General ministries

Prayer is undoubtedly the backbone of the parish! We warmly invite members of the congregation to explore their gifts in this regard. St Wilfrid’s is blessed with a huge number of members who take prayer seriously, and we praise God for this. The various different prayer ministries include: two short-term phone prayer chains for emergencies; the WhatsApp group for crises, run by Fr Grant; a long term intercessions group, which receives a list updated every quarter; a monthly prayer group; liturgical prayers/intercessions; and prayer by prayer ministers for healing during Communion at the Sunday morning services.

The prayer group meets on Fridays at 9:30 in the church.

Music unites people with one language. The music ministry creates a language that everyone can understand. We have music teams for the three Sunday services. Musical talent is a blessing given to us by God and what we do with our talents is a blessing we can return to God in thanksgiving, if you feel called to this ministry, we would love for you to join.

In the children’s church we nurture the faith in the young members of our church, teaching the children about Jesus and the Christian faith all the while encouraging them to become active Christians. We engage them creatively, building bible scenes, creating artwork and singing fun songs. The children’s church aims to set these future leaders with a solid Christian grounding and help them build a strong faith.

The Sacristans undertake the preparation of the altar and all things necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist.  Wafers and wine, silver chalices, purificators and lavabo towels are set out in readiness for the priest, with the appropriate colour of the Church’s season.  The altar cloths and other linen and silver are kept clean and taken care of, as well as keeping a sufficient supply of wafers, wine and altar candles in the vestry. All these are done to help make the church a visible sign of love for God.

Life groups provides an opportunity to grow in the Christian life in close fellowship with our brothers and sisters. Here is a list of life groups:

Wednesdays 18:30 – Bruce Lister (082-450-6037) Moves around week to week
Wednesdays 19:00 – Grant Thistlewhite (083-542-5515) Moves around week to week
Wednesdays 19:00 – Steve Mitchell (082-795-1465) Malan Street, Riviera
Friday 15:30 – YAM – Jonny Womack (072-534-1465) Upper Room, St Wilfrid’s

The Men’s Breakfast is held every second Saturday of the month. It provides an opportunity for men to meet in an informal setting, network and discuss their beliefs and opinions, and test their convictions in the world of business, sport, politics, and other fields of fellowship. In addition to our own discussions, we also have guest speakers about topical issues like the crisis of electricity supply in the country as well as the integration of local tradition and beliefs into the modern church. The men also participate in activities and fundraising in and around the church.

How can we reduce our environmental footprint?  Recognizing that our way of life puts a heavy load onto the environment we look at ways to decrease our impact such as, for instance, buying goods which are not lavishly packed and recycling our waste through one of the avenues available to us, such as the waste pickers whose living is selling what they retrieve from dustbins. Others are, for instance, reducing our use of fossil energy and water-wise gardening with the ultimate aim of sustainable environmental management.

You will find it all, at Shiloh’s door, at the back of the hall. In the library, we have lots of novels, as well as a treasure trove of non-fiction books. The library is a peaceful place, where you can pray, meditate or browse through a book or two. Please do visit us. The library is open any time the church is open. Books are borrowed on an honour basis for 6 weeks. Fill in the date, your name and telephone number and the name of the book. When you return the book, sign it in with your signature. A basket is provided for the returned book.