THE Soweto wing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa's Men's Prayer League has broken with tradition and now holds prayer meetings early on Saturday mornings.
This small part of the 600000-strong membership of what is a traditionally black African church that sprung from the missionary activity of American, Scandinavian and German Lutheran churches, has joined Men in Prayer, a new movement that seeks to install men as leaders of prayerful households.
The Men In Prayer movement was founded by Reverend George Ngwenya of the Mahon Evangelical Church of Southern Africa in Diepkloof, Soweto, in 2010. It boasts more than 300 men who congregate at the Funda Community Arts and Culture College in Diepkloof on Saturdays from 6am to 8am to confess various sins, pray for repentance and rededicate their lives to God.
Among the men are former loan sharks, abusive husbands, alcoholics and other addicts, cheats, and former convicts who have been transformed into responsible, caring and protective heads of families. They are vital cogs in their communities, while others are now ethical businessmen and credible politicians.
Inspired by the Men in Prayer movement, Reverend Peter Mokele, a Lutheran Church leader in Soweto, has been able to convince his fellow circuit leaders and other ordinary members to emulate Ngwenya and his fellow prayer warriors by improving on the work and activities of the Men's Prayer League.
"I had attended about three Saturday morning prayer sessions of the Men in Prayer movement and was impressed and moved to seek to plant the same seed of prayer among my fellow congregants in the Lutheran Church," he said.
"While the Men's Prayer League is an influential organisation within the church that leads prayers, helps to maintain church buildings and plays active roles in many other vital church-related activities, we have added a vibrancy to our lives by adding and sacrificing more time to pray, praying in focused, need-specific ways - like Men in Prayer are doing."
Previously, the league used to follow set, formal prayers at set times. Sowetan attended one of the Men's Prayer League's Saturday morning prayers, during which a life skills session was incorporated into the programme, and the men discussed the importance of exercise, healthy eating habits, health checks and growing their own vegetables.
Another men's prayer organisation that has replicated the Men in Prayer movement's early Saturday morning prayer sessions is the Katlehong-based Men of Purpose.
Another group, Men of Vision and Enlightenment, is also interdenominational like Men in Prayer, but rotates its meetings - held on Saturdays at 10am - in Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Devland, Soweto, Naturena and Olifantsfontein.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
More men take to praying
THE Soweto wing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa's Men's Prayer League has broken with tradition and now holds prayer meetings early on Saturday mornings.
This small part of the 600000-strong membership of what is a traditionally black African church that sprung from the missionary activity of American, Scandinavian and German Lutheran churches, has joined Men in Prayer, a new movement that seeks to install men as leaders of prayerful households.
The Men In Prayer movement was founded by Reverend George Ngwenya of the Mahon Evangelical Church of Southern Africa in Diepkloof, Soweto, in 2010. It boasts more than 300 men who congregate at the Funda Community Arts and Culture College in Diepkloof on Saturdays from 6am to 8am to confess various sins, pray for repentance and rededicate their lives to God.
Among the men are former loan sharks, abusive husbands, alcoholics and other addicts, cheats, and former convicts who have been transformed into responsible, caring and protective heads of families. They are vital cogs in their communities, while others are now ethical businessmen and credible politicians.
Inspired by the Men in Prayer movement, Reverend Peter Mokele, a Lutheran Church leader in Soweto, has been able to convince his fellow circuit leaders and other ordinary members to emulate Ngwenya and his fellow prayer warriors by improving on the work and activities of the Men's Prayer League.
"I had attended about three Saturday morning prayer sessions of the Men in Prayer movement and was impressed and moved to seek to plant the same seed of prayer among my fellow congregants in the Lutheran Church," he said.
"While the Men's Prayer League is an influential organisation within the church that leads prayers, helps to maintain church buildings and plays active roles in many other vital church-related activities, we have added a vibrancy to our lives by adding and sacrificing more time to pray, praying in focused, need-specific ways - like Men in Prayer are doing."
Previously, the league used to follow set, formal prayers at set times. Sowetan attended one of the Men's Prayer League's Saturday morning prayers, during which a life skills session was incorporated into the programme, and the men discussed the importance of exercise, healthy eating habits, health checks and growing their own vegetables.
Another men's prayer organisation that has replicated the Men in Prayer movement's early Saturday morning prayer sessions is the Katlehong-based Men of Purpose.
Another group, Men of Vision and Enlightenment, is also interdenominational like Men in Prayer, but rotates its meetings - held on Saturdays at 10am - in Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Devland, Soweto, Naturena and Olifantsfontein.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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