The 2012 Prayer from the Zulem Trust
As we hold these palm crosses we remember and pray for
The child in Nongoma walking twelve miles a day to collect water
God of the poor, hold your children close.
The child who never goes to school because he is mother and father to other children
God of orphans, hold your children close.
The father who has disappeared into the anonymity of the large city
God of the prodigals, hold your children close.
The baby born infected
God who brings us to birth, hold your children close.
The grandmother, caring for grandchildren, who has no-
God of the vulnerable, hold your children close.
The mother dying of AIDS and fearful of the future for her babies
God in whose arms we die, hold your children close.
The father returning, infected, to seek a cure.
God of the fearful, hold your children close.
Those who walk the way of the cross in Nongoma, Eshowe, Zululand and in our parish
God of the Cross, hold your children close.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Palm Crosses
The palm crosses for Farnham, Hale and Rowledge are supplied through the Zulem Trust – the objects of which are :
- The advancement of the Christian religion by the support of the work and ministry and mission of the parish of St Margaret's Nongoma and the Diocese of Zululand (as at this date) with specific reference to the Archdeaconry of Northern Zululand in KwaZulu Natal.
and in
- The relief of poverty in the geographical area of the Diocese of Zululand by providing the opportunity for employment of workers making palm crosses to be sold to and through Churches, Schools, Hospitals in Great Britain and the payment of workers making the palm crosses and the making of grants for the relief of poverty in the Diocese of Zululand .
For added information, their 2011 Newsletter is included below:
> Of course it’s a palm cross. But what you hold in your hand is so, so much more than a palm leaf twisted deftly into the shape of a cross.
> You hold a food bowl for orphans in Eshowe: the cost of your cross fills that bowl with food on a daily basis.
A group of older women at the Cathedral Church of Eshowe have set themselves to raise money to support a welfare programme for orphans in that area of the diocese. The Zulem Trust is proud to support these women in their work which enables the meagre diet of two hundred orphans to be supplemented with proteins such as peanut butter and beans. And from 2011 we will also be supporting a field worker for these children.
When we visited Eshowe in May two of the orphans had just been adopted by Christian families. Lindiwe*, a three year old girl had been raped repeatedly and Samuel* tied up like a dog for all of his five years. He was unable to open his eyes through terror. Gradually both are recovering enough to be integrated into stable family life.
‘The Lord has sent me to bind up the broken-
> You hold a food bowl and a clothing voucher for orphans in Nongoma.
Another older woman has made the cross you hold in your hand. Lindiwe* had hoped in old age to be cared for by her family in Nongoma and instead finds herself standing in the gap between her family and destitution. Her palm cross wages feed, clothe and send to school her orphaned grandchildren. Her wages break the cycle of despair. ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy….’
> You are also holding a brick and a bag of cement (who thought you could hold so much in your hand?).
12 orphans in St David’s parish lost their home through fire and their home is now being reconstructed with emergency funds from the Zulem Trust held by diocesan field workers (again on the payroll of the Zulem Trust). 13 bags of cements came from the same emergency funds for the Bonkinkose* family who lost their shelter. Thanks to the Zulem Trust the field workers together with the parish of St Margaret, Nongoma have been able to successfully rehouse the family.
‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated.’
> My turn now! I am holding in my hand a toilet handle.
When we stayed in Nongoma in May I was very ill and eventually hospitalised. To be in a home with adequate sanitation felt literally like a life saver for forty eight hours. The rectories at St Margaret’s and St. Aiden’s in Nongoma were built with Zulem Trust funds. More seriously than providing shelter for me it means that Nongoma is an attractive place for clergy to serve. Which means, in turn, that the work of the Zulem Trust extends to that community in ways we can’t begin to describe. We hope and dream of similar enterprises extending to even poorer parts of the diocese.
‘The LORD has anointed me… to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour….’
> And a cabbage (whatever next?).
Our field workers have been instrumental in the building of a new garden project
in St Vincent’s parish in the Isandlwana region. Fresh free food for orphan-
‘The fields and meadows are greening up. The trees are bearing fruit again…’
> You hold much more than we can begin to describe on a leaflet like this. But (for now) you hold a dog collar.
The first woman priest in the Diocese was appointed to St Margaret’s Nongoma. Sadly she died but in her memory the Zulem Trust have created a bursary to assist women ordinands in their theological studies. It was wonderful to meet this year’s ordinand at a diocesan celebration with the Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.
> And finally you hold the future in your hands
…… a covenant with men and women in KwaZuluNatal to create a future filled with hope.
Covenant is entirely ubuntu-
> As we wave our palm crosses may we hear the music of another half a million creating a symphony with yours!