Dear Friends,

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa.  It was in 1967 when Congregationalists from five different countries came together as four different churches at an assembly in Durban and came out of that same assembly as one united Church.  This was by no means some mean feat; in fact it was a great act of ecclesiastical union that would be followed by others some thirty years or so later.  In fact the act of union was not just an accomplished fact it also was an expression of what the new denomination hoped for, and would struggle to promote in the coming years.

As we celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the UCCSA I want us to pay tribute to the life and witness of Joseph Wing who led us for the first 21 years of the denomination.  I want to use this letter to challenge us to remember Joe’s spirituality.  I believe that we have lost it somewhat along the way, there was some time when we were known for certain traits as a church.  I want to argue that that had to do in many ways with Joe’s spirituality who was our General Secretary.  We need to recover the kind of spiritual legacy that Joe Wing has left us if we are to be at the cutting edge of mission today.  Among the things we should re-claim are:

The Ecumenical spirit- Joe Wing’s commitment to church unity was unquestionable and acclaimed in all ecclesiastical circles in Southern Africa.  Due to his commitment to ecumenism the UCCSA was a major player in ecumenical institutions such as the Federal Theological Seminary, South African Council of churches and other national council of churches in the region and the Church Unity Commission.  We need to reclaim our position in the ecumenical family and contribute to a new agenda for ecumenism.  Should organic unity continue to be our preoccupation or should we focus on ‘prophetic theology’ issues such as the environment, economic justice, and good governance.  I would like to encourage our ministers and local churches to play their meaningful role in ecumenical structures in their regions and countries. 

A life of prayer- Joe Wing was beyond reproach in his conduct both in private and public life.  He was a man of prayer and great spiritual discipline.  We need to re-discover this discipline in ministry today.  Living a life of prayer and contemplation has to begin with those of us who are in leadership.  Unfortunately we have a lot of moral corruption among our ministers and lay leaders today.  There are too many cases of immoral conduct among our ministers and leaders through indiscreet sexual behaviour, misuse of church funds, alcohol abuse and the responsibility entrusted to us.  Our ministerial committees’ time is taken up in addressing these issues.  What makes it even more disturbing is that we use the structures of the church to cover up these misdeeds when they happen, especially if it is our friends.  There are some of our ministers who repeatedly behave this way but we have allowed them to be untouchable, to the detriment of the church of Christ.

A life of reflection- Although Joe Wing’s actual qualifications was quite modest; nobody could fault him for neglecting theological study and reflection.  It was always evident from his powerful preaching, his incisive Assembly reports, and his other writings that he devoted his time to study and theological reflection.  Unfortunately we have lost the spiritual value of study and re-reading the text of scripture in the light of our socio-political circumstances today.  As part of the UCCSA Vision Plan we have committed ourselves to life-long learning.  This means that each one of us who are in leadership have the responsibility for our own growth through study, cross-cultural experiences and experience enlargement.  Scholarship is not merely for those who want to teach at theological institutions and universities, but for the local church minister as well.  We need to allow our ministers to develop themselves so that they can come and serve us more effectively.

Spirituality of friendship- Joe Wing was just a nice and friendly man.  He was loved by all because he always tried to befriend all and sundry and was always quick to apologise, even when he was clearly not on the wrong.  Today we all want to be on the right, we want to win every argument and we want people to be on our side.  Consequently we have many angry and cynical people in our church, we have many people who are in clicks, and others who choose to be in the periphery because things are not done their way.  How I wish we could re-discover Joe’s spirituality of friendship and hospitality.  At least if those of us who are in ministry could make an effort to get to know each other, pray for each other, and reach out to each other one way or the other.

Spirituality of Justice- Joe Wing’s life was marked by his passion for equality, freedom and justice for all.  In fact for him the church and the ecumenical family provided the praxis for justice.  His spirituality was clearly characterised by a quest for gender justice, racial justice and economic justice.  The gospel speaks to these spiritual values, and we have to preach them, advocate them and live them in our lives.  The gospel requires us to think justice when we appoint people to committees, so that all are heard and not marginalised.  We are to think justice and seek ways of being a church with the poor.  How can we establish our presence in informal settlements, among the San of the Kgalagadi and the Namib deserts, and among people living with disabilities?  It is these ‘little ones’ of God with whom the church should be present.  Joe Wing’s spirituality was unapologetically sited on the ‘preferential option for the poor’ ethic.

I wish to encourage all our local churches, regions and synods to plan activities for the 40th anniversary celebrations.  Such celebrations would help us if they could be opportunities for reflecting on some of the issues mentioned above.

I refer to him here as a non-conformist because his life was not determined by the patterns of the world.

Yours in Christ,


Moiseraele Prince Dibeela- General Secretary