Reaching out to the Poorest of the Poor - p.1

South Africa

“If the Church would get the heart for the poor that the Father has, and rise up to action, we could transform the world by the love of Christ,” Frank Christie passionately shares. “It has been difficult to get people in the church involved with this kind of ministry. It is not at all glamorous and requires a great deal of sacrifice.”

The ministry Frank speaks of is Thembalitsha – a ministry reaching out to the poorest of the poor in South Africa. The former policeman says he had first hand experience of witnessing the plight of the South African people, having been drafted to the police force under the apartheid government. During this season though, serving God was the last thing on Frank’s mind. “I was a backslidden Christian and (was) very aware of the fact that the Lord was on my case,” he shares.

After leaving the police force, Frank was exposed to so much poverty and hardship. “It was impossible not to respond to the plight of the poor.”

Now the Senior Pastor of Every Nation Church, Somerset West, Frank recalls that it was a video about some of the poor of Mexico who lived on a garbage dump, and how a group of Christians who started an outreach program to them brought about radical change in their lives. “God really spoke to me through this,” he says, “I was so moved and knew this was what I was meant to do.”

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