What we do

With the help of generous friends like you, Second Table Ministries works to . . .

• Equip desperately poor black churches in South Africa to address the most urgent needs in their communities, including hunger, clean water, education and employment.
• Encourage both white and black congregations to work together closely as a vital step toward racial reconciliation.
• Keep people informed of the needs and opportunities for service in South Africa.

How we work

Second Table Ministries uses an innovative approach to helping people in need. We . . .

• Encourage primary control by local South African communities.
• Engender cooperation between white and black churches.
• Require a meaningful financial investment by communities that benefit. The people we work with have an incentive to help themselves and a stake in the outcome.
• Insist on a sustainable outcome that continues after our involvement in a project ends.

What we’ve accomplished

Second Table Ministries has helped establish:

• Community centers
• Daycare centers
• Meal programs
• Community water supplies
• Educational programs
• Community vegetable gardens
• Job training programs
• Partnerships between South African and American churches

To provide a life-changing gift right now through PayPal, click on the Donate button above. Or, mail a check to:

Second Table Ministries
PO Box 1947
Poulsbo, WA 98370

“It’s not what you believe that counts, it’s what you believe enough to do.” Richard Stearns, President, World Vision

Its 2:30 pm Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19, 2012.  We’ve just returned from 5 1/2 hours of worship and other congregational activity at Aliwal North partners.

Words can’t describe what we’ve experienced today (many of you can relate).  For worship the church was packed with some 350 people.  There were numberous components of the service each preceded and followed with sponteneous congregational singing in both Afrikaans and English.  Components included:

• congregational singing in both Afrikaans and English
• two announcement guys (others interspersed) – in Afrikaans and English – Craig, your job may be in jeopardy!
• laying on hands for the newlye elected Executive Committee and Sunday school commission
• 7 or 8 songs and dance performances from a variety of different groups – incl. Sunday school classes, Mens’ Action; and the church choir
• greetings from STM and North Point with NP video
• bringing forward of tithes & offerings (NP gift given)
• prayers by many different congregants
• two short sermons by Bradley from each Testament – core of the messages:  our responsibility to serve God and our neighbors – That young man can preach!

The service itself lasted for 2 hrs. 15 min and no one was observed minding their watch.

Immediately after church the children met in a mass Sunday school class.

After this North Point-sponsored meals were served in shifts (they don’t have enough tables & chairs) to over 100 hungry kids from the neighborhood.  For many this is the only real meal they will have until next week.

Hopefully the photos will capture much of the joy and exhuberation of this day.  Kelly’s videos should be great when they can be processed by the technological wizards at NP.

We so wish you could have experienced this day with us.

W & K

Aliwal North Congregation

Aliwal North - Everyone In The Picture

Sunday Meal at Aliwal North

Boys eating at Aliwal North

Mike escorted us to Klipkop to share the good news that we can now proceed. Over 100 members of this little church of some 38 families joined us at the little windowless shack that is their church and then later at the new site for the church/center. This is what we observed and heard as we considered the settlement this little church will serve: 

• Its a community of thousands living in row after row of windowless metal shacks



• Unemployment of adults is over 92%
• There is no electricity, therefore no lights day or night, no refrigeration
• Water is available only from a few scattered taps and carried home in buckets – 3 x the work when its laundry day
• Toilets are rare and mostly only a pit in the ground
• Sickness and death are constant companions because of the lack of sanitation and the spread of HIV/AIDS
• There are no shops, no stores, no transportation – only the little shack that is the Klipkop church
• Residents’ meals are cooked and homes heated only by open fires and parafin heaters

Their dream is for a real building with toilets; a place to worship; a creche (daycare) to care for the children; maybe a facility where they can get some training which could lead to a job; maybe health services of some kind and, for sure, a community garden.

Now together we can build the facilities and then will come the challenge of spiritual and physical service.

From: Kelly
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:26 PM
Subject: We’ve arrived!

Good morning everyone!  We arrived last night at the Aark at about 9 pm.  It felt like coming to our home away from home.   Our first time driving FROM the airport in Jo’Berg, rather than TO it – in the dark.  After a couple misdirections (wouldn’t be quite the same without them) we finally got into familiar territory.  Howard and Lida du Toit met us at the airport which was a very nice thing for them to do.  We had a very smooth check-in in Seattle – got to print boarding passes for both flights at home and then just had to stand in line to check bags at the airport.  We did find out, however, that the airlines have changed their international baggage rules and now charge for every bag over  the first checked bag.  The two extra duffel bags would have cost $75 each but because we purchased our tickets before the rules changed we got in under the old rules and didn’t have to pay anything extra.  We won’t have to pay on the return either but all new travel will be subject to this rule.  Each bag weighed in at 49 lbs.  There was a couple in front of us who had one 49 lb. bag and one 85 lb. bag.  I can’t believe they didn’t weigh it before leaving home.  With the other bag at 49 lbs. there was no way to move anything around and their extra weight charge was $175.  Ouch!  It certainly will make us aware of what needs to be brought in the future.  We’ve pretty much got all the black tote bags here now, the two laptops, and all their peripheral stuff, and camera to Bradley.  He will get these items this weekend along with the books Joann sent so that gets rid of a lot of stuff right offf the bat.

In case anyone’s interested (John) we’re driving a new vehicle again – its a Daihatsu Terios. Its a six-seater and so far seems to be a nice little rig.  They call it “gold’ but it looks more like light sage green to me.  Anyway, time will tell how we like it.  Its very much like the cars we had in 2010.

Well, the early morning thunderstorms have passed and now the sun is coming up and we eager to start our day.

After talking with Johan last night it sounds like we may have some good news to report after our meeting today with Mike Betha, Petrose, Johan, and Mark Heap.

Stay tuned!

Kelly