she came from a background of abuse and had been led to the Lord by Rev. Victor in 1981. Many had testimonies of how the Lord had delivered them from crime, drugs and depravity. Now they are dedicated to winning the lost. “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16
To Save His Neighbour
Rev. Pieter Victor died saving a neighbour from a home invasion. When he heard his neighbour screaming, he rushed around to help. He found three armed men tying up this woman. He intervened and was shot dead by the assailants. Rev. Victor was 68 years old. It is ironic, that having survived decades of ministry in some of the most dangerous parts of the city, he was murdered in what we would consider to be “safe” suburb.
The Message of Pieter Victor
We praise the Lord for the dedication and evangelistic vision of Rev. Pieter Victor. He often said: “The middle letter of sin is ‘I’. Selfishness is at the heart of our problems. The middle letter of lie is ‘I’. The middle letter of pride is ‘I’. The middle letter of Lucifer is ‘I’. We are our own worst enemies. Selfishness is at the heart of sin. The only place that ‘I’ should be in the middle of is Saviour.” “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
To Seek and to Save the Lost
On the streets we had many interesting and frequently in-depth discussions with people going in and out of pubs, bars,
night clubs and roaming the streets. We encountered many Nigerians, Congolese, and foreign tourists. Muslims, new agers, atheists, rastafarians, backsliders who claimed to be Christians even while being involved in blatant sin, people evidently on drugs or seriously drunk. Yet, most of the people we encountered were plainly respectful of each of us who wore the yellow vests. Evidently Straatwerk has earned the respect of many of the night life people who frequent Long Street.
Straatwerk
Straatwerk believes that they are called to have a visible Christian presence in the city centre. They are called to be of service to those who are in need, to ease their distress and to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Their servant evangelism focuses on deeds of love, words of love and the perfect timing of God. Straatwerk believes that God wants to end all forms of sexual abuse, prostitution and pornography, through focussed prayer and compelled action. They have a number of initiatives aimed at rescuing women out of prostitution. They also have an outreach ministry to the destitute and desperate, which involved a series of rehabilitation programmes for people who are not yet able to act productively and responsively. These people they mobilise to clean up the streets, removing litter, pollution, cleaning off illegal posters, graffiti – the grime that so often goes along with crime. One
of their initiatives to combat human trafficking, sexual abuse and prostitution is the: Valuable to Jesus campaign, which includes a video presentation designed for screening at schools. For more information you can contact Straatwerk at: admin@straatwerk.org.za or phone them at 021-930-8055. Their website is www.straatwerk.org.za.
Who Will Go?
We praise God for this dedicated community who are shining the light of the Gospel in dark places of the inner city. Every church needs an evangelistic ministry into their local areas. We pray that more churches in Cape Town would train their members in personal, oneon-one evangelism and mobilise them to join Straatwerk in making a positive difference in the lives of broken people on the streets. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’” Matthew 9:37-38 Dr. Peter Hammond
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