Farm workers living in and around the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site are some of the most vulnerable people in South Africa. Research by means of a case study with four participants from this group examined the following question: How do vulnerable people continue preaching the Word in this environment by ministering to other vulnerable people with the sermons that they have heard? The case study considered both the environment and the circumstances in which these participants live. This research aimed to establish what it means to preach to those who are vulnerable and how such preaching can be continued by the hearers. A case study by means of a qualitative empirical investigation called upon a few of the vulnerable hearers to speak. The findings included that the participants to this case study do not spread the sermons further on a regular basis, but they would be able to edify and encourage other vulnerable persons with it if needed. If they do talk to each other about the sermon directly after the worship service (like it was done during the interviews), their confidence to proclaim the message to other vulnerable people who do not participate in the worship services will increase.
Every country in the world, including South Africa, has vulnerable people. The long history of Apartheid left the country with many vulnerable people who remained so after the transition to a democratic South Africa (Benatar Vulnerability originates when an individual can not bring about the desired outcome by means of his or her own behaviour. Such a person is unable to influence events through his or her own behaviour. (pp. 259−260)
The group of farm workers who constitute the Venterskroon congregation has an interesting church history. Students from the North-West University Potchefstroom Campus (about 30 km from the VDWHS) started 15 years ago to minister to the children of the area every Sunday with spiritual conversation, song, enactment of biblical events and relaxation. After a few years the parents also requested ministry. The church ministry they were exposed to up until that point was sporadic visits from a spiritual leader once a month who demanded financial contributions from the believers. They were threatened with deprival of a funeral should they not contribute. Suddenly they found that a different church group was willing to minister to them every Sunday without asking any money. The group soon got a permanent minister and in addition to visible growth in faith, the group also grew in numbers.
The question investigated in this article is: How do vulnerable people continue the act of preaching in their area by ministering to other vulnerable persons with the sermons they heard? The following aspects will be discussed briefly: What does the environment entail? What are the circumstances in which the farm workers find themselves in general? What is meant by preaching vulnerability that is carried further by the headers? A few of these vulnerable hearers will be heard by means of a qualitative empirical investigation in the form of a case study and a few findings will be noted.
The regional context for the research is the VDWHS, South Africa, considered the world's oldest (2.023 million years) and largest (190 km) visible meteorite impact site. The Vredefort Dome, approximately 120 km south west of Johannesburg, is a representative part of a larger meteorite impact structure or astrobleme and has been declared South Africa's 7th World Heritage Site in 2005. With a radius of 190 km, it is also the largest and the most severely eroded (Gibson & Reimold
The original crater, now eroded, is estimated to have been 250−300 km in diameter. The ring of hills at Vredefort is composed of granitic gneiss rock. To make a crater 300 km wide, the meteorite must have been about 10 km across (as big as a mountain) and travelling at more than 10 km per second or 36 000 km per hour (Gibson & Reimold
The ongoing debate regarding the endogenic versus exogenic origin of many circular structures on earth hinges on observations, data, methodologies and modelling that have their roots in classic studies of the Vredefort Dome (cf. Gibson & Reimold
Puren It is a unique natural landscape filled with rolling hills, rocky outcrops and a unique composition of indigenous fauna and flora. At least 100 plant species, over 50 mammal species and 70 different butterfly species have been recorded in the area. Abundant vegetation includes 99 identified plant species and the largest wild olive forest in South Africa. These, together with the more than 450 identified bird species, 70 butterfly species, and rare fauna such as the
The work and living conditions of the farm workers in the Vredefort Dome region do not differ much from the circumstances of farm workers in South Africa in general.
Despite of the democratisation of South Africa in 1994, which brought the agricultural sector within the ambit of legal protection, farm workers remain vulnerable to an undue burden of social and health problems (London
Woolman and Bishop ( Servitude is about caste or status. Persons in conditions of servitude occupy a social station that does not allow them to alter the conditions of their existence: their station makes it appear that they work ‘voluntarily’ for those above them. (p. 597)
Farm workers usually live in houses that do not belong to them. A central component of the arrangements on farms is that many workers not only work on the farms, but also live there, with housing being either a form of payment in kind, or part of the terms of their contract. Thus, for many farm workers, the loss of their job means the loss of their house. The farmer is able to exercise control over the farm workers’ daily bread and the roof over their heads. This increases farm workers’ dependence on the farmer and contributes significantly to the imbalance of power (Woolman & Bishop
Farm workers and their dependants have historically existed in closed communities, dependent on farmers, with low levels of education, gaining
Education levels of farm workers are low, particularly the older generation with estimates of illiteracy in the order of 20% – 30% and average schooling levels of five years. Access to health services for farm workers is severely constrained by their dependence on their employers for transport and rural health and social services are grossly under resourced in rural farming areas. A rough estimate on the basis of the 2001 census reveals that more than 50% of farm workers do not have access to adequate sanitation and access to water is also substandard (Statistics South Africa
Another point of interest about the farm labourers in the Vredefort Dome is that there is a greater discrepancy between the living conditions of the farm owners and the farm workers. The economic indicators of the area reflect a marked difference between people in the high socio-economic bracket and those in the low socio-economic bracket (mostly farm workers). Land owners, who constitute 34.98% of the residents, can provide adequately for themselves in terms of leisure activities, food and transport, whilst workers (42.38%) lack basic services and economic opportunities to provide for their most basic own needs (Puren
Some of the farm workers’ families had to move to the informal settlement just outside town in order to survive and/or for the education of their children. The loss of a sense of place created havoc with the traditional lifestyle, effectively destroying the core values and traditions of a whole rural community. The influence of loss of place on identity can be remarkable because of the role places have in forming and affirming a sense of personal identity (Jordaan
What can inspire these vulnerable people to carry the sermon further? In 1 Thessalonians 1:8 Paul relates how the Word of the Lord spread from the believers in Thessalonica to Macedonia and Agaje. The participants to the worship service can echo the Word so that it reaches others, even to such a degree that the preacher has to say no more. Vulnerable listeners can even become preachers themselves as they become more and more convinced of God's vulnerability, of their own status as new people in Christ despite their own vulnerability and as they see the vulnerability of the preacher and understand the unique nature of the message.
God suffers with his children. Jeremiah preaches to his people about how God experiences their anxieties and fears. God speaks in Jeremiah's voice: ‘You who are my Comforter, my heart is faint within me … Since my people are crushed, I am crushed’ (Jr 8:18, 21). God feels their pain. ‘It seems clear that we can infer from this passage that God also feels our pain, is suffering because we have been hurt’ (Hinson-Hasty
God's vulnerability becomes visible in a special way when Jesus relinquishes all earthly power and becomes the victim of the condemnation and hate of those in his environment. His vulnerability reaches its pinnacle on the cross where he is not able to save himself, when God is silent and pours out his wrath over Christ who is God-forsaken, and rebellious people seemingly triumph over him (Berkhof
The vulnerable can be further inspired to continue preaching by viewing their vulnerability in light of the new status they have in Christ. Marginalised people who cannot reach the outcome that they want to reach through their own actions can be described as follows (Campbell Their human interest in living is narrowed to meagre subsisting; their hope for life is no more than avoiding involvement with other humans and a desire that no one will bother them (p. 36)
The fact that preachers themselves are vulnerable and become even more vulnerable as a result of their ministry can contribute to the vulnerable listener's confidence to carry this ministry further. De Klerk, De Wet and Letsosa ( The preacher should communicate the all-disclosing Word of God not only to reveal the truth about the vulnerability of the listeners and the world in which they live in, but also about his own vulnerability: He is vulnerable in not always having ready prepared clever answers. He is vulnerable in that he is totally dependent on the grace of God and is in himself totally exposed to the onslaught of the enemies of God and his children. He cannot speak one word without communicating with his whole being that it is through grace alone that he can minister the Word of God. (p. 106) Preaching is risky when preachers realize that their studying, praying, exploring, and speaking is never exhaustive or complete – they are always at risk of misunderstanding something about God, themselves, their people, and their contexts. They are also vulnerable when they choose to reveal something of their struggles, limitations, and uncertainties while addressing a particular sermon theme or context. (p. 1) Jesus’ preaching brought a message of hope and reconciliation to his vulnerable hearers. The core of his message (‘the righteousness of the Kingdom’) focused on healing relationships through loving service. (p. 125)
The congregation's involvement in preaching reaches beyond the activities of preparation, planning and listening. The congregation should teach each other from the Scripture reading and preaching (cf. Heb 5:12, Desilva
The experience of Calvin at that time, and later of Voetius and Labadie, was that prophecy had a bigger influence than the most powerful sermons, and that it promoted the growth of the congregation strongly (Desilva
The ministry of the Word is dedicated to the whole congregation and every member has the responsibility to contribute, because all of them should eagerly desire for the gift of prophesy (1 Cor 14:1). It is important to explain constantly to the members of the congregation that there is little value in it to only listen to the Word of God and not doing what the Word asks from them. A confessing response must follow upon the Word service (De Klerk
It is based on the preceding argument that one can now consider the case study to establish the involvement of the farm workers in the Vredefort Dome region in the continuation of the preaching.
A qualitative research design was used in this research, because it is an appropriate method to investigate research phenomena to obtain insight into the subjective experiences of people and to access the meanings they attach to the relational dimensions between them and the specific rural location. Furthermore, a qualitative research approach is particularly useful as an inductive, naturalistic approach to investigate unfamiliar research topics (Puren
Qualitative research has a personal quality as the researcher does not gather information from a distance, but through personal contact. It is a client centred approach in as much as the client's thoughts, actions and emotions are dominant. It might be possible to make deductions from a qualitative research that might have some value as a generalised principle. Janse van Rensburg ( Qualitative research works on a much smaller scale than quantitative research. On average it may consist of four conversations with a particular individual or group. Participants are chosen in accordance with the research problem, hypotheses and goals of the research. (p. 4)
In this research oral interviews with participants to the project were analysed to discover to what extent the participants convey the sermons further – one specific sermon in particular. Four persons were selected based on the fact that they are frequent participants to the sermons and form part of the group that may be regarded as vulnerable. Two women and two men participated in the study. Their ages ranged between 23 and 60 years. The following themes were selected, with the emphasis on the last two:
Member's living conditions. Resounding preaching in general. Resounding the sermon of the day.
These themes were selected to first establish the degree of vulnerability and to then determine if and how these possible vulnerable members communicate to other vulnerable people about the sermons that they have heard. A few questions were formulated as part of each theme to make the conversation easier, but due to the unstructured nature of the interviews, these were not adhered to strictly. The interviews were not transcribed, but a summary (with the precise words) appears in this article. The full results of the interviews are in the safekeeping of the researcher.
The participants to the qualitative research all have reasonably good housing, although it is small, and in many cases too small for the number of people staying in the house. In comparison to the land owners and the new lodges that have sprung up in the area, the participants live in much smaller and simpler houses. However, one of the participants does experience housing problems, and she described it as follows: I enjoy to work where I work. My life is worthwhile because of God's love and because my family stuck together. I meet with other people who face the same challenges as I do and we can motivate each other. My life is worthwhile, because I can help my children and enable them to go to school. Through Jesus I can see progress in my life. Only one thing I do not like is to always ask from other people and not having my own things. I am crying, because I am not working and failing to feed my family. Seeing people suffering from poverty, sickness (e.g. HIV/AIDS), struggling to get better education or to pay for their children's studies. There is serious poverty in the community. It is difficult not working to earn a salary and to provide for my children.
This section first gauges how preaching influences the lives of vulnerable people, especially since the emphasis is on the preaching that takes place every week. Some of the answers that reveal how the sermons influence the participants’ lives in general sound as follows:
They make me think and look back at my life. They bring willingness to change a few things in future. I forgot how the world looks at me. I am able to see my mistakes. Sermons heal me spiritually. Sermons remind me of how I should conduct myself every day. Not every day. Not about every sermon. I share the things that touched me in that particular sermon. When the reverent have preached of something which is directed to my life, I use to sit down with my family and say: Did you hear what was said? I discuss the sermon even with those who did not come to church. I tell them about the examples made by the pastor. I reread the scriptural passage that was read and I try to explain it to them. I help people to look at a specific text. I open Scripture and use the examples of the sermons. I refer to sermons which I once heard. I tell my sister to compare herself to Job who was sad but God comfort him. I spent some time sharing love and if their problem is too big, I refer them to the reverent.
Peter is writing here to a group of Christians in the first place. They were deemed as strangers; even worse, they were exiles or refugees in these different places mentioned by Paul. They were called by names, they endured hardship, they had to rent flats or places for staying, and some were even slaves. It was very easy for the landlord to simply expel someone who rented at his place.
The world regards us as strangers. Peter says in this letter, irrespective of how the world looks at us, we have to remember that we are elected to serve God even in this tough situation. God elected them as his property. They are also people, who are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. They are now different people.
God's election is not without purpose. Election is unto obedience. We have to be obedient here on earth. All our suffering is the things of this world. Because of God's mercy, he has given a new birth into a living hope. We know that our misery now will turn into joy and time to come. We have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
Right now, we go through hardships and trials. We are tested like gold by fire. Through our tests, we can see how weak and small we are and how great and merciful God is. Trials help to rely more and more on God.
You might be staying in your
It is important to first determine what this sermon meant to the four participants personally and to hear what about this sermon they would want to convey to others. The following matters stood out from their remarks:
I understand that I am a foreigner in this world. The situation of xenophobia hurts my heart. God taught me how to treat foreigners with love and respect. I should not correct things by fighting but I should do it peacefully. It taught me that the mercy of God is sufficient. I was touched by the part which said our faith in God is more precious than gold and silver, because it perishes. I learn the fact that I should not look down on myself that when things are not going accordingly with the political state of our country, I should not look down on myself. It made me realise that we, as Christians, should not hide away from challenges. It was very informative and practical, talking to some challenges I face in the area where I stay. Be strong and pray and everything will be fine. God has a plan with your life. They must believe in the living God, because he cares and love them. Our pain is temporary, because God chooses us. Whenever we are in poverty and sick it is only temporary. I will also learn them to share with those who are in poverty. Even if we are in trials and tribulations God promised us better life. If she is poor because of corruption, which is in our country, or if she cannot get help at the hospitals, she should solve things in a peaceful way. I should say do not stop trying even if it is hard, keep on trying in faith. I would tell them that they should keep their faith in Christ, because he is faithful. Our faith in God is more valuable than gold or silver. We are winning in whatever situation through Christ.
The participants to this case study are all vulnerable people who live and work with other vulnerable people. The first-mentioned group, as frequent participants in the worship services, has the gift to apply the sermons they heard, especially the one they listened to on the day of the interviews, to their lives. They do not convey these sermons to others frequently, but they would be able to edify and comfort others with it. The reason why they do not often do so was not established during these interviews. If they do talk to each other about the sermon of the day directly after the worship service (like with the interviews), this can enhance their confidence to convey the message to other people who do not partake in the worship services. It is important to continue research on the conveyance of preaching to develop a theory for this important aspect of homiletics.
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationship(s) that may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
The interviews were conducted in the mother tongue of the participants and were documented in English by the interviewer.
The sermon is available from the author of this article.