The latest RFF AGM meeting in person was in 2019, Wellington
As part of being one big faith family, the members of our Reformed Family Forum (RFF) are very close to one another. Representing more than 8 million people, our members bid Kobus farewell with these words:
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“The Dutch Reformed Church is infinitely grateful to Kobus Odendaal for the enormous contribution he has made to the ecumenical community. With his exceptional benevolence, he widely built bridges and connected faith communities that stretched to the glory of the Kingdom and Church. Kobus was a mentor to many, his passion and dedication contagious; his experience and expertise precious, all of which he unselfishly shared. Kobus Odendaal, we will miss you, you were a gift to the Church and to each one of us.” Dr Gustav Claassen (DRC, South Africa)
“It has been a privilege serving with you on the Reformed Family Forum, and now an honour to wish you a well-deserved retirement. We at RFF appreciate and love all that you have done, now go appreciate and do all that you love.” Mrs Desiree Brown (URCSA, South Africa)
“Kobus, thank you for being a blessing to the RFF and the church at large. Thank you for your humble leadership, heartfelt ministry and deep love of the Lord. May the good Lord do something new in your life as you retire (Isaiah 43:19). We praise God for Kobus who has been an inspiration to us since the RFF was founded. We wish you Abusa, a blessed life after Ministry. We hope there will be an opportunity to meet Kobus and Gideon during our post-COVID-19 RFF meeting, hopefully in 2022. God of mercy is with the RFF.” Dr William Zulu (RCZ, Zambia)
“I join the family in thanking brother Kobus for the selfless work in serving the Lord. For the short time I have been with, him I realised that he had dedicated his life to God’s mission. I believe brother Kobus will still be with us. We will still tap on his wisdom.” Rev. Tebatso Menyatso (DRCB, Botswana)
“I am grateful to God for Kobus. I’ve seen him facilitating interrelationships which made me learn from other reformed families. In the corporate world, comparative advantage is gained through the sharing of activities – learning from each other so that we don’t reinvent the wheel. In addition, we had online meetings and had discussions on public theology. I was challenged that my engagement with any government or other stakeholders should be from a position of knowledge and skill. As a result, I am continuously working on my competencies to be relevant. Through Kobus’ initiatives, I became aware of sustainability issues that are major forces behind the growing concern of the concept of churches. Though you have retired from full-time work, don’t retire in service. I will definitely miss you. I hope to leverage on your experience.” Rev. Tafadzwa Masimba (RCZ, Zimbabwe)
“We are grateful to God and DRC Cape Synod for the remarkable service done by Kobus during his tenure in office. I have known brother Kobus both on personal and Church partnership levels. I wish you a blessed retirement. It has been a pleasure to have you as a liaison between family member Churches.” Rev. Charles Juro (Former General Secretary: RCZ, Zimbabwe)
“In all families, you have one or two members who have the passion and drive to keep the family together. Over the years our RFF family had Kobus Odendaal and Gideon van der Watt who had that passion, drive and love for the family. We have already said goodbye to Gideon and now we are saying goodbye to Kobus. Over the years Kobus played a pivotal role to keep the relationship between the members of our family alive. Kobus’ knowledge of and love for Africa contributed tremendously towards bringing all of us together. Kobus became a friend of us all. From all of us in the family, we would like to sincerely thank Kobus for his work and passion over the years. Thank you Kobus for sharing your gifts, talents and knowledge with us. Nothing was ever too big or too small for you to help. You and Mariëtte opened your hearts and house to the family. We thank you for that. As you transition into a different and new time of your life, we pray for God’s blessing and peace upon you! May the Lord bless you and keep you and may He make his face shine upon you!” Dr Nico Mostert (Secretary of RFF and Director: Partners in Witness DRC Free State Synod)
“On his retirement from his current vocation, I also want to appreciate Kobus as a person and acknowledge his huge contribution over many years. I have known Kobus since our student days; we were in the same class at the Stellenbosch Theological Seminary. I have always admired Kobus’ integrity and loyalty, his creativity and intelligence, his sense of justice and compassion for those who suffer injustice, his genuine love for the people and the churches (and fellow ministers) of Africa and for the African landscape. He spared no time or energy in serving the churches in the Reformed Family in Africa. I always felt safe in his presence and was attracted by his infectious laugh and zeal for life. And of course, one cannot think of Kobus apart from his lovely and equally energetic wife Mariëtte. I thank God for the gift of Kobus’ lifelong contribution. I wish him well as he will now embark on a new journey, still seeking justice for all. May God bless him and his family.” Dr Gideon van der Watt (Former RFF Secretary)
“Kobus was my senior at the theological school in Stellenbosch. Since then I have experienced him as someone who speaks the truth as he believes it. Like that time he denounced apartheid when many of us still had to wake up. And still today – when Kobus compliments someone, it really is a compliment.” Dr Andries Hoffmann (DRCA, South Africa)
“Kobus, when I think of you, I am always reminded of the words of the church historian Andrew Walls Crossing boundaries have been the lifeblood of historic Christianity. Your beloved Land Rover took you over many boundaries in Africa and you developed relationships that brought people, churches, denominations, and countries closer together. We thank you.” Prof Jurgens Hendriks (NetACT)
“When I first met Kobus in 2018, I saw a person who came across as distant, but when I came closer to him, he opened the conversation with me in a very humble manner. It is out of this conversation that I learned his theological thinking. That he is very keen on good theology in the church, a theology that insists that Christian faith is not just a set of beliefs, but a way of life-based on the teachings of Jesus. Kobus was very much interested in Public Theology on the basis that the truth of the gospel is greater than anything we could articulate. He is critical but very constructive, allowing other people’s views in the debate. His intelligence will always be needed in the Reformed Family. Kobus is very supportive of the Reformed family, and we will still consult him now as he has retired – he became our consultant. I wish him the very best and invite him to come to Lesotho to spend some time with the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA).” Rev. Nelson Posholi (LECSA, Lesotho)
“Muito obrigado. Em modo sínodo de Thumbine queremos desejar ti bom momento de repouso. Irmão combateu bom combate irmão nos juntou com todos nossos parceiros com isso agradecemos a Deus por ter irmão Kobus que Deus abençoe todo seu sacrifício de servir. E sempre teremos a falta do seu dom.” (Thank you very much. From the Synod of Thumbine, we want to wish you a good retirement. Brother, you fought the good fight, and you stood firm in this with all our partners, so we thank God for having you brother Kobus. May God bless all your sacrifices in serving. We will always miss your talents.) Rev. Joao Herbarth Kachemwue (IRM Tumbine Synod, Mozambique)
“I wish to take the opportunity to thank our brother Kobus for the work that he did as secretary. Praying for blessings to him in his next assignment.” Dr Luka Ariko (RCEA, Kenya)
“Congratulations on your retirement, Kobus. My first encounter with Kobus was when I met him in Malawi while attending the RFF’s AGM. It is difficult to forget him because I met him in a difficult situation at the airport when I arrived at Lilongwe airport without my yellow fever certificate. The police were very hard on me and wanted the reason for coming to Malawi. Somehow I was not able to quickly tell them the venue of the RFF meeting and they asked me to hand them the invitation letter. I told them Kobus Odendaal invited me to the meeting but the police could not understand why I was invited by someone in South Africa. They interrogated me seriously and after a long discussion about the invitation, I asked them to allow me to check if Kobus was in the waiting area. I was accompanied by the two police officers to the waiting bay. I looked out without seeing anyone waiting for me and was terrified. The police said they were ready to lock me up in the airport, awaiting deportation. When I saw a person rushing to receive me there at the airport I said to myself: I guess he is Kobus. I told the police this must be the person coming to fetch me, and they told me it is fine but you do not have a yellow fever certificate. The police told Kobus, “Sir, your guest does not have a yellow fever certificate, therefore we cannot allow entry unless he goes for the vaccination within the airport. (I forgot to bring the certificate.) In the process of trying to persuade the police to let me enter, Rev. Kachipapa arrived and came straight away to our rescue. He talked to the police in Chichewa and the police seemed to have a lot of respect for him and let us enter Malawi. Kobus is a good servant of God, with a high level of humility and kindness, a good listener and very committed to serving the Lord. I am glad to have known and work together with him. I have always requested him to visit us in East Africa but COVID-19 completely altered our plans. I wish you the Lord’s blessing as you proceed for retirement. I believe God is preparing you for a new experience. Remember: you are retired but not tired, the Lord bless you and your family.” Jonah Lagat (former General Secretary: RCEA, Kenya)
“On behalf of the RCA, we would like to thank you for the partnership and friendship as Manager of Witness Ministry. Although we have not met many times, we note your input in matters relating to the RCA in the Cape region. A word of gratitude for the assistance given to RCA Living Waters. I thank the Lord that our paths could have crossed. You are truly a gift to the body of Christ. All the best in the new season of ministry and life.” Akash Sirpal (RCA, South Africa)
“Brother Kobus, it was a joy working with you. I first met you in the Cape in 2012 when our beloved late brother Johan Botha introduced you to us in our renowned relationship with the Dutch Reformed Family when we visited from Nigeria. When you took over from Johan, you kept a close relationship with the NKST in Nigeria and was concerned about our development. We will miss you from that office but pray that your successor will take after you. May God bless you richly in your retirement from the office of the Witness Ministry. Remain blessed in the Lord, Amen.” Rev. Peter Gwaza Azuana (Former General Secretary: NKST, Nigeria)
“To work in the church in Africa has special challenges. Huge distances which need to be travelled. Financial challenges. In contrast to large churches such as the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, the leadership in many of the churches in other parts of Africa is small and this often leads to a feeling of isolation. What you, brother Kobus, have achieved, is to bind us together as a family, ‘with cords that cannot be broken’. For this, I personally, together with the Swaziland Reformed Church, want to thank you. This will be your legacy which I will remember and which I will always cherish. May God grant you and Mariëtte many years of health and joy in this new phase of your life. Dr Arnau van Wyngaard (SRC, Eswatini [Zwaziland])
“I have worked with Kobus for the past eight years. He is a man of high integrity who speaks the truth even if you hate to hear it. He has been very supportive to my ministry and I enjoyed working with him.” Rev. Vasco Kachipapa (CCAP Nkhoma Synod, Malawi)
“Someone told me earlier that Kobus is the perfect person to introduce me to the leadership of our church in Africa. I am very grateful for the work that he has done and the sound relationships that were developed over the years. I could walk in there at Malawi this September and immediately experience the solid foundation of trust and care. I will cherish it and continue to build on it to the best of my capacity.” Daniël de Wet (Witness Ministry: URCSA and DRC Cape, South Africa)
“It is very hard to accept that you are leaving the Commission for Witness office, Kobus. You have impacted our lives and work so heavily that we will always remember your ministry positively. For each one of us, you have been a father, a brother and a friend. Beyond your position as president of CfW, you have always shared your beautiful house and food in Cape Town with us. Your insight, experience and humble being have taught us to depend on God, all the time. Kobus, you are always most welcome to Mphatso Synod of the Reformed Church in Mozambique. At this stage, taking into consideration that behind a great man there is a great woman, we avail of this opportunity to convey our deepest appreciation to your wife Mariëtte. Finally, it is our deepest prayer and wishes that God will continue to guide you and bless all your future endeavours, for the glory of God and His kingdom. Accept our warmest regards.” Dr Miguel Nobre (IRM Mphatso Synod, Mozambique)
“CCAP Synod of Harare greatly appreciates the work done by Kobus to keep us connected to DRC. Through his hard work, our partnership with DRC continued to grow and he often visited us to see how we are coping. Dr Kobus Odendaal would always make an effort to attend our Biannual Synod Meetings and gave words of encouragement. We wish him all the best and God’s guidance as he retires and takes up his new career. We will surely miss his counsel.” Rev Kingstar Chipata (CCAP Harare Synod, Zimbabwe)
“I am very thankful to you for the unwavering support and commitment that you exhibited throughout your tenure at Witness. We are what we are today because of your encouragement and dedication. You fought a good fight and you kept the faith, may God continue to use you as His vessel in His vineyard. Keep shining even after retirement!” Rev. Libias Boloma (Former General Secretary CCAP Harare, Zimbabwe)
“Cristian Literature Fund (CLF) regards Dr Kobus Odendaal as a very special friend, who has always been keen in supporting us where possible, who shared our calling to serve the churches with good Christian literature (where possible in their own language). He helped us to develop several important products; he even assisted us in the distribution process. We would like to thank him for his huge contribution over the years. We really hope that it will in future still be possible to make use of his great experience and knowledge of the ministerial needs of the African Churches, his passion for the people of Africa … and his newly found expertise as a lawyer. And of course, we hope to still cooperate with his wonderful wife Mariëtte. CLF wishes him and Mariëtte all of the best for the new phase of their life. May God’s richest blessings be upon them.” Dr Gideon van der Watt (on behalf of CLF)
Kobus, as happy as he can be!
