OUR LEADERS

OUR LEADERS

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.”

Matthew 20:25-27

MCSA Garden Route Circuit

St Thomas Methodist Church is a member of the Garden Route Circuit – a geographical area that extends from Sedgefield to Storms River. The Superintendent Minister of this Circuit is the Reverend Rodney Jamieson of Knysna. The Garden Route Circuit in turn is a member of the Grahamstown District – a region that extends up the coastline from Sedgefield to Peddie (in the Eastern Cape) and includes large areas of the Karroo encompassing towns such as Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg. The District is managed by Bishop Andile Mbete who is based in Port Elizabeth. The Garden Route Circuit has four elected lay people called Circuit Stewards who assist the Superintendent with Circuit management while St. Thomas society in Plettenberg Bay is managed by the resident Minister, who is assisted by two groups of lay people elected by the congregation called Society Stewards and Deacons. The Society Stewards are responsible for the work and running of our church while the Deacons are responsible for the stewardship of our finances.

Rev Timothy Rist

Starting his ministry as a full-time youth pastor in Kwa Zulu Natal, Tim’s education and training culminated in his Ordination in 1992. Tim holds a Master of Theology degree from Rhodes University. He has ministered to congregations in Mandini (Zululand), Lorne Street and Mayville (Durban), Trinity Methodist (Bloemfontein) as well as being stationed as Chaplain to Kingswood College (Grahamstown) – a position he occupied for nine years before moving to the rural setting of the Salem Circuit near Kenton-on-sea. Tim joined St. Thomas Methodist in December 2015. He has a heart for preaching and teaching and believes emphatically that the health of a church should not simply be measured by worship attendance on a Sunday, but more importantly, by the projects the church is involved in with the local community. Mission work is central to his understanding of his calling.

Pastor Colleen Stringer

From a young age Colleen experienced the “call of God” on her life in a convent in Portstewart, Northern Ireland. She graduated from Teacher Training College and relocated to Johannesburg, S.A. Colleen studied at Rhema Bible Training College (RBTC) and continued training in Christian Counselling at Selwyn Hughes College (CWR) in Farnham, London and at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) becoming a pastor and lecturer at RBTC and now a pastor at St. Thomas Methodist Church in Plettenberg Bay.

Pastor Troy Rist

The newest addition to our ministry team, Troy comes to us with an undergraduate degree from Rhodes University in Instrumental Musical Studies and Philosophy as well as an Honours Degree in Theology from the Shofar Christian Institute. Troy has always had a heart for serving God, and a deep thirst for God’s word. Music is central to his life, and he enjoys working with others in music ministry. In 2016, Troy volunteered a ‘year his life’ to Every Nation Church in Grahamstown, working deeply with Rhodes university students, and learning the ropes of Church administration. While on a Mission trip to Zimbabwe he felt within his Spirit the strong pull of God calling him into full time Ministry. Troy has also benefited from the leadership of Rev Tim Marshall at Kingswood College in working with high school students. He has great interest in Christian Apologetics and is an avid follower of Dr John Lennox, Ravi Zaccharais and Prof William Lain Craig.

Every Member in Ministry

At STMC we are blessed to have so many willing servants who are called to lead in the many and varied areas of ministry. We firmly believe in “every member in ministry” for a growing and dynamic congregation and community. Should you be interested in learning more about any of our areas of ministry please fill in the “Contact Us” form and we will put you in touch with the relevant people,

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