On Resurrection Sunday Ariella Ministries and Vuka Africa Foundation, in partnership with other ministries, held a special Zoom service to launch their 50-Days of Healing the Nation campaign.
During the three-hour online event Chief Justice Mogoeng, who was the main speaker, accepted an invitation to lead the campaign which involves taking daily Scriptures of hope, healing and restoration like medicine and proclaiming them over South Africa from Resurrection Sunday to the Day of Pentecost.
The service was attended by over 170 people of all races from across the nation on Zoom and was broadcast live on Facebook. What was unknown to many was that the SABC news channel had picked up the story and was broadcasting the service live to the nation [See video below].
This virtual meeting was a continuation of a series of Vuka Africa prayer meetings focused on national healing that have taken place in SA over the years, and were intensified with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. The last of these meetings was held on March 25, the day before the start of the national lockdown. That meeting was, in fact, inspired by a call to prayer by Mogoeng, and the chief justice was also a surprise attendee at that gathering.
Among the speakers at Sunday’s Zoom service were Pastor Amanda le Roux of Ariella Ministries, from Mpumalanga , who shared her passion for the healing of the continent and faith in the power of the word of God to heal. This had made it easy for her to join forces with Apostle Linda Gobodo of Vuka Africa Foundation and visionary of the 50-Days of Healing the Nation campaign.
Prophet Laurette Mkati, a Scottish missionary who has been based in SA for many years and is a leader in the SA Prayer Movement for Change (SAPMC) was one of the speakers. She reminded the congregation that while everyone was celebrating that Jesus rose from the dead, they should remember that He was resurrected over 2000 years ago and was presently waiting to see the power of His resurrection manifested through His people, the Church.
She spoke about the calling of South Africans to take the Gospel to the nations — including her nation the United Kingdom — that once were reformed by the power of the Gospel and now are in need of God’s Word again.
The next speaker was Apostle Mpho Mosoeu of Agape Family Church, who shared about the importance of remembering the power God demonstrated over Passover when he delivered Israel from Egypt and how he confronted Pharoah who wouldn’t let go of God’s people. He urged the Church to confront things that are keeping people bound, with boldness and confidence that God wants to set His people free from all forms of bondage.
Gobodo, who spoke next, shared how the current 50-Days of Healing the Nation prayer campaign was preceded by a similar campaign born in 2017 after she visited all the provinces of SA to encourage people to arise and do business in Africa but found they were to hurt, disappointed and angry to receive her message of hope.
Introducing the Chief Justice, who spoke after her, she shared how, while she was praying one morning some years ago, the Lord rebuked her and the Church for failing to pray for righteous people to occupy influential positions. The Lord subsequently revealed to her that He had chosen Mogoeng — who she did not know at that time — to become SA’s next chief justice. She said she had shared these experiences with SAPMC and together they began to seek and pray for Mogoeng.
She also shared how Mogoeng had walked with the healing campaign from its birth in March 2017, to their launch of the first 100-Days of Healing campaign as well as in consultation meetings last year in Sandton and in Soweto and Shaperville, townships that had experienced much pain and trauma in the apartheid era.
At both township consultations, elders prayed for Mogoeng, acknowledging him as a “David” figure raised by God to bring hope and to lead the nation into her prophetic destiny.
In his address Mogoeng Mogoeng drew many examples from the life of David that demonstrated a new leadership model required for the nation to move forward and fulfil its prophetic destiny.
He said the five stones that David used to slay Goliath, had been made smooth and clean from the brook — speaking of the purity and holiness of those who were surrendered to being used by the Lord. The five stones also represented principles that South Africa and Africa needed to embrace to realise their prophetic destinies — namely, healing, integrity, excellence, meritocracy and pragmatism, he said.
He highlighted healing as key for the nation and the continent to move forward. Healing is mentioned in the preamble of the SA Constitution and there remains a need to heal divisions of the nation’s past.
Mogoeng highlighted that David was a leader who relentlessly pursued the healing of the division of the nation that began when Saul began to pursue him, dividing those who supported David and those who didn’t.
After Saul had died and David became king over all Israel, he focused on healing the division of their past and uniting the nation. He made sure that factionalism was not tolerated, even when his army commander killed Saul’s army commander Abner. He distanced himself from Abner’s death, clearly sending a message that he did not condone the behaviour of one of his leaders.
Earlier in the virtual service Gobodo had asked Mogoeng if he would lead to the Healing Campaign, talking to him as a pastor and minister of the gospel. Due to technical glitches no one heard his answer. After his address someone on the floor sent a message to the moderator asking that he respond to the earlier question. Participants expressed joy when he assented.
A national steering committee, including leaders from each province and several additional members, has been set up to drive the campaign in the provinces.
The campaign has received an overwhelmingly positive response from across the nation, with many people sharing testimonies of how much hope was restored in their hearts through Sunday’s online event.
You can join the 50-Days of Healing the Nation Campaign by emailing a request to info@vukaafricafoundation.co.za