This week we get to celebrate Message South Africa’s 10th birthday! Can you believe it’s already 10 years of mission across the country?
That’s 10 years of running courses and discipleship groups in prison and seeing lives changed by the love of Jesus. 10 years of encouraging and equipping young people in schools through Respect ME, and empowering young women to be who God has called them through Bloom events. 10 years of supporting ex-offenders to turn their lives around through The Oaks Resettlement house and training them with new skills and discipleship through the GangStar barista enterprise programme. And 10 years of seeing whole communities of people transformed from the work of the community hubs!
Message South Africa currently have two community hubs in Parkwood (Johannesburg) and Nyanga (Cape Town). These are safe places for young people to have fun, get help with their education, and grow in faith whilst also developing life skills. They have become sanctuaries for young people where they can find safety from their tough communities and they are places that are helping transform lives of young people.
With youth unemployment and high school dropout rates high in South Africa, only 20% of students enter tertiary education, so Message South Africa are on a mission to change these odds through their community hubs.
In Parkwood, the team have been running an after-school club with 20 young people aged 7-13. Every day, the young people come for educational support and last year, the team were able to support every child to pass their school exams! But the hubs are not just about education, they’re also about sharing the love of Jesus too. Of these young people, six now regularly come to youth ministry being run at the partner church and four have become Christians! The team are so excited to see how God uses them and raises them up to be transformational leaders in Parkwood.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg for the impact that Message South Africa team are having on individuals and communities across South Africa. This year, the team are planning to share the gospel with thousands of young people through creative mission this year, to see hundreds of people in prison find hope in Jesus, and to launch more community hubs where young people can find safety and learn about Jesus!