The United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) concluded its 42nd Assembly with a closing service at the St Mungo’s United Church in Sandton, South Africa.
Themed “Empowered by Faith, United in Purpose,” the assembly that took place 11-18 September saw UCCSA member churches coming together in solidarity and unity.
The event provided a platform for the UCCSA to rethink, realign, and rediscover its God-given role in South Africa and beyond.
A statement was produced at the end of the event that clearly spells out UCCSA’s commitment and desire towards establishing a missiological outlook that will compel and propel the organisation to live out the transformative power of Christ’s love and justice, even in the face of a challenging and oppressive global landscape that thrives on disorder and injustice.
Identifying the notion of being an extension of God’s justice as an inalienable mandate for global missions, the UCCSA reiterated the Church’s unceasing stand against economic and political systems that perpetuate oppression, inequality, and disenfranchisement.
“…the Church is not only called to critique these systems but to be an agent of dismantling structures that do not align with God’s vision of shalom. We advocate for governance that is genuinely centered on the well-being of the people—governance that is marked by integrity, transparency, and accountability,” declared the UCCSA statement.
The statement continues to decry the wars that are being waged currently in Gaza and Ukraine, citing the former as “nothing short of genocide” and the latter as “[an] unfathomable loss of human life and the destruction of critical infrastructure.”
The statement subsequently implores intervention by the powers that be to stop the bloodshed and bring about genuine peace, guided by the Gospel principle “to do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12).
UCCSA also highlighted the launch of the Lay Leadership Training Programme in partnership with Huguenot College in Wellington, Cape Town, symbolising the wider Church’s commitment to world ministry and mission.
“We recognize the vital importance of resource mobilisation and responsible stewardship across all constituencies of the UCCSA… It is through such faithful commitment that the Church can truly live out its calling as an agent of transformation and hope in a broken world. May we remain ever mindful of this charge, devoting ourselves fully to the service of God’s Kingdom and the neighbour,” prayed Rev. Kudzani Ndebele, General Secretary of the UCCSA.