Home » News

Bishop Witbooi Induction

 

The Central District is excited to welcome its first black Bishop! Rev. Peter Witbooi was inducted as Bishop of the Central District on the 29th of November, 2009, at St John the Evangelist United Church in Johannesburg.

 

 

  

Ordained in 1983, Rev. Witbooi has been married to Agnes for 28 years and they have four children, Peter (Jnr), Robyn, Tarryn, and Melanie, and a 7 month old grand- daughter Malaika.

He started his ministry in Vryburg, where he spent seven years before being transferred to Ennerdale, spending another seven years there. He then moved to Johannesburg West, where he was appointed Superintendent and stayed for ten years, and then finally to St. Johns, his present station, and what will become the District Office.    

 

 

When asked about his preparedness, Rev. Witbooi responded, “One can never be ready for being bishop - in fact being bishop is not just a title, it is a function of servanthood and leadership.” The bishop sees his as a position of oversight in which he will “harness the varied gifts of the ministers within the district as they work together to bring life and renewal to the district”.     He says that the Central District is one with two distinct groups of people - those in abject poverty and those who are rich. The bishop does not regard his job as that of getting the rich to give to the poor but rather of creating a space in which the poor can be allowed to give of what they have and create a sense of community and belonging.     The one challenge that the incoming bishop foresees as he takes over the running of the District is the Central Methodist refugee situation. “The difficulty I have is in keeping the law and at the same time upholding the imperatives of scripture…the church will have to comply with the ruling of the government authorities tasked with investigating the issues, but the church will not renege on its duty to minister to the people. We have to pick up the pieces and bring healing. Our job should be to listen to all the voices of the stakeholders and then ask the question, ‘What will be the best for the people?’”  

 

 

Another challenge that Bishop. Witbooi envisions is that of race relations, not only in the country, but especially within the church. “When a white minister is appointed into a black context there is little or no opposition but when the opposite happens there is quite a lot of opposition. Dr Rev. Peter Storey once said, '1994 gave us the bricks to build democracy – we need to find the mortar that will hold the bricks together' I believe that dialogue and listening to each other are part of this mortar.”   

 

 

The bishop's closing words were “I believe in going where I am sent - I think God's voice is in the voice of the people, so I will listen to their voice.”

 
 We wish the Bishop well.
»