide a proper decent home, no matter the size.

Now the long term work of people building begins. We have established relationships with many of the people. We have worked beside them the last 8 days to build trust. Now we want to invest in their lives and into the community long term. We would love to see every family have a “beautiful shack” with a floor and beds and stoves for cooking and a fridge for keeping food so it does not spoil.

One friend recommended simple Wendy houses. That would be a huge blessing.

Please pray about sponsoring a Wendy house for a family would you?

To see more pictures from Red Hill click here.

Thank you for your love and support!

Yours,

Floyd

A few days ago a massive fire swept through the southern peninsula of Cape Town. The fire destroyed many homes and brought chaos to many people’s lives. Among those whose homes were destroyed was a small settlement of very poor people called Red Hill. The residents of Red Hill were moved to a community center in a very upscale coastal village. They have moved out of the community centre today.

The fire came suddenly upon Red Hill because gale force winds were driving the fire at an unbelievable speed. I went immediately to the site of the fire, and could not believe the strength of the wind. The fire was all around us and there was pandemonium everywhere as we assisted people to evacuate. Red Hill residents lost everything, clothes, furniture, blankets…. everything.

We have been able to mobilize teams of volunteers to respond to this disaster, but there is a great need to help the people rebuild their small shack homes, hopefully in a better state than they were before the fire. As we cleared the rubble and burnt remains of the homes, we found only one or two families actually had a concrete floor. Most of the people slept on the ground, not because they want to, but because they have no choice.

I am writing to you to ask your help in rebuilding the lives and homes of the people of Red Hill. We are committed to long-term involvement in the lives of the people. We have started a Red Hill Relief Fund and opened bank accounts to collect donations under the auspices of All Nations here in Cape Town. The bank account number is at the bottom of this letter.

Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring a new shack home with basic contents for the families and single parents of Red Hill? The disaster department of the City of Cape Town has donated a disaster kit that will put a tin roof over their heads with a blanket. But that kit does not include walls, doors or windows. We would like to do much more. Here is what your contribution would accomplish:

R6,000 - a 6X4 Meter one room dwelling place with two windows and a door.

This does not include a floor.

R8,500- the same as above with two beds and mattresses and a two burner stove.

R12,000- the same as above with a floor! United Nations studies have demonstrated that once a wood or concrete floor is constructed there is a 60% less chance of sickness or disease.

Perhaps your family can join with another family, or a home group, club, or your congregation to sponsor a home for a family in Red Hill? If you cannot sponsor an entire “beautiful shack” for a family, would you consider buying two windows and a door? That would cost R1222,68.

Yesterday I helped clear the rubble away for a single mother named Mavis. Mavis had lived in her home since 1982. Over the years she had built up a three-room home and ran a small shop from there as well. She sold meat and other food goods to the community. We walked through the remains of what was once her home. She showed me where the living room was, the bedroom for her two daughters, and the little shop area with two fridges and a freezer- all destroyed in the fire.

My wife, Sally, and I will help Mavis rebuild her life and her home. This is not a quick fix or a hit and run affair to us. We believe in helping the whole person. We will care for the spiritual needs of Mavis and her family as well as her emotional and social needs. Because we live near by, we will continue to have a long-term involvement in Red Hill.

Please help the people of Red Hill, will you? We would like to see every home replaced and improved, and every person have the opportunity to have a deepened relationship with God and others who love God.

If you would like to be part of this project,  please send your donation to:

Red Hill Relief Fund
Standard Bank
Fish Hoek Branch
All Nations Account nr: 073830135
Branch nr: 03600980

The accountant for All Nations is:

Rian Myburgh and his phone number 0219149493

For the latest news, photos and daily reports of the progress visit www.theglobalchallenge.org or www.floydandsally.org

I thank you in advance for your contribution!

As you begin the new year, please take a moment to consider how many people’s lives are being impacted, changed, destroyed, and saved….

Click here to visit what I call the “reality” clock.