WhatsApp weekly update: 3–8 November 2025

A year ago, we landed in the USA thanks to ICMEP in Fort Wayne, its director Michael Spath, the Caldwells and many many other wonderful people. We had a Eucharist service at Volmoed with Archbishop Rowan Williams and then left for the USA. One day we will write up this incredible story of our 17-day 10 city/town USA 2024 visit entitled “Drumming for Unity and Healing”. Thank you to our dear dear friends in the USA! You all have a special place in our hearts.

Our main purpose was to visit pas.org and we were wonderfully hosted in Indianapolis by Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows and her team there! Thank you again to you and the parish that hosted us!

1. People’s generosity towards this Youth programme continue to astound us. We will write personally to those who gave so generously: for this week we say BIG thank you’s to the Tiefenthals, Dick Myers, Mary Segall, Linda Kateeb and many others. On the South African front, a young person from Gqeberha who is writing her Master’s degree on the relationship between VYLTP and Taize (Madelein) also contributed to the 10/10/10 campaign. You are all God’s angels watching over us…Thank you!
2. ⁠We had two really great volunteers with us this week. On Friday they cooked a very tasty meal for us. Thank you, Walter and Sarah!
3. ⁠On Thursday, we contributed to the Volmoed40 reflections during the normal service and afterwards. Lucia Nkwenkwe and Inga Ndalana also came to visit us!
4. ⁠The young people also drummed at the Overstrand Learning Hub on Thursday evening to welcome those who attended the first Volmoed De Gruchy lecture. It was a great evening honoring the life and work of Isobel and John de Gruchy.
5. ⁠On Friday morning we had a special visit from folks from Minnesota! One of the visitors is part of a drumming group there and she brought us 21 new T-Shirts! We shall wear it soon.
6. This week we do final preparations for our visit on 15 November to UCT GSB’s M Phil class in Innovation and the Groote Kerk in Cape Town (where Francesca Albanese recently spoke and one of our VYLTP leaders, Rev Rene August introduced her).
7. ⁠We also look forward to a visit by a good friend and supporter (Elizabeth Stong from New York!). Thank you to New York City for filling us with some hope this week!