Ses'khona: Christ Present in the AIDS Crisis

by Bongiwe Dumezweni

Seskhona, We Are Here: Christ Present in the AIDS Crisis

AIDS Bible Studies
About this project
About IFES

Ses'khona: We Are Here

Introduction (below)
How to use the studies
Acknowledgements

To the bible studies!
Final Celebration Meal

Introduction

[the following resources were created by the the IFES movement of South Africa, and are reproduced courtesy of them. For reprint permissions, please contact them via editor@urbana.org.]

The HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens the life-chances of millions of people world-wide. In South Africa two out of five students at universities are HIV positive in 2002. Since the year 2000 cities like Durban and Johannesburg report a steady decline in their population growth rates for the first time since they were founded. And the number of child-headed households, and grandparent-headed family units have reached critical proportions in our poorest rural areas.

The immensity of the pandemic means that no person living in South Africa can escape the social impact of HIV/AIDS in the next half century. The personal, social and environmental stresses caused by the pandemic threaten to undermine whole cultures and communities and to damage the very fabric of our nation.

In this context of national crisis the Student Christian Organisation's "Ses'khona Programme" was born. The Zulu phrase "ses'khona" means "We are here…" It is a phrase of assurance to people at a moment of need or crisis. "Ses'khona" implies that the presence of listening, helping friends is itself part of the healing longed for by those in need. Thus, Ses'khona's primary aim is to tell South African students an open secret: the Bible directly addresses our national pandemic of HIV/AIDS, and Jesus Christ longs to transform the tragedy and suffering of every person infected or affected by the disease.

These Bible studies motivate young people to take the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the friendship of the Holy Spirit into the lives of countless others who are devastated by HIV/AIDS. Although written with students in mind, the studies are accessible to churches or any groups who meet around Scripture. The heartbeat of Ses'khona's ministry is our conviction that God wants to heal and transform all nations through Jesus Christ. We offer this series of studies to students and church young adult groups across Africa and the world as a gesture of the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Prepare to Meet Christ in Scripture and in One Another

The Bible is not information but God's self-revelation. Thus, groups using these studies will encounter the living Christ who makes himself known through the pages of Scripture and in the lives of his followers. Anticipate this encounter with God as a group. Make time for worship, prayer and silence as appropriate ways to respond to the Spirit in each of the studies.
The message of the Bible is also hard to understand without one another. Do not hold information about one another in the group lightly, but guard the confidentiality of what you know to build deeper trust and friendship in your group.
To encourage learning from one another around Scripture, role-plays, brainstorms and other activities have been included in each study. Make sure that every person in your group has a part to play in at least one of the activities during the whole series.

Prepare to Reach Out

These studies focus on the Gospel of Luke the Doctor. Luke presents Jesus as the Divine Doctor bringing new life, forgiveness and hope to outcasts and the poor, and wholeness to the sick and the dying. No attempt is made to address all of the social issues related to HIV/AIDS. Nevertheless the light of Scripture is brought to many of the challenges faced by people of all walks of life in the current crisis.

As your student group studies these passages in Luke's story of Jesus, don't be surprised if you find yourselves being met by Christ the Healer. And be prepared to hear him call you too, to become a friend and a bearer of good news to the sick and the dying.

The Way the Studies are Designed

The studies are designed for a group of between eight and twelve students. They should take one hour to complete. This means your group will need at least 1½ hours for each meeting to include time for worship, silent reflection, journal writing, prayer and friendship. Choose a space for meeting that will be the most quiet, welcoming and comfortable that you can find.

The studies deliberately have no set format. No two are alike. They include many fresh ways of approaching the reading of Scripture. Each study has a number of parts that fit together to address a specific topic. Our hope is that the studies will "lead themselves" and that most instructions may simply be followed by the group without any extra explanation.

Every study has as least one opportunity for everyone in your group to write reflections and prayers in silence. This is intended to encourage people to use personal prayer journals to discover God and themselves more truly through writing. When you meet bring along a small journal or book for writing down your reflections and experiences in the coming studies.

Leader's Notes

Preparation is "Prayer-paration" - Read through all the material for each study thoroughly, including the Bible passages. Make your preparation as the group leader an act of worship. Anticipate meeting with Christ yourself as you take up this responsibility.

Reading for Learning - Use a modern translation of the Bible in any language for the study sessions. Discourage the use of ancient English if English is your preference in the group. Suggested translations to use in these studies are the New International Version or the New Revised Standard Version. Follow any special reading instructions carefully. If no special instructions are given for a reading method, choose a confident reader to read the set passage as a whole, so that texts in each study session are heard clearly by everyone in the group.

Leading by Listening - Most important of all in the actual session, be a listener! Encourage and invite participation from each person in the group. A group leader who does all the talking prevents the growth of the group. If someone is dominating the discussion take the initiative to thank her or him for contributing and invite someone else to speak. Don't be afraid of silences. Try to borrow or buy a copy of The Small Group Leader's Handbook, (IVP), 1995, to help you assess your own gifting as a small group leader.

Growing in Pastoral Care - One thing you will need to prepare yourself for as a leader, is that the studies will raise a number of difficult and painful questions or emotional responses in group members. For example, how will you respond to a person who discloses her HIV status in the group? Think prayerfully about how you should respond to issues that may come up in particular studies. Acquire knowledge about helpful resources in your community, such as HIV/AIDS help-lines or counseling services. Read the two Bible Study Helps in the appendices at the back of the book on the topics of gender and sexuality to enrich your thinking about these topics. Find out about volunteer programmes at your local hospital, so that you can help group members to link themselves up with people with HIV/AIDS. See if you can borrow or buy Understanding People: Deep Longings for Relationship, Lawrence Crabb, Zondervan, USA, 1987, to help you learn new skills as a Christian counsellor.

Remember your limitations. What can be done or said, in the face of HIV/AIDS relies entirely on the grace of Christ himself residing in you.

Acknowledgements

This Bible study series is the result of the creativity and hard work of many people. First, great many thanks go to the Students' Christian Organisation (S.C.O.) staff workers Mamah Ntombela, Lebo Ramasike, Motseki Sosibo, Calvin Mojapelo, Zama Gantsho, Patrick Mahlangu, Barry Haschik, Ros Irlam and Carolyn Carney for taking time off their busy schedules to be a part of this project. Thank you Carolyn for your Bible Study Help on Gender. Thanks to Amy Gichinga and Nancy Kahuthia from the Fellowship of Christian Unions, Kenya, for your thoughtful comments and suggestions on the manuscript. I also wish to thank Vinoth Ramachandra of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in Sri Lanka, for your valuable suggestions and contributions to the editing phase of the book.

My sincere thanks go to all the students country-wide for the meaningful contributions you gave when we were testing the studies. Your thoughts and suggestions helped in highlighting the real issues shaping these studies.

Dave and Sally Ivaska of IFES Southern Africa, your vision to see staff workers write and publish Bible study material, and your passionate commitment to the process have inspired all who have worked together towards this goal. Thank you for your love, for giving of yourselves and your resources to ensure that this project was a success. Your wisdom in the writing and editing phases was invaluable. Your support cannot be quantified. It has been a joy working together. Thanks also to your home church, First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, Illinois, for financial support towards Ses'khona.

To Jim and Heather Johnston, thank you for sharing your experience and giving of your time to work on these studies. Your welcome to us at Beth Shalaam provided an environment conducive for reflection, creativity and hard work. We were truly at home.

Allen Goddard, thank you for rewriting and editing the studies, for writing the introduction and leader's notes, and for the Bible Study Help on Sexuality. My heartfelt thanks go to Joyann Goddard for releasing Allen to make his contribution to the book, and for opening your home to the editing team.

Thank you Gert Swart and for your cover design, and Allen Goddard for the photography. [not reproduced for the website -ed.]

Last but in no ways least, I give thanks to God who has been the author, the strength and the guide in this process. We saw our lives changed and perceptions shaped as we went through the life of Jesus Christ. We could say this has not been another project, but a life-changing process for all of us.

Bongiwe Dumezweni Pietermartizburg
Ses'khona Programme Co-ordinator October 2002

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