The Presbyterian Church of Mauritius organized an interactive meeting on the emergence of the United Protestant Church (United Church) on March 13 at the Jean Le Brun Center. The meeting brought together pastors from the Presbyterian, Anglican and Protestant Evangelical Churches. The moderator was Rev. Peter Witbooi, former Methodist Bishop of South Africa and Leader of the United Church in that country. The guest was the personal chaplain of President Nelson Mandela.
Pastor Witbooi gave an overview of the history of the United Church of South Africa. He spoke of a large meeting which brought together the leaders of four Protestant Churches: Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church, Anglican Church, Congregationalist Church. Objective: to study the possibility of bringing together the aforementioned confessions. This agreement came to fruition in 1993 with the emergence of United Church of South Africa. A conciliation is adopted while respecting the traditions of each denomination. “A Sharing Ministry, all become one,” cried Pastor Witbooi, who cited Jesus’ priestly prayer for Unity. The respective leaders (of United Church) meet regularly to decide on the practices to adopt (Vision and Mission). The Synod meets every 4 years.