ST PETER’S VESTRY REPORT 2026
Introduction
I have been the rector of the Parish of Formosa for 2 years and 6 months on 1 February 2026. I am grateful
for the love and support I have been receiving from the St Peter’s Family. Thank you for your generous
Christmas gift and for your continued care for me and Hilton, especially last year. Last year has been
challenging as I had to step away from my ministry due to burn out. It was not only my work at Formosa, but
the accumulation of a few years of stress. My journey through the Church since my ordination in December
1999 has not always been easy, but I give thanks to God for carrying me and my family. I have been blessed
with a wonderful supportive husband and am grateful to God for Hilton who continues to support me.
The past 2 years have been a time of finding my feet and experimenting with different methods to manage
the six chapelries. Apart from getting to know many people it has been a process of learning about each
chapelry – watching and listening through the guidance of God. Change is never easy and settling in takes
time.
I am grateful to a wonderful team of people who work with me in the office. We are blessed with wonderful
people at St Peter’s. Thank you to Ms. Amanda McCann, our Administrator, Ms. Genevieve Frost, our
Bookkeeper, to Mr Johannes Mitchell, Mr Lindani Peter and Ms Monica Mtana. Some of them have often
walked the extra mile over the past year. We thank God for each of them.
A huge thank you to our Wardens Mr Richard Houston, Ms Philippa Sauvenier and Ms Cecilia Millar, our
alternate. We have been working together very well and I thank God for them.
• Vision for St Peter’s
Ever since I arrived, I have been challenged by the vision of St Peter’s on our leaflet – “To be a vibrant, spirit-
filled community built up in Christ…” as I asked myself, “Is St Peter’s a community? Are we a group of
Christians who share our faith, worship together and know each other? A group of people who believe that
we are all connected because we are the Body of Christ. I do believe we are not yet. Some of us have been
sitting in the same seat for many years and therefore know only those who usually sit near to me
for example. So, we continue to dream of a congregation where all are active members who
understand that we all need to play our part through loving service to God.
Working together and being aware of our connection to each other is part of our foundational
values. 1 Corinthians 12: 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
It is expected of us to be aware of our connectedness to each other. St Paul uses the image of the
Body of Christ for the Church and therefore we are each other’s keeper as followers of Christ. As
the Body of Christ, we need to not only be aware of each other but also act in awareness that my
actions have an impact on the next person.
We have different ministries and all need people to function. There is no growth in people getting
involved. We are grateful to the loyal, hard-working sisters and brothers who have been serving
God by being involved in the different ministries. However, we need more people to get involved:
• Sacristans; Altar Servers; Lay Ministers
• Sides people and Readers
• Catering and social gatherings; Fundraising; Maintenance
• Social Responsibility; Education (Sunday School & Confirmation)
• Youth; Support Groups and Guilds
Working with other Chapelries
We again used some special services as an opportunity to come together as a parish. These were
supported by all the chapelries in most cases, although there is still space for us to improve. St
Peter’s hosted the Thanksgiving Service as well as the last service of Revd. Carol and we are grateful
for your hospitality. May we continue to find opportunities to gather as a parish during the new
year. May we grow in love, learn to belong and serve God better as the Body of Christ.
• Our Ordained and Lay Ministers
I give thanks for the ministry of Revd Carol Starkey that ended at the Parish of Formosa at the end
of January 2026. We wish her well as she continues to serve God at St Mary, the Virgin in New
Horizon Plettenberg Bay. We are grateful that Revd. Tertia Meyer who joined the parish. She has
started to work with me even before she arrived as she agreed to prepare a Bible Study on
Nehemiah for us. She did an excellent job, and we are looking forward to working with her in the
future.
We continue to give thanks for Revd Sue Ray, and Deacon Ian Fihla who continue to share ministry
with me. A huge thank you to Revd’s Susan Rhode, Neil Weber, Simba Simanga and Gale Prinsloo
who assisted us by leading services at the different chapelries when needed. All these ordained
ministers together with our lay ministers assist in making sure that we have regular services at all
the chapelries.
We also had our regular monthly services at Formosa Garden Village and Crescent Lodge as well as
did visitation and took home communion to the sick and home bound. Thank you to Ms Cecilia
Millar and Lorna Houston for assisting us with the visits. Pastoral care was offered in different
situations – bereavements, illness, married life, relationships and personal development. As we
offer support to others, we are aware of the need to take care of our caregivers and continue to
pray for God’s guidance and provision to make sure that this happens.
I am very grateful to all lay ministers at St Peter’s – those doing flowers, sacristan work, our readers,
catering and tea committee and side-people are all lay ministers. Thank you.
• Youth
Bishop Edwin has asked that we make sure that the Youth play an active role in the Church. I
therefore encourage our adults to encourage our young people to come to church. We do have Mr
Fezile Maki responsible for Youth, and we trust that a youth group will become a reality soon.
I continue to dream about a ‘Family Service’ which starts at 10:30 once a month and where we will
have more younger families attend. We trust God to guide us in ways to make this possible in 2026.
• Thank you
I thank God for each of you. Each one of us is important to God and therefore important to me.
Thank you for supporting Hilton and me as well as our children – Joy, Philip and Stephano through
the past year. God has called us together and God will continue to guide us. May we have the
courage to follow.
Your Sister in Christ,
Melany
