It is all Wendy’s fault, when she said “yes” she would marry me, I was Anglican. “What is so different between the Methodists and the Anglicans, I thought?” When God called, I was worshipping in the local Brakpan church with Steve Roux, the minister. I had been involved in Life Line with all the great ministers of the time, but Steve took me on. Every day for weeks he turned me into a real Methodist. With Wendy making coffee late into the night, I sat with this humble person, picking up every nuance, every political, every theological and every skinder that helped me prepare for becoming within days, “a prospective candidate” for the ministry. Only years later did I realise how valuable Steve was, way better than all his colleagues at the time, how selfless Steve was in imprinting in me a real Methodist that only Steve was. This sounds trite now but ask Wendy, who was a Rupert Stout Methodist from the choir! In a few months with Steve, I was answering Synod questions like a professional!

Over the years, Maureen grew in our estimation, as the minister’s wife. Also humbly putting up with poor manses, she just got her teaching job done with marking papers on their bed. Wendy and I really use you Maureen as a model for life. We loved you in Margate and Kenton on Sea. Your lives impacted us in so many ways. The short year in Germiston was where I realised Steve had children, Sandy in our youth, Adrian on a primitive computer on the floor in the lounge, as well as Leonard. Already then all of you showed us the Steve humility. Here too, Steve trusted me to take on the huge job of Germiston Central, while he sorted out Epworth. Once again, Steve coached me into a central position: neither fundamentalist nor liberal. OK, I lost some on the side, but Steve as liberal as both of us were, we did not commit in any direction. Years later, when Germiston could not find a minister, the Chairman said, “Steve and Brian spoiled the church; no other minister could repeat it!”

Before even going into the ministry, Steve was there when we had a miscarriage. Steve not only sat with Wendy but also challenged me into facing my grief. Just before I retired facing that dreaded “foot of stations” place at Conference, we bumped into Steve, who was looking to place someone at Kenton.

If any sermon should emerge out of Steve’s life and me, it is about living prayer. Both of us enjoyed God beyond religion. It wasn’t prayer in any conventional sense. It wasn’t miraculous that over the years that we were enjoying God but that we enjoyed God for each other and the world. God who is love, joy and justice combined asks us to connect with each other for each other.

Peace Brian