With Dr. Miskin (left) and Consistory
It was a joy to preach for Dr. Arthur Miskin Sunday morning to seventy-five people in his church plant called Reformed Church Tshwana. The church plant, which is affiliated with Gereformeerde Kerk Rietvallei, now has two elders and two deacons.
Dr. Arthur and Dr. Sonja Miskin are a great husband-wife team, who gave up their doctoral careers, so that Arthur could complete a four-year M.Div. degree at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. They returned to South Africa so that he could teach at Mukhanyo Theological College, which trains men from all over Africa for ministry. Meanwhile, he has become deeply involved in this multi-racial church plant and his wife is deeply involved in supervising the Nakekela Clinic, which cares for about twenty very ill people on-site, and about 250 off-site. Nearly all of the patients are suffering from AIDS.
Sunday afternoon was spent at the Miskin home, situated in a very remote area, about half an hour from the college. Impala (similar to deer) stroll through their backyard, together with a host of other forms of wildlife—including four pet dogs and a cat. I enjoyed time with their three children, all of whom are anticipating marriage with God-fearing partners in the not-too-distant future—two of them most likely this year.
The Miskin Children and Their Friends
Also present was Jane Korevaar, a friend of many years who works for Mukhanyo Theological College (particularly for its long distance program), and an OPC missionary Dr. Brian Wingard, and his wife . Dr. Wingard teaches systematic theology and church history at Mukhanyo Theological College. He and his wife had some particularly interesting stories to share about their years in Eritrea, where Christians have been severely persecuted in recent decades. In fact, the persecution became so severe when they were on a furlough that they could not return, and were never able to retrieve their belongings, nor his library.
Dr. and Mrs. Wingard (left), Dr. Sonya Miskin, Jane Korevaar, and Dr. Arthur Miskin
In the evening, I preached for the Constantia Park Baptist Church in Pretoria to about 200 people, where my former close friend, Dr. Martin Holdt, spent the last years of his influential ministry. It was nostalgic to preach there, and it was good to hear that his successor, Rev. Willem Bronkhorst, is now running an effective ministry there. I got to meet Dr. Holdt’s widow, Dr. Elsabe Holdt, and to walk through the outstanding book store that she runs in the church. It was great to see most of the titles we publish gracing the bookcases of the store.
Monday was a catch-up and study day, preparing for addresses to be given, commencing on Tuesday, at the Grace Ministers’ Conference.
