Thousands test CT stadium

2010-03-23 10:03

Theuns van der Westhuizen and Jana Breytenbach, Die Burger

Cape Town – The roughly 50 000 Christians who on Monday packed the Cape Town Stadium to listen to evangelist Angus Buchan and to pray for the stadium ahead of the World Cup, showed that the city was all set for the event.

Thousands of Christians streamed into the Cape Town stadium from about 11:00 for the Jesus for Cape Town rally – one of several prayer days in World Cup stadiums countrywide – and where Buchan was the big drawcard.

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille was one of the dignitaries at the event.

Everything, including the transport arrangements to and from the stadium, went smoothly and there were no crime-related incidents, said Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato.

Test run

Monday's event was the stadium's third and biggest test run for the World Cup.

Buchan read from Psalm 37 and said several opportunities were knocking on South Africa's door. South Africans also now had the opportunity to show visitors how God could improve the lives of people and also how different religious groups could live together in peace.

The second part of his sermon focused on the role that the man played in the family. He said the man was the leader of the family and he took a serving role of authority, families would heal easier.

"Children will then reach for God and not for drugs, because their fathers don't."

Earlier commissioner Mzwandile Petros, the Western Cape police commissioner, called on Christians to get involved in the fight against crime in the Western Cape.

- Die Burger