It's Easter Sunday evening and the past three or four days have been a bit of a whirlwind. We left Livingstone, Zambia mid Thursday afternoon and arrived in Johannesburg about and hour and half later. We were met at the Airport by Gerry he is the General Secretary of the Uniting Presbyterian Church of South Africa. He arranged for us to have coffee at the airport and briefly to go over our timetable for the coming days. The idea is that we will experience two very different styles of congregations that make up the uniting Presbyterian Church here in South Africa.

Our first visit  that evening was to St Columba's. We were met by the minister Rev Dr Chunky Young a delightful white South African minister who gave us a warm welcome. Chunky described his congregation as a predominately white congregation that seeks to pursue a more liberal theology while maintaining a traditional liturgy that embraces classical organ music.

I  was invited to preach the following day on Good Friday. I was somewhat surprised to see the church almost completely full. I preached about the dereliction of Christ and the hidden and revealed nature of the meaning of the cross. Some members of congregation along with Chunky entertained us all afternoon starting with a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant and ending back at one of their homes for tea and coffee and some whiskey tasting for those who wished to imbibe.

Next day being Saturday it was up bright and early to face a three and a half hour journey south to Newcastle. Our drivers arrived and it was back on the road again to meet up with three joint congregations under the leadership of Rev Vuyani Zepe. When we arrived to received an amazing Zulu welcome. Yes real Zulu dancers and that is how it continued from one dance to the next, from one song to the next. Easter certainly was well celebrated here in Newcastle. Tomorrow, Easter Monday, we'll visit some of the social outreach programmes run by this congregation.