GEORGE NEWS - A group of local Christian leaders and pastors gathered at the Protea Hotel King George on Tuesday 15 July for an initiative that is hoped will provide a catalyst for building bridges among communities in George in an effort to bring about positive change.
The guest speaker at the event, Quinton Pretorius, is a lead facilitator at the South African non-profit organisation Heartlines, whose vision is more equitable and unified communities in the country.
Pretorius was invited by the event organisers, Debbie Bruce, head of the Womb to Tomb NPC and regional representative of Heartlines, and Dr Dennis Farrell, founder of Business Café.
Pretorius provided background and introduced their two-year programme, Building Communities, Building Futures, that will be presented to Christian leaders in George, starting in August.
This programme equips people to impact their local community towards positive change in their various spheres of influence. Part of the strategy is to build strong relationships and take meaningful action that leads to peace. “Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is when there is justice, when we redress the sins of the past, when we go back to Nelson Mandela’s statement that we can walk in town and feel safe and that we can feel proud,” said Pretorius.
Debbie Bruce addresses the gathering.
In his opening message, Farrell said if the health of society in George is assessed, there are many indicators that things are not as they should be. It is a polarised society. “Dit is dié kant van die teerpad en dáái kant van die teerpad. We should take that teerpad away!”
As examples, Farrell used the poor conditions of and lack of facilities such as schools and clinics in certain areas, as well as the economy that is showing signs of a downward trend, and said: “We are in a state of decay, slowly but surely, and the places we are starting to see this is in the inner cities and the marginalised areas, also in George.”
In addition to the church leaders, various leading figures from government departments attended the event as well. Bruce said the guests were all people who are already making a difference in their communities. “We are in this together to say no matter what oppression we face, we can, as leaders in this town, bring about a change in our own environment.”
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