Article source: Supplied
The 2023 Ministers’ Conference of the KwaSizabantu Mission was the 40th conference of its kind hosted by them. Most of the previous conferences were held at the Mission in KwaZulu-Natal, but some were also in Europe, Mozambique, and other provinces of South Africa. This year it was held at the Mission in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, from 6-8 March and it was the first post-pandemic conference. It was an open invitation to all Christian leaders and the attendees arrived in huge numbers.
Due to the illness of Rev Erlo Stegen, he could not open the conference in person, as he has been doing for over 40 years since he started hosting the conference. A video of one of his previous sermons was played on big screens and his message for the audience was still as relevant today as when it was recorded. The title of the message, Commissioned by God, coincided beautifully with the theme of the conference.
Rev Erlo said, among others, that the world has enough heroes but not enough doers. Christian leaders should not wait to build the kingdom but should get into it immediately. His message reminded the attendees that Jesus was on earth to make disciples of all nations and that all powers have been given to Him. He told the audience they should not exclude themselves from that as they also have the commission to make disciples for the Lord. But they should not wait any longer to do that and should jump into action.
It is a characteristic of Rev Erlo’s sermons that they are timeless and impactful. Over the years, he invited countless preachers from different denominations to share the pulpit with him, and many accepted the invitation. The speakers were of different denominations and from various organisations. This year the speakers were: Canon Hamilton Mbatha (Vicar-General of the Anglican Church); Dr Eva Seobi (founding member of Women Alive); Mr Michael Swain (Executive Director of Freedom of Religion in South Africa (FORSA)); Dr Elliot Sithole (The Bible Society); Dr Peter Hammond (Founder of Frontline Fellowship); Rev AL Nzima (Pastor of Vision Baptist Church), Mandeni (Ps Hans Koller from Romania); and Ps Sipho J Mfusi (Pastor of the Reformed Zionist Church in Christ).
During the three days of the conference, the audience was entertained by the KwaSizabantu choir, the Domino Servite School choir, the youth choir, and the men’s choir. The groups gave outstanding performances, unique in their own way.
The symbol of a trumpet formed part of the invitation to the conference, and its significance cannot be ignored. It has many meanings in the Bible. In Israel, the watchmen would raise the alarm to warn the people of coming danger. And alas, there are many warnings of spiritual perils in our time. It is, indeed, not the time for heroes but the time to act.
“I’ve been waiting for almost 10 years to attend this conference, I prayed about it, and God is faithful. It was overwhelming, would probably be the correct word, and I am so blessed to be finally making it here. I have been familiar with the KwaSizabantu Ministry since I was 12 when Rev Stegen came to California in my hometown and did a two-day conference. It was fascinating. I got saved at age 17, and two years later, I went on a missionary trip, and since then, I wanted to come here,” said David Morozov from Sacramento, California.
Ps Leo Baan from Swaziland has been here before and plans to come again for the next conference. He said, “It was so wonderful to be here again … the auditorium and the singing which was out of this world. The message (of Rev Erlo Stegen) was timeless. Everything was excellent, the beauty of the service, a full auditorium and especially the reason why we are here — to be encouraged and strengthened before we go home again.”
The Ministers’ Conference is held bi-annually and it is free of charge. Over the years it has been a source of encouragement and an opportunity to network with like-minded people in the service of God Almighty.
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Date published: 25/03/2023
Feature image: Supplied
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