Anglican Women's Fellowship
United in Prayer,Service and Love
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The Anglican Women’s Fellowship strives to follow the example of Christ who came into the world “in order that (we) may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10.
At the 2012 Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture (UWC), Mrs Graca Machel, a widely respected advocate of women and children’s rights made the following observation about the South African society: “With our staggeringly high rates of violence and abuse, of broken families … we are …a damaged society. Perhaps in celebrating our political settlement … we have overlooked a core task; the hard, necessary job of fixing our human selves.” Although her focus was South Africa, the reality is that other Southern African countries share the same long history of brutality during colonisation and there are similarities in the way we deal with our common pain.
As the AWF: We share her “vision … to build a healthy society” and we have identified four focus areas, namely violence against women and children, industrial action, the youth, and the environment to live out our prayer to “serve God in the world” and play a part in bringing about gentler, healed human beings.
It is an unfortunate fact that many citizens are “ill, bleeding” and given to harming those they are supposed to protect because (they) can’t control (their) own pain.” (Machel: 2012). Violence against the most vulnerable members of society is a scourge that destroys confidence, humiliates and scars physically, psychologically and socially.
As the AWF: We undertake to reassure the women and children in our lives that they are valued, loved and deserving of respect. Efforts will be made to assist families in finding ways to communicate “in a serene, peaceful, accommodating manner.” We find our motivation for attempting to bring peace into homes.
Matthew 5 v 9 reads: “Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children!”
The AWF acknowledges the rights of all employees to collective bargaining and legal strikes to improve working conditions and salaries. We distance ourselves from the destruction of property and random or planned violence perpetrated on non-striking workers or perceived enemies of industrial action. We respect the sanctity of life. AWF members who are directly or indirectly involved in strike action will work towards peaceful negotiation and respect for the rule of law.
As the AWF: We pledge to play no part in the wilful destruction of libraries, shops, vehicles and other assets which will further impoverish and bring hardship to communities. We find our strength in 1Cor. 16 v13: “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong. Do all your work in love.”
In the Sunday Times of 30 September 2012, Fred Khumalo writes that alcohol “strips people of their dignity and smothers their dreams.” The evils of substance abuse, child prostitution, sexual promiscuity; child pornography through the use of cellular phones and a lack of interest in self-improvement have become part of many young people’s lives. The motto of sports teachers that “A child in sport is a child out of court” rings true and must be utilised to safeguard children from self-destruction.
As the AWF: We undertake to encourage all children to participate in constructive, positive activities like sport and the arts. We pledge to place the emphasis on participation, not winning at all cost. We will strive to encourage the youth to be “self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate….” 1 Thes.5 v 8: “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”We also pledge to encourage the youth who excel in sports to continue with their studies, so that when the sporting career comes to an end, they have a qualification to fall back on.
“All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small … the Lord God made them all.” (HAM: 116). The AWF recognises that our planet is fragile and threatened by thoughtless acts of destruction.
As the AWF: We pledge to preserve our flora and fauna. We undertake to show respect for God’s creation and will make our contribution by not littering or dumping poisonous material into rivers and dams.
We raise our voices to hymn 430 (HAM)
We offer simplicity
our loving gift of labour;
and what we do, we do to thee,
incarnate in our neighbour.
We love since we are loved by thee;
new strength from thee we gather;
and in thy service, we shall be
made perfect with each other.
