Every Wednesday morning, rain or shine, holiday or not, the Albertville Church of the Nazarene in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the RSA Gauteng District, conducts a feeding program as part of its local Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. On average, the church provides 80 meals per Wednesday to those in need in their community, while also allowing the recipients to hear the gospel and learn about the hope that only Jesus can provide.
In 2018, Aunty Molly Peacock, a retired textile worker and one of the stalwarts of the Albertville Church of the Nazarene, felt the Lord was asking her to start providing a meal to those who were waiting on the corners for jobs. Aunty Molly used her own pension (retirement) money to start the feeding program.
Soon, the small congregation came on board with Aunty Molly and began to reach out to their community in a tangible way. The church of 20 attendees initiated a weekly feeding program to address the physical needs of their economically challenged neighbourhood.
Today, the Albertville church has regular attendance of 90 on Sunday mornings; they continue with the vision to reach out to the community on Wednesday mornings. This year, the church has distributed over 2,400 meals locally through its Wednesday feeding program.
“This is all about giving them a chance,” said Immanuel Govender, the local NCM coordinator, “as we prioritise treating them with dignity.”
Recently, in addition to providing food, Govender has invited South African Home Affairs to assist recipients of the feeding program in obtaining birth certificates, ID documents, and other necessary documentation required to access government assistance or employment opportunities in South Africa.
Also, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has come and assisted attendees in need of accessing support services for drug and alcohol abuse. The JDA helps South Africans find places that can help them rehabilitate from these vices.
Pray for the Albertville Church of the Nazarene as they continue partnering with others in the community to serve those in physical need.