Small Church, Big Impact
Every Wednesday morning, rain or shine, public holiday or not, the Albertville Church of the Nazarene in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the RSA Gauteng District conducts a feeding scheme as part of their local Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. On average, it provides 80 meals per Wednesday to needy people in their community who are also given the opportunity to hear the Gospel and learn about the hope that only Jesus can provide.
In 2018, Aunty Molly Peacock, a retired textile worker and one of the stalwarts of the Albertville Church of the Nazarene, felt the Lord was asking her to start providing a meal to those who were waiting on the corners for jobs. Aunty Molly used her own pension (retirement) money to start the feeding scheme. Soon, the small congregation came on board with Aunty Molly and began to reach out to their community in a tangible way. The church of 20 attendees began the weekly feeding scheme to meet the physical needs of their economically challenged neighbourhood.
Fast-forward to today and the Albertville church has regular attendance of 90 on Sunday mornings, and they continue with the vision to reach out to the community on a Wednesday morning. So far this year, the church has given out over 2,400 meals in the immediate community just through their Wednesday feeding scheme.
“This is all about giving them a chance,” said Immanuel Govender, the local NCM Coordinator, “as we prioritise treating them with dignity.”
Recently, in addition to providing food, Govender has invited South African Home Affairs to come and help those who attend the feeding scheme attain birth certificates, ID documents and other necessary documentation needed to access government help or jobs in South Africa. Also, the Johannesburg Development Agency has come and assisted attendees in need of accessing support for drug and alcohol abuse. The JDA helps South Africans find places that can help rehabilitate from these vices.
Pray for the Albertville Church of the Nazarene as they continue to partner with those in the community to reach out to those in physical need.
