17th June 2010

At 8.30pm this evening I received a call from Robin Greenwood – the Diocesan Administrator.
Bishop Rubin asked him to call me to inform me of the Diocesan Trustees’ decision regarding our building project.

The Trustees have NOT approved our project as they have concerns which they wish to raise with us.

A delegation led by Bishop Nkosinathi and including Robin and two other trustees will come to the parish to meet with the project team and discuss the two concerns they have –
a) The funding of the R605,000 shortfall, and
b) The cost of submitting the plans to the Municipality.

The delegation has been charged to help us resolve the concerns and report back to the next meeting of the Diocesan Trustees which will meet on the 26th August.

I asked Robin whether, as the concerns regard the financial aspects of the project we could assemble all the Municipal submission documents and get them to Bishop Rubin for signature – as Chairman of the Trustees he has to sign all the documents.
Robin told me that it would not be possible as Rubin is leaving on his sabbatical on Tuesday – flying overseas for five weeks.


My thoughts
1. Why send a ‘delegation’ headed by a bishop to discuss two issues which we could resolve ourselves? Is there another agenda?
2. If we have to delay for two months we are not going to complete the church by the end of March 2011.
3. Is the Lord, who builds the house, closing a door?

This is SO VERY frustrating, especially as the Bishop had assured Bill and Carol that the Trustees meeting was just a rubber stamp.
I am angry that the Bishop, although he has continuously assured us that he is right behind the project and that he wants to see us get underway as soon as possible, then does not deliver.
He gave me the go-ahead to get onto the site ages ago - 19th JANUARY!!!!!! - and here we are 5 months later, still without the official 'Go'