Alex church takes to cleaning up its community

It was a busy weekend for Busani Emmanuel Ngubane Presbyterian (BE Ngubane Presbyterian) Curch members as they decided to forgo their workship session to take part in cleaning the streets of Alexandra as a way to integrate their church with the community.

The clean-up took place on 29 May and according to the church’s Rev Dr. Wonke Buqa, they managed to fill up 14 garbage bags of rubbish collected along Selborne Street from 4th to 12th Avenue.

Buqa’s leadership impact and influence on the congregation was visible on the clean-up day, as the operation looked more of an organised company that had been hired to carry out the cleaning project than a congregation that had volunteered its time.

“We did not face any challenges while doing the clean-up,” said Buqa, “Most people thought we were a company that is offering cleaning opportunities.

“When we shared who we are some requested us to pray with them and confess to having lost faith as the result of Covid-19.”

The clean-up was initiated by the reverend himself and led by a group of men within his church called Men’s Fellowship Forum and accompanied by women and youth.

“The motivation behind the clean-up is to get involved in the life and work of our community, integrating the church into society.

“The church should not be exclusive on the daily challenges of the community. We want to be an understanding and learning church.”

Speaking to Alex News, Buqa believes that if they work together with the community members, they can do more than just a clean-up. He said this was just a gas to hype what’s coming next and the plan is to get to know the people’s needs, listen to their challenges and help where they can.

The City of Johannesburg also added a helping hand as they supplied the church members with refuse bags and gloves for the clean-up.