Chuffed to be President

21 April 2008

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Church Army's first overseas based President shares what Church Army means to him

I was very chuffed to be asked to become Church Army's first overseas President and to provide my backing and encouragement for the work that Church Army Evangelists and staff do day in and day out to show the love and hope our Lord Jesus Christ brings to the people who really need to know it. Church Army exists to show ordinary men, women and children that whatever they are feeling and however desperate their circumstances appear to be that God hasn't given up on them and there is hope.

People today want to see that the Church makes a difference and Church Army has a reputation for going where others would say angels fear to tread. To show the credibility of the Christian gospel by representing our Lord as it were at the coal face in some very difficult and challenging situations in so many communities doing vital and splendid work.

Every Christian by right should be a prisoner of hope. People often ask me if I am optimistic and I say no, but I am hopeful because at the centre of our faith is this incredible thing. You have a cross that should be a symbol of devastating defeat, complete defeat of goodness. The overwhelming of light by darkness where hate appeared to have had the last word. But we know one of the most incredible things that has ever happened through the cross of Jesus is that what seemed to be such abject defeat on a Friday became a victory of goodness over evil demonstrated so spectacularly by the resurrection on Sunday.

When we were struggling against apartheid here in South Africa there were very many moments when it did seem as if the perpetrators of apartheid, injustice and oppression were invincible, that they were wiping the floor with all the people seeking justice and freedom. We had to keep reminding people that despite all the appearances to the contrary there is no way in which injustice, oppression and evil can have the last word. The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ declared so incredibly wonderfully that it is in fact goodness, it is love, it is compassion, it is laughter, it is joy, which are the things that ultimately have the last word.

Church Army is about making Jesus famous to those who feel that our churches don't speak their language or aren't in touch with them, or reach out to them where they are hurting or feeling bewildered.

I strongly believe that those Christians who want to be aligned with our Lord's work in these contexts should be praying for and supporting the work of Church Army.

Desmond Tutu is Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa and President of Church Army. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and was Chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

You can download the full article from Archbishop Tutu by clicking here

You can listen to some edited audio comments from Archbishop Tutu by clicking here