2025 CDS Annual Conference

INTRODUCTION/ BACKGROUND 
In the past three weeks from 6 to 20 October 2024, I’ve decided to attend Willows Methodist Church (WMC) services at its premises, 821 Meerlust Rd, Equestria, Pretoria, 0184 for my ethnographic research. 
Willows Methodist Church (WMC) is a denominational church under the Global Methodist Church and Southern Methodist Church in South Africa which is a "spirit-filled" ministry in Gauteng, Pretoria. This Willows Methodist Church is one-hundred-year old and started at Hartfield area near the city centre of Pretoria which is the capital city of the Republic of South Africa. 
The reason for me to choose this particular congregation is because the church house was built and pastured by Rev. Jim Ramage who was my pastor at Sinoville Methodist Church (SMC) where my wife (Jackie Bongo) was part of his worship team and I served under the Christian education for children ministry at the Sunday school. He (Jim) served this particular congregation for nearly 20 years and built the church house which became one of the most leading congregations within the centurion circuit who carries other churches in terms of finances and different church programs. But most importantly, this particular church has positioned itself to reflect the desired demographic setting of South Africa that embraces the diversity. 
I was very excited to know that Rev. James Ramage was the one who built this particular church and therefore I became curious to know whether his ultimate goal to have all people saved from their sins regardless of their background including his dedication to reach out the most vulnerable people among ourselves through “feed a friend” still exists but more importantly to research on any topic that emerges as a potential theme during my field work.
The demographic of the church has dramatically changed over the past decade to count 40% black, 30% White, 15% coloured, and 15% coloured/Metis in an area which was previously known as a white suburb. The church has the potential to grow exponentially because of its demographical composition of the youth which stands at 80% black, 15% white, and 5% coloured. 
The change can be interpreted to be the result of the migration of black people moving to an upper socio-economic class’ suburb which constitutes a positive movement for a significant fraction of the majority of population including diplomats to settle down in this high market area. Through my interactions with few parishioners and church leaders, they told me that the people are coming here because the church is responding well to the needs of this social class of people by the convenience of the location, affiliation to the denomination including its diversified liturgical expressions of praises for God which are comparable with those of Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. The young people are more excited to sing the new popular songs instead of the reading from hymn books as it is done in mainline churches.   
The resident pastor of the church is Rev. Graeme Mercer (White man) who is retiring the end of November 2024 and serves also as a Superintendent of the Centurion Circuit. Charmain Fourie is the Deacon (White female) of church was ordained this year in June 2024 at the National Methodist Synod held at the Eastern Cape in South Africa. With the growth of the youth group mentioned above, the church has recently hired a vibrant youth pastor (David Stryers) who is at his late forties (coloured man). 
According to the constitution of the church, the stewards serve at the highest organisational structure of the church which constitutes the board of the church and have the deciding power on the direction of the congregation (Andre Van der Bergh, personal interview, October 30, 2024).
I didn’t just walk in the church to do my ethnographic research which in my view couldn’t constitute a major challenge but out of respect and concern of the right procedure, I went the previous week to announce my visit of which I wanted a consent from the pastor on behalf of the board to carry out my research. But unfortunately, the Resident Minister (Mercer) who is retiring this November 2024 travelled to Cape Town to look for a retirement home. Subsequently, I met the Deacon instead who didn’t have a problem about it since according to her, the prospective information gathered through this study, if revealed can explain different perceptions of parishioners in the way they run the church activities.  
The Methodist churches in South Africa are mostly built on their own private premises where they house both Sunday and church schools, kitchens and other facilities for social events gatherings. This church building is not different from others especially because it has been built by the same Pastor (Jim) who is gifted and established himself as a church house builder at the district’s level. Willows Methodist Church is housed in a modern building, spacious which accommodates more less 750 hundred congregants, and have a modern orchestra for a vibrant worship team led by the Youth Pastor (David). WMC has a corporate bloc office next to the assembly hall including a nursery for infants of one mirror view that enables parents follow the proceedings of the church service while attending to their children. 
At the entrance, the ushers hand out welcoming pack including an extract of the sermon as they greet the incoming worshippers. There is a Bible on each seat/pew to follow Bible references given during the sermon. The altar is spacious enough to accommodate the worship team to perform and to allow people to congregate when they partake the Lord’s super.  
On the day of my research process, some people wanted to know what I was doing because they saw me with a board and a paper so that I can write everything I was watching and hearing, and I told them the purpose of my visit which was to conduct an ethnographic research.  I took this opportunity to tell them that I was a student and that the research was just for the academic purpose only.
In those days of my research, I used participant-observation approach which is part of a qualitative research method where I (researcher) collected observational data during three (3) direct observations which were conducted at the church’s building. I was present in three (3) consecutive church services on Sundays from 09:15 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., and went before the normal time and remained for social hour after each service to talk to various people on what happened in the church service to gather more information. Handwritten field notes in a book was a way I documented my observations made during fieldwork. I conducted three (3) loosely structured interviews with the youth Pastor (David Streyers); the leader of “Ransom foundation” which is the Church outreach ministry (Andre Van der Bergh), and the Sunday School Superintendent (Lidy Van der Bergh) including informants (I didn’t change the names of leaderships’ members as they agreed not to use anonymous names because they are public figures of the church). However, I used anonymous names for informants. 
Each of these interviews lasted more less 45 minutes, semi-structured in its forms, and were recorded in my phone. Additionally, in those loose structured interviews, I engaged few church members in informal talks after services in an in-person gathering of people for the purpose of promoting friendship. I gathered available tools and products designed for the public including church announcements.  
Methodist church is known to serve the poor, the disadvantaged, the elderly, and the jailed through the outreach ministry called “feed a friend.” As a ministering body, they have found their niche to reach out the surrounding communities. This study focussed on conditions which might account for their growth by highlighting-mainstream, strong beliefs to reach out the lost through their love for the neighbour which constitutes the quality of their leadership.