from daily bread
to the Bread of life
Welcome to the webpage of
Bethlehem Foundation Canada
Bethlehem Foundation Canada has been established as the Canadian branch of the Dutch Bethlehem Foundation (Stichting Bethlehem). This makes it possible for people from Canada to support the missionary and evangelistic activities and material aid that the Bethlehem Foundation provides in South Africa. Bethlehem Foundation Canada endorses the same goals as the Dutch foundation, as described below.
View our Purposes or read more about the financial information.
Kind regards Board of Directors,
Eric Van Maren | Brad Neels | John Treur | Art Dekker
From daily bread to the living Bread
Hunger, poverty, and no prospects for the future. This is what the inhabitants of the townships in South Africa have to deal with on a daily basis. There is also another need: many are unfamiliar with the Word of God and therefore do not know what is needed to have a true perspective. Today and in the future. The Bethlehem Foundation wants to be there for the townships around Pretoria. Bethlehem Foundation has contracted with Stichting Bethlehem to execute two projects: 1) Operation and Maintenance of an Elderly Home in Hammanskraal, and 2) providing food packages in Refilwe. The trust that is built by these two projects, makes room for the proclamation of the Word of God. Stichting Bethlehem organizes missionary and evangelistic services, offer Bible studies for the elderly, tell Bible stories to the children, and leave Bibles and meditations in the homes of the people. By offering this support we hope to create room and trust for a conversation about the Lord and His Word. From bread to the Bread!
Project #1 Elderly Home
Hammanskraal South Africa
The Elderly Home is currently in use as a care home for the terminally ill and old people that cannot be taken care of by their family. All patients are elderly and are mentally or physically disabled. The Elderly Home is situated on the compound in Hammanskraal, which is owned by Stichting Bethlehem’s partner organization Tshepo Ke Lesedi Care for Elders. Stichting Bethlehem is the employer of the employees currently working in the Elderly Home.
Stichting Bethlehem will manage and carry out the operations of the Elderly Home through providing basic necessities of life, including health care, to the elderly patients who live there and to those in the surrounding community who are in need, who require basic health care services and who otherwise would not have access to a clinic or medical professionals. In order to provide more care for increased capacity, the Contractor plans to hire a fulltime medical worker to carry out these activities and to provide basic health care services to those in need in the surrounding community.
The duties of the medical worker will include the following:
- identifying complaints and/or deterioration in patients (increasing complaints, such as shortness of breath, etc.) and referring patients to medical professionals and/or treatment if necessary
- accompanying patients with medical needs, for example to visit a clinic or to seek psychological help
- supporting patients with general activities of daily living
- listening and offering psychological support to patients
- providing basic health information to those in need, including information about:
- hygienebasic wound care (such as rinsing and bandaging the wound)
- pressure ulcers (such as changing positions)
- medication intake (for example, that it is important not to skip HIV medication)
- dental care
- bringing patients to the clinic and the hospital who are in need and who have no other means of transportation
At no time will Stichting Bethlehem provide any medical advice or carry out any diagnostic or core medical services such as wound care, infusion therapy, providing prescriptions and/or diagnosing and advising on treatment of illnesses or diseases.
project #2 Provision of Food Packages
Many individuals and families within the community of Refilwe and Hammanskraal are in need of food and basic necessities of life. Recent increases in inflation have increased the cost of food and other basic necessities throughout South Africa which has particularly impacted those in need in Refilwe and Hammanskraal, South Africa.
BFC will engage Stichting Bethlehem to prepare and provide food packages to those in need in Refilwe and Hammanskraal, South Africa. A typical food package will consist of:
- Cornflour
- Washing liquid
- Full cream milk
- Tea bags
- Laundry bars
- Canned fish
- Brown sugar
- Potatoes
- Cooking oil
- Oats
Vacancy Missionary Worker
A missionary worker feels called to pass on God's Word to people who are not or hardly familiar with it on the work fields in South Africa. He passes on the Biblical message to them in all simplicity, praying if the Lord will bless that spoken word. This happens both during (evangelistic) meetings and during personal contact. The missionary worker is permitted to do this because of his appointment by the Deputation for Missions and Evangelization (DZE), which has been given the authority to appoint missionary workers by the synod of the Gereformeerde Gemeenten in Nederland. The explanation of God's Word will always go hand in hand with a compassionate, pastoral willingness to help and with mercy towards one's neighbour. The missionary worker is part of the team of field workers and missionary workers, led by the General Manager, and contributes to this team, among other things, by thinking together about the way in which the propagation of the Biblical message can be carried out in line with our mission.
Job Requirements
- Professing member of the RCNA (GGiN).
- Rooted in the Reformed doctrine as it is propagated in the RCNA(GGiN).
- Wholehearted attachment to God's Word and the Three Forms of Unity.
- Desire to be of service in God's kingdom on the mission field and a knowledge that he is called to do so (or feels called to work on the mission field).
- Willingness to live in South Africa indefinitely.
- Proficiency in the English language (minimum B2 level).
- Willingness to learn one or more local languages.
- Ability to empathize with and deal with cultural differences.
- Someone who has undergone personal development that enables him to fulfill this position in a good way, and who is willing to continue to develop.
Main activities
- Organize and lead simple Bible classes.
- Co-develop materials for evangelism and training.
- Provide pastoral guidance to the people who are being served, both in groups and in their home environment.
- Be a point of contact for pastoral questions.
- Teach catechism classes to local staff.
- Equip local staff and Bible class attendees.
- Hold week openings with (local) colleagues.
Specification of activities
- Compiling evangelistic materials and materials for equipment;
- Preparing and telling a Bible story to the different groups;
- Selecting and teaching Psalms/songs to the different groups;
- Selecting and teaching Bible verses to the different groups.
- Consulting with the Field Manager and local managers about the planning of visits, working methods and the provision of practical help in emergencies.
- Consulting with the General Manager about developments and choices to be made regarding the proclamation of God's Word.
Organizational relations Interested?
Please send your application, with CV and motivation, to mr. R. van Ommeren (reinald@stichtingbethlehem.nl). For more information please send an email or call +31 (0)6 53408148.
Support the work
of Bethlehem in South Africa
Donations are welcome through your church or e-transfer to info@bethlehemfoundation.ca
For more information or questions send us an email using the botton below.
Bethlehem Foundation Canada | Suite 202 – 45793 Luckakuck Way | Chilliwack, BC V2R 5S3
Phone: 604.847.0702 | email: info@bethlehemfoundation.ca | website: www.bethlehemfoundation.ca
