PDM Consultants

PDM assessments done 24 June 08

2008-06-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Our new "venue" is the Mugg and Bean - Eastgate ;)

Here's what Desmond Nkosi said:

I thought being unstructured was a flaw or even a sin. The assessment helped me
understand that I'm normal and exactly how God created me to be.

Exactly! :)

This is what Jane Rambau said

I have managed to understand the person I am and my purpose in life. I now know
how to use my gifts to impact other people's lives positively and to serve God.

And this is what Edna Mogane said about why she decided to come for an assessment

I have been involved in some form of leadership previously and I wanted to make
sure that whatever I do is in the will of God.

Amen to that!

Taping of Plain Truth DVD - 28 July 07

2007-08-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last pics at the old building

2007-08-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

These were all taken on Sunday 22 July before and during the 11:00 service

I love this one - the light is so beautiful through the trees

And of course, I LOVE this tree!

The end of an era

2007-07-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

I did my last assessment in the old PDM office in the old building last night. We've been at this current property for about 26 years and will move to our new building on 28 July!

After I'd completed the assessment, I let the guy complete his feedback form and then I realised - this is the last time I will assess somebody in this office.

So I told him, "you are the last person that will be assessed by me in this
office"

He said, "then I feel very honoured".

Aaaah, how sweet. But then I started getting really sad!

He'll probably be the last person because Karen's going on holiday in a week's time and I think she's busy getting ready for that, and I don't have any other appointments scheduled.

I've been doing this for 6 years.
I've personally assessed around 75 - 100 people and trained about 50 consultants.
I was the first consultant and we've gone up to over 20 over the years but at the moment, there are only 2 of us left. And I'm still there.

Dion talked some sense into me when I got home (because I'd been crying) and told me that it's the God experience that is the main thing, not the building. Which is true.

But...that is where the magic happened so many times, with so many people.

A lot of those people have since become friends and others I have never seen again (that's the problem with big churches).

I have heard lots and lots of testimonies where lives have changed. Some have changed career directions (awesome!) and are so, so happy now.

My prayer has always been that God would let the assessee have an interaction that would change their life in some way (you ex-consultants know this well :) ).

It's not about me but I was available as a vessel each and every evening, and I can only trust that God would use that to do what He's good at - changing lives!

PDM Consultants, if you want to get nostalgic with me, then please feel free to leave a comment :-)

Testimony - Lovers Khoza

2007-02-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

How has this assessment impacted you?
It has clarified a lot of things in my life including character, passion, etc.

And then I got this SMS the other day - now this makes it all worthwhile

Hey howzit Ps Marcia. Hope ur blessed daily by the abundant grace of God. If I were 2 give u a nickname, I would call u "the problem solver" coz that assessment was an investment in my life. Now I understand that the best things in life are free indeed. Have a super Monday. God bless Lovers!

Wow!

Testimony - Vincent Mabunda

2007-02-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be a good idea to post those testimonies at the back of the feedback forms so that we could all be reminded of the lives we're impacting.

So without any further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Vincent Mabunda who I assessed tonight. By the way, I had the camera on self-timer.

In this one, we are going through the motivational gifts (see the little yellow card he's holding).

And in this one, I'm explaining the personal style.

This is what Vincent had to say:

How has this assessment affected or impacted you?
It was excellent and helpful to me because I’ve realized my passion and how I can be involved in the ministry.

This must be advertised to the church so that people can be helped to find their passion.

Bring and share

2007-01-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

So, without further ado, our first meeting for the year will be on Tuesday 30th January from 7 – 8.30 in the PDM office. As you saw from the subject heading, it is a bring and share BUT WAIT… it's not one of the typical ones, but a SPIRITUAL bring and share.

What on earth does this mean? Well, I'm glad you asked!

Each one must bring something (anything, according to your gifts or whatever you feel led to bring) to share with the group. For instance, it can be a scripture, a word of encouragement, some food, some revelation that the Lord has shared with you lately, a song, a bookmark or something you made, etc, etc. Have I given you enough good ideas????

One way or the other, we are all going to leave feeling very blessed because of each other's God-given gifts.

So to recap, bring something to share (enough for about 6 – 8 people), and your offering. Oh, and also any old forms and stuff from last year. We are going to check them all in and start the year on a clean slate with new ideas.

Lots of love

Ps Marcia

Mugg and Bean - part 1 Friday 24/11/06

2006-11-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

The PDM consultants had their year-end social at the Mugg & Bean (Eastgate) on Friday night.

Etienne visited with Karen, Balazs and Ps Marcia before he left at 7:45. Unfortunately this was before the others arrived so he is not in the group picture.

Blurry group shot - don't you hate when this happens?!

Standing, from left - Teresa, Balazs, Anthony, Abel, Gary and Vanessa

Seated, from left - Priscilla, Dion, Marcia and Karen

Ps Marcia and Karen

Karen, Balazs and Anthony

Mugg and Bean - part 2

2006-11-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

Teresa, Priscilla and Dion.

Priscilla seems to be enjoying her Chicken Pot Pie

Gary, Abel, Vanessa and Teresa.

Likewise, Abel and Gary with their steaks

Teresa's meal - delicious!

have you seen Faith like Potatoes?

2006-11-28T00:18:00.000-08:00

Faith like Potatoes opened countrywide on the 27th of October 2006.

Nu Metro recently announced that the movie had the highest box office of any of their movies' for the first weekend of November 2006.

To date, over 100 000 people have already seen the movie in theatres and rural screenings in South Africa.

The movie has also made Official Selection at the Apollo Film Festival (South Africa), the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (USA), the Australian International Film Festival and the Sabaoth International Film Festival in Milan, Italy.

This past weekend, by unanimous decision and as voted by the public, Faith Like Potatoes won the 2006 People's Choice Award at the Sabaoth International Film Festival in Milan, Italy
(http://www.sabaothfestival.com/film.php?id=1&lingua=en ).

On the biggest, respected and most award-winning movie site on the web, Internet Movie Database (IMDB), the film has already received a rating of 7.5 out of 10 stars by world-wide viewers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0850667/)The double-disc special features DVD releases 1 December 2006.

To find out more, visit: www.faithlikepotatoes.com
Source: http://www.faithlikepotatoes.com

Imagination is more important than knowledge!

2006-11-09T01:25:00.000-08:00

A person who has imagination is actually able to see things that are invisible. I am not one hundred percent sure who first said that imagination is more important than knowledge but, I believe Albert Einstein is credited with the quote. I am confident, however, that many other people before him knew the value of having a dream, seeing the impossible and attempting things never before done!

God created us to be creators. When I was in seminary, I had a professor who told us that the first thing that we ever learn about God is found in the opening words of His book..“In the beginning, God created..” The professor said that when we are in a creative mode, trying to bring about things that have never been done before, we are in a mode that is perhaps more like God than at any other time. When you create things that are helpful to other people, you are imitating the very God of the universe who created everything that is visible around us.

To know that I have the ability to create something that will help people, encourage others, or be a blessing to someone’s life, is really a phenomenal concept. And just think..it all begins with my imagination.

One of my favorite things to do is to read stories about how things came into existence. I have a book entitled, “Mistakes That Worked.” The author’s incredible research points out how many things had their beginning in someone’s imagination. Even though the ideas did not seem to work at the time, they eventually were discovered to be wonderful inventions.

One of my favorite stories was about chocolate chip cookies. A woman who was baking cookies for a friend put chocolate morsels in the cookies thinking that they would melt and the cookies would be totally chocolate. When she removed them from the oven, she was surprised to find that the chocolate morsels had not melted at all! They had stayed intact and although soft, the cookies had not turned entirely dark or chocolate in color, and that the chocolate chips had remained in place.

The woman was ready to throw away the whole batch because she was certain the cookies were ruined. But, it was late and her friend was waiting for the cookies so they decided to try them anyway. The friend took one bite of the cookie said, “These are the best cookies that I have ever put in my mouth!”

Of course, we all know what a big hit that “mistake” was! How many of us can even live without chocolate chip cookies?!

I also love the imagination of the old English cook who enjoyed cooking potatoes. He had one particular patron who loved the fact that he cut the potatoes very thinly. One night the patron asked the cook if it were possible to cut them even thinner. The old cook decided that he would cut the potatoes so thin it would be hard to recognize that they were even potatoes! Then he fried them and called them “potato chips” and thus, imagination brought about another new creation.

Can you see why I like these stories? They illustrate how someone’s imagination created an invention that has been a help, a blessing or an addition to all of our lives.

New creations are constantly being invented. Most of our grandparents who are still living today have seen the world change more in the past 100 years than it has been changed in several thousand years! And all of this is as a direct result of someone’s imagination.

Let me encourage you this week to become more of a creator. Begin to imagine what CAN be done. Look at possibilities that have never been done before or tried before. Why not become the creator or inventor of one of these ideas yourself? All it takes is a little imagination and it may take you and, perhaps the whole world, to a brand new level.

Imagination is more important than knowledge!

By Robert Rohm Ph D. Personality Insights, Inc.
www.personalityinsights.com

Personality tests

2006-10-17T02:30:00.000-07:00

If you take this one, let me know what you are. I'm a Guardian and an ESTJ

Guardians are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply--and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.

Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly--they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.

Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.

Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population.

The Four types of Guardians are:
Supervisors (ESTJ) Protectors (ISFJ) Inspectors (ISTJ) Providers (ESFJ)

House of Coffees social

2006-10-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all

On Friday 6 October, we had supper together at the House of Coffees, next to Mimmos in Kensington.

Here is the first picture that we took with our new camera (the pictures will improve as we get used to it, I'm sure).

From left to right - Karen, Etienne, Francky, Marcia, Anthony and Teresa

Later that evening, I received a call from Vanessa. Originally she told me that they going to join us because they were going to PUSH but they turned up after all. Yippee!

and here is the second picture...

From left to right - Karen, Gary, Dion, Anthony, Jared and Vanessa

Minutes of meeting - Tues, 26 Sept 2006

2006-10-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

***Newsflash**** Don't forget our social this Friday 6th Oct at House of Coffees, Park Meadows (next to Mimmos).
PDM Consultants will pay R10 per consultant. Spouses must pay for themselves

Present
1. Marcia Francois
2. Anthony Olckers
3. Teresa Olckers
4. Karen de Beer

Apologies
1. Etienne Kalp

Open in prayer
Marcia

Business
Teresa
Outstanding RFA
Eagles have a few listed, but it could be part of the Group Assessments which were done. Consultants to check list and confirm. Teresa has checked the NTU’s and it does not include any of the RFA list.

What to do to get more assessments?
It was suggested that we try and get an announcement on the overhead before the services. We should work at getting interest increased.
Marcia will email Ps Jackie

Teambuilding :
Coffee at “House of Coffee” to be held on the 6 October 2006 from 18h30 - 20h30

Teamleaders to confirm with teams

Close in prayer
Anthony

Faith like Potatoes

2006-09-27T02:48:00.000-07:00

Global Creative Studios' first feature film premieres to rave reviews
Global Creative Studios' first feature film, Faith like Potatoes, premiered to a star-studded line up at MonteCasino and has already been selected for two international film festivals. The MonteCasino premiere included the who's who of South African actors, moviemakers, entertainers, sports people, Christian leaders and musicians.

The movie Faith like Potatoes was inspired by the autobiography of Angus Buchan and adapted to the big screen by award-winning director and actor, Regardt van den Bergh. It tells the moving life story of a Zambian farmer of Scottish heritage, played by well-known South African actor, Frank Rautenbach, who leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and travels south with his family to start a new life in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Faced with ever mounting challenges, hardships and personal turmoil, Angus quickly spirals down into a life consumed by anger, fear and destruction. The movie captures the life journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest.

Central to the story are the relationships between Angus and his wife, Jill, played by talented newcomer, Jeanne Wilhelm and his Zulu foreman, Simeon Bhengu, played by veteran actor, director and writer Hamilton Dhlamini.

Produced by Global Creative Studios, this movie was a personal journey for all who worked on it. Motivated to tell stories that inspire and motivate people and to impact communities wherever they go, nowhere was this more evident than in the little town of Greytown, where the movie was shot, with over R3 million being injected into the area.

Global Creative Studios, a relative newcomer to the movie industry, is creating quite a stir in the film industry as far afield as Australia and America with Faith like Potatoes contending in two prestigious international film festivals, The Fort Lauderdale International Festival and the Australian International Film Festival. The studio is currently working on two other exciting projects, The Hansie Cronje Story and The Choice, the story of Gayton McKenzie, which will be released in the coming year.

Frans Cronje, producer and owner of Global Creative Studios and director, Regardt van den Bergh, opened the movie with a moving speech about the inspiration and motivation behind the movie and the belief that this movie will bring the message of hope into the world.

After the screening, guests were invited to a private function room where they could mingle and chat to the cast. South African actress Kim Engelbrecht described the film as "a soothing tale which made me question my faith", while Springbok rugby player Pierre Spies commented that "Faith moves the world and the world needs to be moved" adding laughingly, "God will use potatoes if He needs to."

Cricketers Justin Ontong and Garnett Kruger were also there as was Olympic champion Ryk Neethling who found the movie emotional and was deeply touched by it. Other guests included well-known South African singer, Sonja Herholdt and Flava-Xolani Alexander of clothing label `Flava'. Londi Sibisi from eTV's The ShowBiz Report was also there interviewing Frank Rautenbach and Jeanne Wilhelm on the red carpet before going in to view the film.

The movie opens at cinemas around South Africa on the 27th of October and will also be shown in town halls, churches and other venues in towns where cinema complexes are not available.

A significant share of the profits from the movie will go towards Angus Buchan's work, part of which is the Shalom Children's Home, a charity established by Angus and Jill Buchan.

For more information visit the website: www.faithlikepotatoes.com or contact Global Creative Studios on (021) 981 6927.

Minutes of meeting

2006-09-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Present
Ps Marcia Francois
Vanessa Yusuf
Karen de Beer
Madelaine de Beer
Etienne Kalp

Apologies
Anthony & Teresa Olckers
Barry de Beer

Open in prayer
Ps Marcia

Praise and Worship
Ps Marcia

Offering - Ps Marcia
What you are grateful for that God has done in your life. God’s grace.
Karen prayed over offering
R70 was received and R7 tithed

Business Ps Marcia
- Look at updated list – is it correct?
- Update on group assessments – feedback on success (Madelaine)
- Gauge where consultants are in terms of motivation levels

Updates
- Feedback on PDM course & impact on our ministry
- Feedback on Ministry Meeting – Ps Greg spoke about success, Ps Jackie showed Ministry Fair video and thanked the ministries who were involved

Food & fellowship Marcia
(tea/coffee, muffins and hot cross buns)

Tribute to Steve Irwin

2006-09-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

I heard on the news yesterday that Steve Irwin died.

Steve was definitely someone who lived his passion. I don't even like crocodiles or any animals for that matter and this man had me so hooked that I sat through a show on crocodiles! His passion was so contagious and he inspired people.

I talk often on the Consultants Course about Steve, who was also known as the Crocodile Hunter. I'm sure you all saw him on Oprah and the Discovery Channel.

If you want to go read some more, visit his official website. At the moment there is nothing about his death on there.
http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/

Stephen Robert Irwin was born to Lyn and Bob Irwin in Victoria in February 1962. Bob Irwin was a keen enthusiast of reptiles and moved his family to Queensland in 1970 to start a small reptile park at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast. Australia Zoo became a true family business, flourishing until 1991 when Bob & Lyn retired, turning over management to their son, Steve.
Living in the Zoo, Steve grew up with animals of all kinds, taking part in the animals daily feeding, care and maintenance. His 6th birthday present was what he had always wanted – his very own scrub python! It was 3.6m (12ft) long and while most other children were opening cans of pet food for their cats or dogs, Steve was out catching fish and hunting rodents to feed to his crocodiles and snakes.

Bob taught the young Steve everything there was to know about reptiles – even teaching his nine-year-old how to jump in and catch crocodiles in the rivers of North Queensland at night. This father and son’s proud boast is that every crocodile in their Zoo (the numbering some 100 animals) was either caught by their bare hands or bred and raised in their Zoo.

As he grew older Steve followed in his father’s footsteps and volunteered his services to the Queensland Governments East Coast Crocodile Management program which saw him spend years living on his own in the mosquito infested creeks, rivers and mangroves of North Queensland catching huge crocodiles single-handed. His record of successful catches is still staggering to this day.

Since 1991, Australia Zoo has flourished and expanded under Steve’s guidance. In 1990 a chance reunion with his friend, television producer John Stainton, filming in the Zoo for a TV commercial, gave Steve the opportunity to show his diverse animal talents to the world when they both took a punt and make the first documentary, "The Crocodile Hunter" in 1992.
The tremendous success of this one program quickly encouraged the making of more and so over the next 3 years, 10 one hour episodes were made and on television screens all over the world. Steve has now filmed over 70 episodes of "The Crocodile Hunter", 53 episodes of "Croc Files", 43 episodes of “Croc Diaries” and his next television series is called “The New Breed Vets” for release in 2005.

Steve has the greatest respect and understanding for all animals – something that has been instilled into him by his family for all of his life – and he's proud to share his passion with everyone who visits his Zoo and with his five hundred million viewers world-wide. In June 1992, Steve married Terri Raines from Oregon USA. They had met a few months earlier when Terri visited the Zoo whilst on holidays in Australia. They now spend their lives together educating people everywhere to care for all of our world’s wildlife.

Have a passionate week!

Ps Marcia

Update
I was catching up on some blogs that I read and I found a link with some news
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060904/ap_on_en_tv/obit_irwin

Minutes of meeting - Saturday, 29 July 2006

2006-08-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Present
1. Marcia Francois
2. Anthony Olckers
3. Teresa Olckers
4. Madelaine de Beer
5. Barry de Beer
6. Karen de Beer

Apologies
1. Vanessa Gomes
2. Priscilla Makhiwane

Opening Prayer
Anthony

Future meeting times:
The meeting attendees decided after trying to have PDM Consultant meetings during weeknights and also on Saturdays, the best time to have future meetings are:
The last Tuesday night of each month from 7 – 9pm, effective from August onwards.
Consultants will be expected to attend the consultant meeting instead of doing PDM Assessments.
The next PDM Consultant’s meeting will be on the 29th August 2006 at 7pm.

Ideas to manage the Volume of outstanding PDM Assessments:

Idea #1: Mini mass assessment
A mini-mass assessment was arranged with between 2 – 5 people on one evening in the week
The entire PDM Assessment was done with the attendees and they also scored their forms
The consultant then gave 15-minute feedback to each attendee.
The process of assessment took 1-hour and the feedback took 15 – 20 minutes each.
Teresa

- Those who are interested in doing mini mass assessments should inform Ps Marcia the size groups they are prepared to take on so she can allocate attendees:
- Ps Marcia will give the consultant similar age and gender people for the consultant
- The consultant to check if the attendee is comfortable and willing to do their assessment with other people (some prefer private one-on-one assessments)
- Office booking will be essential – call at 828-0880 or email Ps Jackie at jackie@cfcsa.co.za and ensure she confirms your booking with an email reply
- Assess the attendees language level

Idea #2: PDM Course
- Occur one day/night of the week for six to eight weeks
- Details still to be confirmed and updated at next consultant meeting
PDM Committee on 12 August

List of PDM Assessments
- Attendees were to confirm the details were correct

Closing Prayer
Teresa

FOLLOW YOUR BLISS by Steve Goodier

2006-07-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

Author Joseph Campbell often talked about “following your bliss.” I heard of a bus driver in Chicago who does just that. He sings while he drives. That’s right... sings! And I don’t mean he sings softly to himself, either. He sings so that the whole bus can hear! All day long he drives and sings.

He was once interviewed on Chicago television. He said that he is not actually a bus driver. “I’m a professional singer,” he asserted. “I only drive the bus to get a captive audience every single day.

His “bliss” is not driving a bus, though that may be a source of enjoyment for some people. His bliss is singing. And the supervisors at the Chicago Transit Authority are perfectly happy about the whole arrangement. You see, people line up to ride his bus. They even let other busses pass by so they can ride with the “singing bus driver.” They love it!

Here is a man who believes he knows why he was put here on earth. For him, it is to make people happy. And the more he sings, the more people he makes happy! He has found a way to align his purpose in living with his occupation. By following his bliss, he is actually living the kind of life he believes he was meant to live.

Not everybody can identify a purpose in life. But when you do, and when you pursue it, you will be living the kind of life you feel you were meant to live. And what’s more, you will be happy.

Know Your Innate, Natural Talents

2006-07-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

You have all you need to make your life work. Look to your natural talents to guide you in life. You know, those things you do so well that you don’t even have to think about it. It is those abilities that come naturally to you that will help you build your confidence in other areas of your life.

Begin with your strengths! Too many times people focus on what they need to work on—their weaknesses. And get burned out. How much better it is to begin with your talent. Your God-given talents can give you the courage to bridge over to the areas you need work on.

Do you even know your innate talents? Can you name seven of them in less than a minute? Try it. Take a minute right now to list seven innate abilities you have.

I bet if I asked you to name seven things about you that you need to improve, you would come up with all seven in seconds! What’s wrong with this picture?

Rethink how you think! Okay. Now, write down seven one-word positives about you. What are you just naturally good at?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Are you using those talents every day—in work, at home, in your relationships? If not, why not? You are missing out on a powerful process of building courage, cultivating faith and conquering fear!

Know Your Innate, Natural Talents and Use Them Every Day!

Have a great day!
Lisa Jimenez
____________
Lisa Jimenez, M. Ed., has helped thousands of people shatter
their self-limiting beliefs and finally get the breakthrough
success they want. You can visit her website at
http://www.getmotivation.com/qk.cgi/lisa-jimenez

And another quick note about passion...

2006-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Who of you love reading insurance contracts, medical aid packs and legal contracts? I'm guessing no-one.

I've been checking some assessments and to be quite straightforward, even I don't know what you're trying to say (and I teach this stuff), so how will the pastors and ministry reps understand?

Please define the passion in plain English, not fancy, churchy language.

Dion Francois, the plain language expert at Discovery, defines plain English as:

not using big words
writing in a fairly informal tone, just like we speak
describing simply
not unnecessarily complicating things

Ask yourself if a 12 year-old child would understand.

If yes, then you've got it right!

A quick note about the personal style assessment

2006-07-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

When you do a and the scores are 20, 21 (this is never allowed) or 22, let the person go through that section again to make sure that they chose their answers properly.

Nine times out of ten, the answers change and become more pronounced one way or the other. It takes literally 2 minutes but this is going the extra mile!

For me, an assessment with scores of 20 and 22 is indicative of someone trying to change their personality to fit in. They are probably so used to it that it almost feels normal but remember, it’s the natural tendencies we’re after.

Any questions? Please email me.

Thanks
Ps Marcia

Guest article - My “Top 10” List for Financial Success

2006-07-05T01:31:00.000-07:00

My “Top 10” List for Financial Success by Michelle Jones

You don’t have to be wealthy to be successful in my book, in fact, many of my most favorite people in this world have very little money at all.

However, I also believe it is important that we manage our money and
resources well, so that we can provide for our families and have more to
share with others...

Read the rest of the article here

Minutes of meeting - Saturday, 24 June 2006

2006-06-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

Absent/Apologies
Barry - away for weekend
Madelaine - away for weekend
Karen - Wedding
Ettienne - none
Francky -none
Dion - sick
Adefioye - Teresa could not get hold of to advise of the meeting

Present
Marcia
Vanessa
Teresa
Anthony
Abel
Patricia

Agenda
1. Anthony opened in prayer
2. Anthony prayed for consultants in general
3. Ps Marcia -Outstanding assessments - Consultants to check the list of allocated assessments and ensure that all allocated on the list are physically present with them. If not, speak to your respective team leader.
4. Ps Marcia - A blog has been created to assist with effective communication. However, consultants have not subscribed to receive automatic updates. As a result additional work has been created because extra e-mails/telephone calls have to be made to inform consultants of the new information. Consultants are to check e-mail addresses and and confirm receipt of e-mails when sent out. All present confirmed that e-mail is the preferred medium of communication.
5. Teresa will make little notes for meetings/important event and place in consultants' folders as reminders.
6. Ps Marcia/ Teresa - Ps Marcia informed that her job is quite demanding and she would not use her employer's resources to respond to "please call me" SMSs,etc. Consultants are to refrain from using please call me SMSs as they will not be responded to. However, normal SMS will be answered after 8:00 pm in the evening.
7. Vanessa - suggested that Consultants are paired and take responsibility for one another. This would be for praying, reminders, etc. making sure that each person is accountable to someone in the ministry. Teamleaders to appoint pairs. Marcia & Madelaine, Vanessa & Karen, Barry & Dion
8. Ps Marcia - Teambuilding : It was decided that we do the "Amazing Maze" during winter and for our next teambuilding. Previous event had to be cancelled because of rain. details have been posted on the BLOG. Concerns were raised about "Salsa Dancing" and Ps Marcia will get more details. [here is the link with all details: http://pdmconsultants.blogspot.com/2006/02/were-going-salsa-dancing.html ]
9. Teresa - Consultant of the month : Karen & Vanessa. Both were elected because of their commitment to the ministry. They have been a tremendous blessing during the PDM weekend. Karen, despite her ordeal, assisted cheerfully during all of the services, and was also prepared to come after work to come help set up. Vanessa also willingly assisted with our table and the refreshments stand, and was a great help with setting up the venue for the ministry fair on the Sat morning. Well done to both - you guys rock!!!!!!!!!!!
10. Ps Marcia - Currently there is a lot of administration which must be taken care of. The previous arrangement of a two weekly rotating system did not succeed. Anthony suggested that specific tasks are delegated to individuals, who must then feedback to Ps Marcia when done. Great idea - you will all be receiving your tasks so keep checking the folders.
11. Teresa :What personal challenges are they facing with assessments?
Vanessa -People who do not keep appointments (Vanessa's task will be to phone-screen requests received from CGS to ensure that requestors are indeed interested in being assessed). Thank you, Vanessa.
Priscilla - Time management (Recommendation : to seek professional assistance in this regard)
Abel - None
Anthony- None
Teresa - None
12. Teresa : Tithes & Offering - Luke 6v38. R70 was received and R7 tithe was paid.

Meeting closed in prayer by Teresa.

Passionate Lessons from Children

2006-06-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

Conventional wisdom would tell us that, as children and young adults, we go through a period of education, maturation, and learning. We grow in wisdom and experience with each birthday.

Hopefully, the process of collecting knowledge and applying it in our lives becomes an ongoing lifelong pursuit. Contrary to this notion, however, is the fact that there are some things we mastered as small children that we somehow lost along the way.

I regularly speak before arenas, convention centers, and corporate meetings in front of thousands of people. These people are mostly upwardly mobile, intelligent business leaders. They have all been well educated and well trained.

Let’s say, during one such presentation in front of 10,000 people, I asked for volunteers from the audience to come up on stage and sing a song, do a dance, or draw a picture.

How many of these 10,000 well educated people would you think would rush up on stage to demonstrate their talents? I’m sure you can agree with me that it would be far less than one percent.

On the other hand, what if—instead of these mature business leaders—we had a group of five year olds? When we called for volunteers to sing, dance, or draw, how many of these kindergartners would volunteer? You and I both know it would be virtually all of them.

Most of the adults would give the excuse that they have no talent in any of these creative arts. On the other hand, the kids don’t know and furthermore don’t care. The children are willing to express themselves without fear of consequence.

This is an asset we all had that most of us have long since lost. Somewhere along the line we got the message that unless you can do something competently or professionally, you shouldn’t do it at all.

Intellectually we understand that in order to do anything competently and professionally, you must first be willing to do it poorly.

This lack of willingness to be vulnerable relegates most adults in our society to move farther and farther down an ever-narrowing road. They are not willing to try new things and experience that which is outside of their realm of comfort.

As you go through your day today, look for new things and experiences you would like to add to your life. Be willing to be vulnerable enough to be bad in the beginning so you can perform masterfully in the future.

Today’s the day!
__________
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television
Network, as well as a published author of many books
including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and
motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South
Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by
e-mail at JimStovall@aol.com

Forms received from PDM weekend

2006-06-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all

We have 40 valid forms (3 have either not done CGS or are not members of the church – Btw, in future, give them their form and tell them to bring it back when they’re done with CGS) which I will be handing out tonight and on Saturday.

I have sent an email to those with email addresses (see below) so please prioritise and contact the ones without email first.

This is the email that was sent

Hi everybody

This is just a short note to acknowledge receipt of your request forassessment forms.

I'm very pleased that you want to serve in your passion.

We do have a bit of a backlog at the moment so please be patient... a consultant will be in contact within the next four weeks.

In the meantime, if I can help you with anything, please give me a call on 084 5047339.

Best regards
Ps Marcia Francois
Consultant Co-ordinator

Please make the appointments quickly........... God is depending on you.

Thanks
Ps Marcia

Winter wonderland meeting 13 May 2005

2006-05-22T01:43:00.000-07:00

Dress code
Still as previous posts

Decoration of stand

Everybody to arrive at 10:00 am on Saturday 27th.
We will have two tables (in the place where desks 3 and 4 currently are).
We need white tablecloths - I have searched the shops for 2 weekends now and cannot find them anywhere. Who can help?
Madelaine will organise light blue overlays.
I have bought us a bag of polystyrene chips (for snow).
Madelaine is bringing big pieces of polystyrene and Dion and Barry will bring bare branches (anyone else is welcome to do the same) which will stand in the polystyrene.
Teresa and Marcia will both bring Christmas trees to stand on the tables and Marcia will bring glitter talcum powder. We will throw this on the trees for snow.

At the table

We will have 4 chairs behind the desk and 2 in the front. The two will be positioned at the end of the table for anybody who wants to complete assessment forms.
I will do tags advertising the consultants course and any interested person must register by completing the form.
I am also doing posters to put up behind us to advertise the consultants course.
We are also going to have vouchers - everyone who fills in a RFA form will get a voucher.
As I'm typing this, I just thought that we should get a couple of bags of sweets and I will make tags that say "taste and see how good it is to serve in your passion". On Saturday, some of us can cut the tags out and staple to the sweets or lollies (I will go buy).
Consultants - please remember that I don't want cliques forming so that the members feel like they're interrupting us to get help! They are the reason we are having this event.

Etienne volunteered to get the printing done. However, I have already messed this up because I haven't even designed the poster yet, so I'll get the printing done at Postnet.

Any questions? Please give me a call.

Otherwise, see you all on Saturday - bring food if you want it. Hopefully if lots of people pitch, we can be done by 12:00 and enjoy our afternoons.

Love

Ps Marcia

Winter wonderland dress code

2006-05-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

This is what we’re going to wear to the PDM weekend on 27th May.

1. Blue jeans
2. Light sweatshirts/ jerseys – pale blue, cream or white. The idea is that lovely snowy look!
3. Gloves, beanies and neck scarves – they are sold as a set at either Pick & Pay or Mr Price

Pick & Pay
· Price R22,50
· There are lots of colours – please choose either black or light blue (depending on your sweatshirt’s colour).
· The men will have to see if their hands and heads fit in those ones – it[Marcia] says one size fits all[Marcia] , but as we all know, that’s not true J

Mr Price
· Price R49,99
· These sets are in the MEN‘s section
· They are of a thicker, better quality polar fleece than the ones at Pick & Pay.
· They come in black, grey or navy – all of which are fine. They are all nice winter-looking colours

I suggest that you go buy your set quickly before they’re all gone! Remember, it is very cold weather so people are buying up this stuff.

If you battle to get hold of one, tell me and I’ll look in the stores on this side of the world.

Until next time, remember to live your passion!

Best wishes
Ps Marcia

Photo - Mimmo's lunch - 22 April

2006-05-03T03:20:00.000-07:00

The Passion Principle

2006-05-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

Passion is hard-core devotion to a person or cause; it infuses life with meaning, joy, and unbridled enthusiasm. Passion is desire in your heart, fire in your belly, an indispensable virtue that is far more valuable than money, power or fame.

Whether the issue pertains to growing sales, adding greater value, focusing on key result areas, embracing change, attracting talent, or raising our own performance, passion is one of the great differentiators as it fosters commitment and determination.

Passion reflects confidence, spreads good cheer, raises morale, inspires associates, arouses loyalty, and laughs at adversity.

You cannot overlook nor underestimate the relationship between perseverance and passion. Perseverance is the strong determination to move toward the achievement of a goal–purpose. And passion is the fuel that drives perseverance.

No virtue is safe that is not enthusiastic. Apathy is the enemy of passion; it's perhaps the worst of all evils. Far too many people go through life without making any effort to truly live it ... to get that fire in their belly for enjoying life and living it to the fullest.

For the individual without passion, life is irrational, unfulfilling, and for some hopeless. The rootless individual is missing significance and goes through life like a blindfolded man in a strange room playing a game of which he does not know the rules.

Apathy can only be overcome by enthusiasm. Apathy is a killer of ideas, of hopes and of dreams. The world has no lack of good fights to fight and it has no lack of resources to solve our problems. What many lack is the burning desire and enthusiasm to fight the fights and to solve those problems.

The potential to become passionate is an inherent birthright and demonstrated clearly by children. The most irresistible charm of children is their bubbling enthusiasm.

Children who come fully under the spell of passion see no darkness, no stop signs, no red lights, nor speed limits. They are completely smitten and forget that there is such a thing as failure in the world.

Children are easily excited and they have relatively few fears about expressing their enthusiasm. They are turned-on by an innate curiosity that stimulates learning. And, when they learn, they can hardly contain themselves long enough to tell you about their new discoveries.

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

What have you done with childlike enthusiasm this week? Far too many people act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements for a successful life, when all that they really need to be happy is something to be passionate about.

To engage in work that does not cultivate your passion is completely unnatural and sabotages your spirit. You must love that which you do. Your heart must be in it. Without passion and enthusiasm you will never work up to your fullest ability, potential and competitive greatness.

The demands placed on every one of us require that we bring all of who we are to the game. Actively engaged hearts and minds, unwavering commitment, laser focus, and relentless determination are all motivated by passion.

Many factors contribute to creating passion for work. These include identifying what it means to be successful, transforming projects into exciting work, and defining that work in terms of a heroic or noble cause.

What is most beautiful and sacred to you? What would you feel incomplete without? When you have identified that which brings you complete joy, your own unquenchable desire to achieve that goal will become your passion — the inner drives that turns your dreams into a shining reality.

Few things are professionally more fulfilling than doing work that you are extremely good at and turned-on about. It's an incredible feeling when what you're good at and excited about enables you to make a contribution that truly adds value. The result is meaningful success.

Deep down we all want to be involved in work that matters, that has meaning, that is memorable, and if we're really lucky, work that changes the world.

Compelling work stimulates the passion in everyone. They're the things from which legends and legacies are made. If the project you're working on now is not fueling enthusiasm, you should transform it, reframe it, and redefine it until you fall in love with it.

Those who truly get the passion bug see the bigger picture and ultimate value they bring to the world. They do this by linking their individual contributions to a larger, nobler cause.

It's the administrative assistant in a hospital who believes she is a part of saving lives; it's the photo developer who knows that she preserves people's memories; and it's the sailor who understands that the combat readiness of his ship strengthens peace negotiations.

When people establish a connection between what they do and changing the world for the better, heroism is the result. Everyone wants to feel heroic and noble about something because at the heart of heroism is meaning and significance.

What is the ultimate value you bring to the world? What is the heroic cause for which you fight? When you define work as a cause, a movement worth fighting for, you will find that there is no height to which your spirit cannot rise.

You will also find that you have cultivated something that is extremely difficult to replicate, as passion is the ultimate competitive weapon.

Every great accomplishment is the triumph of some great passion. Great works are only produced when one is intoxicated with a passion for greatness. Vow to live completely, fearlessly and passionately.

Everything Counts!

Gary Ryan Blair
Gary Ryan Blair is President of The GoalsGuy. A visionary and gifted conceptual thinker, Gary is highly regarded as a speaker, consultant, strategic planner, and coach to leading companies throughout the globe. Visit The GoalsGuy at www.GoalsGuy.com

Our next teambuilding 22 April at 2:00pm

2006-04-22T02:57:00.000-07:00

We have stumbled upon the most amazing idea on how to keep the children (and grown-ups!) busy for hours. Honeydew A-maize-ing Mazes is proud to announce that Africa's only Maize Maze is ready and open for the 2006 summer season! A brand new Mermaid design over 3 acres situated in the mealie field in Honeydew has over 3 km's of winding pathways, so make sure you are up for the challenge! A multi-level quiz requires you to find five locations hidden in the maze. There you need to discover who is hiding with who in the maze, identify which country the pirates are from and then decode the semaphore encoded message that reveals Captain Hardy's final destination...

Honeydew A-Maize-ing Mazes have the following puzzles and mazes to tease and challenge the mind:
Elemental Maze - a traditional maze constructed of reed walls and containing four secret gardens themed around the Elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water! Everyone can play the Elemental Challenge, a quiz designed for all ages, as they find their way through and out the maze.
Rope Maze - a great team event that has you racing around a spider web of coloured ropes.
Hay Bale Maze - can you follow the rules AND find your way out?
Six Minute Mazes - a series of logic puzzles design to test your strategic thinking.
Hay Bale Mountain - a great big mattress of hay to play around on.
Lavender Labyrinth - a meditative meander with a teaching sun-dial at the centre.
Maize Maze - (in season) - the biggest puzzle of them all...

Cost: R35 per adult and R30 per child. This entitles you to do the Maize Maze and the other small mazes. If you wish to do the Elemental maze, there will be an additional cost of R10 per person.

Hours: They are open to the general public on weekends and public holidays from 10.00am-5.00pm and no booking is required. Just come along and enjoy solving all the mazes and puzzles!

Please remember: wear a hat and suntan lotion and comfortable shoes! This is an outdoor activity!

DIRECTIONS Get onto Beyers Naude Drive (M5) heading North away from Joburg. Cross over the N1 concrete highway. Head straight thru the Northumberland/Christian de Wet intersection. Continue on Beyers Naude past Ferreira's, past Honeydew Toyota and thru the Peter Road intersection. The next road to your right is Boland Street and we are 300m down on the right - look out for Al Fresco restaurant on the corner with Beyers Naude. If you get to Garden World you have missed the turning.

Remember that we are including spouses, significant others and children! Each one pays for themselves!
We will all go separately and meet there at 2:00 pm - we'll discuss transport arrangements for those who need transport closer to the time.

Are you excited yet? Post a comment and let me know.

Take the passion test

2006-04-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Take the passion test at this cool website.

Pse post comment - do you prefer Sat or weeknights for meetings?

2006-04-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

Please post your comments so we can do this democratically.

Adefioye - Saturday afternoons are better, providing we finish early enough for him to get public transport, about fiveish. He does not like relying on anybody for transport either and if we finish at this time he can still catch a taxi.

Priscilla - Saturday afternoons, because weekdays are hectic for her, she sometimes has work to finish. She prefers Sat afternoons - the mornings are the only time she has to go do her personal business and most places are only open till one.

Candy - Saturday afternoons

Barry - Saturday afternoons

Minutes of the monthly meeting held in the PDM office on Thursday, 28 March 2006

2006-04-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Present
1. Marcia Francois
2. Dion Francois
3. Anthony Olckers
4. Teresa Olckers
5. Madelaine de Beer
6. Vanessa Yusuf
7. Priscilla Makhiwane
8. Etienne Kalp
9. Abel Modiba

Apologies
1. Barry de Beer
2. Candy Mahlangu
3. Francky Bombolo
4. Michelle Chitombo
5. Karen de Beer

Ice breaker - Ps Dion
Each had a turn to share family rules (current / past) that we felt were unfair.

Praise and Worship - Ps Marcia

Communion - Teresa
Based on scripture: Matthew 26:26

Prayer time - Anthony
Each consultant drew the name of another consultant for the purpose of interceding for him or her during the month.

PDM Blog
Our blog holds all consultant news for PDM Consultants. This blog is a free website space that acts like a journal/diary on the Internet.
Its purpose is
to communicate with ministry members
to communicate relevant ministry information.

This site is interactive meaning that members are invited to post PDM pictures, comments, etc.
To bookmark this (or any site), go to the site and once you’re there, press Control + D.

A PDM Weekend will be held on the 27 & 28 May. The theme is Winter Wonderland. Consultants are invited to post their ideas in the space allocated on the blog.

Team building afternoon
On the 22 April between 2 – 5pm the consultants will have a teambuilding activity in Honeydew at the Amazing Maze. All are invited to join the activity. The cost is only R35 pp. Anything else is for your own account. Please inform your team leader timeously should there be any financial or transport challenges that would influence your attendance.

Office Duty
· Please take note of the condition (neatness) of the office when it is your week for office duty.
· Ps Marcia has placed a list of tasks by the buddy drawers and the consultants on duty need to use this list.
· Madelaine will make a roster that will be located in the PDM office and circulated via email.
· Once all filing and admin is complete, please call the PDM consultants and find out how they are and if there are any needs. Or remind them of upcoming meetings/ teambuilding, etc.
· Specific focus areas when on office-duty are the tidiness of the office in general. This relates to the chairs, table where the buddy drawers are and the meeting table. All these areas are prone to general messiness.

Feedback on Advanced Bible Study (ABS) Mass Assessment
· On the whole, the evening was considered a success even though only Teresa and Francky were available to assist Ps Jackie.
· Approximately 70 people where assessed and of those roughly 51 completed at Request for Assessment (RFA) form to receive feedback.
· These have already been distributed and most consultants have either 3 or 4 people to give feedback to. As the whole of the Motivational Gift section and Personal Style sections were completed, only the Passion section needs to be completed and the feedback will get done in the one-on-one. This should only take about 45 minutes to complete, hence making it possible to do two feedbacks in one evening.
Consultants must give these assessments priority.

Offering
Based on Luke 6:38 we should remember when we are giving an offering to the church, we are actually giving to God and trust Him to bless us accordingly. R80.20 was received.

PDM Announcements:
· A new ministry called Success Principles was launched on Thursday, 30. All interested parties are invited to attend and learn principles for success. Contact Ps Marcia for more details.
· Balazs has formally resigned from the PDM consultants ministry to follow his passion to evangelise.
· Madelaine was nominated as the Consultant of the Month for her diligence and concern for others. She received a floating trophy award. Please remember to send your nominations to Ps Marcia before the end of the month.

A diary has been placed in the PDM office for consultants to book for their assessments. Please remember to use it to avoid disappointment and confusion when you arrive and the office is being used for another event.

Fellowship and eats

Thank you to Anthony who brought eats!

Hadeda Creek - possible teambuilding

2006-04-06T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I've been on this thing before and it is excellent - the food is also stunning. I still remember the bread that they make there - it was that good.

Situated just over one hour’s drive from Johannesburg CBD, Hadeda Creek is located on a scenic and secluded section of the Vaal River. Their camp provides comfortable tented accommodation catering for up to 80 guests with private ablution blocks in close proximity.Hadeda Creek boasts exquisite cuisine, fully stocked bar, river facing boma, 2 conference rooms, a high ropes course, volley ball, climbing wall and swimming pool.Hadeda Creek is consistently rated as the best value for money and the most affordable and professional adventure camp in the country. With over 10 years experience in the industry they have serviced thousands of top companies and private clients.Their private groups range from family getaways, romantic outdoor weekends, birthday parties with a difference, youth groups, friends looking for an adventure and our always popular ‘Bachelor Parties’.A stay at any of their camps promises to be a memorable experience for all. Days are jam packed with fun experiences while evenings can either lend themselves to relaxation and reflection or to some serious partying.Don’t miss out! Be part of the coolest adventure experience in S.A.

Some activities offered at Hadeda Creek:-
Rafting- Quad Biking- Orienteering- Ballooning- Sundowner CruiseRafting & the Sundowner Cruise are done in two-man inflatable rafts and are guided by expert personnel.
No previous experience is necessary and only a moderate level of fitness is required to enjoy all activities.Whether you can swim or not, nothing will stop you enjoying your rafting experience.Minimum age restriction is 6 years old.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY
Friday, 14th April
16h00 Arrive at Hadeda Creek where you are greeted by the guides and shown to your accommodation.
16h30 Enjoy a sundowner cruise on the two man inflatable “crocs”. (Snacks and drinks can be purchased from the bar).
18h00 Return to camp and freshen up.
19h00 A delicious buffet dinner will be served in the Boma.The amazing fire show!Relax around the bonfire or party the night away at the Wacky Paddler Bar!

Saturday, 15th April
07h30 Wake up call followed by coffee/ tea and rusks.
08h30 A full farmhouse breakfast will be served under the trees.
09h30 Meet at the river’s edge for a safety briefing and paddling demonstration.Don life jackets and set off for a day of rafting excitement.
12h30 Break for a delicious buffet lunch served on the banks of the river.Try your hand at rapid shooting before paddling the final stretch to the take out point.Note: The duration of the rafting will depend on river conditions.
15h00 Return to camp for refreshing showers and sundowners on the banks of the river.Leisure time – enjoy the swimming pool and make use of the volleyball court.
19h00 A delicious buffet dinner will be served.Relax around the bonfire or party the night away at the Wacky Paddler Bar!

Sunday, 16th April
07h30 Wake up call followed by coffee/ tea and rusks.
08h30 A full farmhouse breakfast will be served.
09h30 Put on your hunting gear and get ready for the Hadeda Creek Easter Egg Hunt in the bush!
11h00 Optional: High Ropes Course – an exhilarating experience!
12h30 Lunch will be served under the trees.
14h00 Depart at leisure.

HADEDA CREEK EASTER SPECIAL
COST PER ADULT: R880.00 (Incl. VAT)
COST PER UNDER 16 YEARS: R580.00 (Incl. VAT)COST PER UNDER 12 YEARS: R280.00 (Incl. VAT)
Cost includes:- 2 nights sharing accommodation- 2 x breakfast, 2 x lunch, 2 x dinner-

Sundowner cruise- River rafting- High ropes course- Easter egg hunt- Guides- Safety- Equipment- VAT

Cost excludes:- Transport to and from the camp- Drinks from the cash bar, at activities and during meals- Items of a personal natureRafting Survivor T/Shirts (R60)Hadeda Creek Caps (R50)
A minimum of 6 people is required to run a trip at Hadeda Creek
This rate is valid until 31st August 2006

Contact:
Sue Schneider
Telephone:
+27 11 803 9775
Facsimile:
+27 11 803 9603
Email:
Email Contact
Website:
Visit Website

Office duty for consultants

2006-04-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

Phoning

A. New Request for Assessment forms
1. Phone each person to tell them that we have received their form and that they will be contacted just as soon as the consultant is available to assess them. In the top right hand corner of the form, write phoned by ??? and the date.
2. If they haven’t indicated whether they’ve done Christian Growth Seminar, please check. Write CGS Yes, also in the top right hand corner.
3. If they haven’t done CGS, please tell them that they have to do this first but can then come into the office to request another assessment.
4. Then put these forms in the Marcia to check folder.

B. Consultant files
Look through the consultant files to see which consultants have not collected new assessment forms.
Phone the consultant to remind them that there are forms waiting in their hanging files.

C. Ministry files
Look through the yellow hanging files to see which ministries have yellow forms in them.
Phone the ministry representative to remind them to check their hanging file and ask them to please contact the person.

D. Phone each consultant at least once every 2 weeks
1. Check if all assessments allocated to him/ her have been contacted.
2. Are there any problems with these assessments?
3. Who are they assessing over the next two weeks. Take down the name of the person and the scheduled date.
4. Is there anything else Ps Marcia needs to know about? For example, will not be assessing for the next month because of exams/ holiday/ etc.

E. Phone each consultant before every meeting
1. Phone each consultant to remind them
2. Remember to remind the ones that have to bring food

F. Follow-up phone calls
1. Phone the assessee and check to see whether the ministry has contacted them
2. If yes, have they attended and are they involved and happy? Write comments in the appropriate section, date it and place in the Marcia to check hanging folder.
3. If no, phone the ministry representative and ask them to contact the person.
4. Pend to phone again in two weeks’ time

If at any point you get someone’s voicemail, leave a detailed message just as if you’re speaking to him or her. This is so that we don’t waste time and money trying to phone again and again. Make a note that you left a voicemail message and the date the message was left.

Office work

A. Filing completed assessment forms for current year
1. File in the completed folders at the back of the second drawer of the filing cabinet
2. Mark each form off on the Completed Assessments list at the front of the A-F folder. If not on the list, write it in on the bottom of the page.
File alphabetically in the relevant folder.

B. Filing RFA forms not taken up (NTU)
1. File in the folder at the back of the second drawer of the filing cabinet, just before the Completed Assessments.
File in strict alphabetical order.

C. Filing yellow ministry forms
1. File forms in the yellow ministry folders in the first drawer of the filing cabinet
2. If there is no folder, leave a post-it note on it for Ps Jackie to give you feedback.
3. If the ministry has closed, make a note on the yellow form “please place in new ministry – this one has closed” and place back in the consultant’s folder.
If the ministry is new and Ps Jackie hasn’t created the folder yet, she’ll place it in once created.

D. Sorting white pastoral forms
1. The top drawer of one of the buddy drawer systems is dedicated to pastoral copies.
2. Sort into piles, one for each district pastor.
3. Place each district pastor’s forms in a white A5 envelope
These are to be handed out to the various pastors.

E. Filing in consultant folders
1. The consultant folders are in the front of the second drawer of the filing cabinet.
2. They are organised alphabetically, in teams Soaring Eagles (blue files) and Eagles (yellow files)
File in the relevant folder.

F. Tidying the office
1. The blue material chairs are to be placed around the main table. The table must be clear of any clutter.
2. Tidy any papers lying around on the desks.
Place any and all forms back in the buddy drawers, and pens in the pen mug.
Place the stapler and punch in a neat row.
Place the booking diary neatly on the corner of the table with a pen in the middle.
Each of the consultant desks must only have the penholder.
Straighten any chairs.
Close the door to the kitchen so that the office looks peaceful.

G. Filing completed assessment forms for previous years
1. You will find these boxes on the bottom of the cupboard near the door into the church. They are clearly marked 2003, 2004 and 2005.
2. Mark each form off on the Completed Assessments list first.
Then file in strict alphabetical order.

If any questions, please give Ps Marcia a ring on 084 504 7339.

Ideas for Winter Wonderland theme

2006-03-29T04:26:00.000-08:00

Hi all

As agreed in the meeting last night, please all post your ideas to decorate our table/ stand at the ministry fair on the weekend of 27 and 28 May.

Looking forward to reading them.

51 requests allocated 23 March

2006-03-24T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Here is the latest list of assessments – please check your folders this weekend.

They are all from Advanced Bible Study – you will find the RFA and the partially completed assessment form with motivational gifts and personal style.

Please make sure you:
Do passion assessment properly
Total up the gifts section– you can do this at home to shorten your time in the office. If they clump together, redo only those questions. E.g. if you get 4 14’s for B, E, J and L, then redo the 5 questions for B, E, J and L.
Check that they’ve marked off Personal style in the right quadrant.
Do a full and complete assessment summary.
Recommend ministry.

This should take you 45 minutes tops so technically you can do two in one evening if you FOCUS!

I have kept back about 6 from ABS and I got in about 10 on Christian Growth last night so when you’re ready, you can get some more.

Please remember that if I don’t see you at meetings, I’m not going to give you forms because I don’t know if you’re still active. Don’t be offended – I am thinking of the congregation members and I don’t want forms lying around for weeks in folders…

Have a great weekend and start scheduling your assessments.

Best regards,
Ps Marcia

Minutes of meeting - Thursday, 23 Feb 2006

2006-03-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

Present
1. Marcia Francois
2. Dion Francois
3. Anthony Olckers
4. Teresa Olckers
5. Madelaine de Beer
6. Francky Bombolo
7. Abel Modiba
8. Michelle Chitombo
9. Karen de Beer
10. Balazs Takacs

Apologies
1. Barry de Beer
2. Vanessa Yusuf
3. Candy Mahlangu

Icebreaker
Consultants were split into two teams. Each team had to select 12 out of a possible 20 people to start a new community on a remote island.
The purpose was to challenge our first impressions, prejudices and biases.

Praise and Worship
Selection by Third Day

Offering
Ps Dion challenged our attitude towards offering and to do so in obedience to God

Prayer time
Each consultant drew the name of another consultant for the purpose of interceding for him or her during the month

PDM general news:
· Raymond Peterse has stepped down from PDM Consulting.
· We are having an admin night on Monday, 6 March from 7–8pm to sort out the PDM filing. Help from 4-5 consultants is requested. A roster will be drawn up where 2 consultants will have weekly admin duty to keep everything up to date.
· PDM office consultant booking file. Ps Marcia will find out if booking is still necessary for assessments and will then get a diary organised.
· When assessing someone for Creation of New Ministries, please ensure that the servant profile links up with the new ministry and check for Admin and Leadership motivational gift.
· With immediate effect, we now need to do 6-week follow-ups. We need to stress to the person being assessed that they also need to make an effort to go to the ministry. Please write the name and contact tel no. on the back of the summary form so the person is also able to contact the identified ministry. Thereafter, all consultants are required to do one follow-up call after 6 weeks.

Advanced Bible Study Mass Assessment from 3:30 – 5:30 pm on 4th March
Balaz, Francky, Madelaine, who have volunteered to assist, please get your nametags and be in the PDM office by 15h30.

Our next teambuilding afternoon
On the 22 April, a teambuilding activity will be held at the Amazing Maze. Located in Honeydew and R35 pp. Check out previous posts on our blog for details.

Assessment Voucher
Madelaine handed out 4 different vouchers to be used for marketing the PDM Assessments to the congregation. The team perused them and offered ideas/feedback.

Fellowship and eats
Thank you to Abel and Balazs who brought lots of food!

We're going Salsa dancing!

2006-02-27T06:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read it correctly. This is our second teambuilding activity for the year - we anticipate that it will be happening in July or August.

Here are all the details for you.

AfroMambo Dance Company re-unites the magic of the Latin American Dance Culture with its roots - the pulsating rhythms of Africa. AfroMambo is founded on the dance Salsa, which owes its form to the classic dance, Mambo. "Afro" for the African percussion instruments, which define the tempo and throb of Salsa, and "Mambo" for the dazzling foot patterns and thrilling body moves.

The mission of AfroMambo is to preserve and promote the African flavour found in Salsa's music and dance, o take Salsa's essence of fun and fiesta all across South Africa, the rest of the continent and the globe.

AfroMambo meets with Latin America in the purest expression of rhythm and melody.

Some frequently asked questions:

Q:Do I need to bring a partner?
It's not necessary to bring your own dance partner as most of our students come on their own and dance with the other students in the class. However, should you come with your own dance partner, or spouse, and would only like to dance with them you are welcome to do so.

Q: What type of clothes should I wear?
Casual and comfortable clothing that allows easy body movement. Because Salsa will almost always give you an adrenhaline rush tight clothing that restricts blood flow is not recommended; we don't want you passing out on the dance floor.

Q: What type of shoes should I wear?
Any footwear with a smooth sole is good for Salsa, as it allows you to turn easily on the dance floor. Shoes with rubber soles or trainers with deep treads are not recommended because they hinder your turning ability as they grip onto the floor and could lead to ankle, knee and hip injuries in the long run.

And here’s a testimonial
What a superb workshop this afternoon in Rosebank. 3 Cheers to you and your team. You have the amazing ability to get a good vibe going. What a buzz - a truly wonderful, fun and informative time. Look forward to the next workshop/social.

Cost: R65 per person – this is for a minimum group booking of 12 people

Says Vincent, “the lesson goes on for an hour but long after the lesson your team will still be trying out the moves. Salsa is fun, funny, and funky and a unique way to bond and break down barriers as your group tries all the fancy twirls.”

Contact Vincent or Sonia at AfroMambo Dance Co on 072 8728582. If you want to go have a look at the website, visit www.afromamba.com and be sure to have a look at the photos.

Hey! We have our own blog

2006-02-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

I had this great idea that we should have our own blog.

I will post all sorts of stuff on here, from fun tidbits like birthdays to announcements like church events and so forth. Also let me know what else I should put on here...

You must please comment by clicking on the word comment next to "posted by Ps Marcia Francois". You will have to register once (no cost) so remember your password and then you can add comments on any blog through blogspot, like my own, www.takechargeofyourlife.blogspot.com

Look out for the details of our next teambuilding event in the next day or so.

Bye everyone

Ps Marcia