Women of Reverence welcomes
Ronel Grobbelaar as our guest blogger.
Ronel Grobbelaar is happily married to Danie Grobbelaar for 24 years. She is a mother to Jordan (21yrs) and Rachel (20 yrs). Ronel together with her husband are Lead Elders at Citylife Church Umhlanga, Durban and serve on the NCMI Global Apostolic Team. They also led Lighthouse Church South Beach, Durban for 20 years. She and her husband have been in full-time ministry for
24 years!
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Heb 12:1 (NIV)
Jesus has marked our race for us, our responsibility is to run it with perseverance.
We ran our race at Lighthouse church on the Durban beachfront for 20 years.
At the tender age of 21 in 1996 Danie and I were married for 6 months and then the baton
was handed on to us.
We will full of the Holy Spirit but clueless on how to lead a church. God told us to place no confidence in our flesh, to do what he tells us to do and to say what he tells us to say and that he is with us and he will strengthen us through his Spirit. That's how simple the call of God is.
We humbly followed his voice and allowed him to shape us for his purposes.
Hebrews 13:21(NIV) "He equips us with everything good for doing his will and he works in us what is pleasing to him."
This settled my heart and I entrusted my life to him, knowing that he will always BEST equip
me for the race he calls me to run, because he wants me to be Fruitful.
After 16 years of leading lighthouse church, in 2012, we heard Father say that he has another
race for us to run, and that it would be different terrain, different location, and different
people.
However, for us it never mattered where, what mattered was that He was with us and where
ever he would lead we would follow.
The reality of leaving our home church, where our hearts were so interwoven in the tapestry
of the community, was proving to be more painful than I anticipated. The more I thought
about having to say goodbye, the more I felt like a grieving mother, as her kids leave home
and go off to the big wide world.
My spiritual reasoning, tried to comfort me, reminding me that, this is what we raised our
kids to do, to overcome the world an to thrive. In the same way, this is what we with Jesus,
prepare the church for, to overcome the world, and to go into all the earth to advance the
Kingdom.
My rooted heart would be pulled out of the grounded community were we flourished in for so many
years, and would be transplanted in a new foreign land, all for the sake of His Kingdom being
advanced.
My soul was comforted by the tender compassion of The Holy Spirit, and I found peace in
the pain and uncertainty, because I'm rooted in Christ who is constant, yet on the move
advancing His Kingdom in and through us.
3 years later in 2015, Father sent Alan & Niki Wagner who would take over Lighthouse
church, Durban in 2017.
During this time we had been walking closely in a translocal capacity with 2 churches North
of us, for many years, sending worshippers and preachers. The one church in Umhlanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal were needing to hand over their church and simultaneously, the other church in Tongaat, Kwa-Zulu Natal also needed to hand over their church.
The NCMI team prayed with us and kept their ears on the ground for church planters.
We continued to take up some responsibility in the other 2 churches to help their leaders
prepare for transition.
No one came forward to take on the leadership after 6 months.
Both churches asked us to take on the leadership of their churches.
We prayed and decided to take on the leadership of both those churches, but keeping them
autonomous. In the year 2016 we lead 3 very different churches.
Lighthouse, a multicultural church, Umhlanga church in a more affluent area, and Tongaat,
monocultural church.
We based ourselves at the Umhlanga church, and started building relationships and teams,
running equipping times and visiting people and having them over for dinner at our home. We
did 2 Sundays at Lighthouse church 2 Sunday's at Umhlanga church and 2 in Tongaat
church.
Transition, is not about us, like parenting is not about us. Parenting is about what's best for the
children, and transition of churches is what's best for the church/people, not what suits us.
Rosters governed our lives in that year. Juggling church and 2 very sporty teens. My son was
in his Matric Year and my daughter Gr11. It was a busy time. We heard God & evangelized
on the side of cricket fields and netball courts.
We heard His voice so clearly it was beautiful. We did make time for Father in devotions and
much prayer times. If you were wondering.
After a year in 2017 God told us to hand over the baton of Lighthouse church to Alan and
Niki. We continued leading Umhlangha church and the Tongaat church.
In the May of 2017 we managed by God's grace to bring through one of the deacons from
lighthouse to lead the Tongaat church. We now only lead Citylife church Durban, and
continue to support with preachers and worshippers in 3 other churches. God is faithful.
Transition is part of life. We transition from a child to an adult, to a wife to a mother, to a
leader, to a grandmother/gogo. Our roles transition as we grow and mature in life and in the
Kingdom.
The key in transition is to continue to stay close to Jesus, walk according to the Spirit, being
lead by him, and draw our strength, from Father everyday.
We need Fathers wisdom to raise kids, in healthy happy marriages, enjoying church life as a
family.
Run your race marked out for you, with perseverance!!!
Ronel also runs an Airbnb, check it out here