Current Sermon Series:
In 1983 a group of radical Christ followers in Cape Town decided that the Word and Spirit belonged together and couldn’t be separated any longer so they began meeting in the Scout Hall under the bridge in Plumstead. This new church created space for uninhibited and exuberant worship, it created space for passionate bible based teaching, it created space for the Holy Spirit, for His gifts, baptism and His presence. And so a new church was birthed.
There came a time in the life of Jubilee where being ‘open to all races but 95% white’ wasn’t good enough anymore. God exploded the truth that He is after people from every tribe and language and people group. God underlined the truth that the bride He was after wasn’t one that simply proclaimed a gospel of reconciliation but one that demonstrated it as well. Jubilee was forever changed and in a space of a few years we got a serious tan and became a gospel melting pot of all the diverse communities in Cape Town.
There came a time at Jubilee when God spoke to us and said it’s not good enough to be self‐satisfied and content with relative success. I’ve called to other parts of this peninsula and country and continent and world. And under Simon Pettit’s apostolic gift as a local church we began to plant churches, send leaders and impact nations. We became an apostolic base that had a heart to be a blessing to wherever God would deploy us. And over the years God has sent us far and wide. God has literally sent people from Jubilee all over South Africa and the world to serve Him. Then came a day in the life of Jubilee when God said “I want you to be good news to the poor” and through the example and faithfulness of Angela Kemm and the prophetic preaching of Simon and the obedience of many folk – mainly women if the truth be told – we have stepped up to the plate and have started mercy driven, kingdom minded and Christ exalting ministries that range from a pregnancy help centre to a women’s prison ministry to a drug rehabilitation centre to job creation to a kids club and a mom’s group ‐ the list goes on and on. Jubilee truly has become good news to the poor.
After 25 years of following Jesus together we have come to summarise our vision as follows: Our Vision is to build and reproduce a New Testament model of church life, relevant in the New South Africa and beyond. Based on 1Thessalonians 1:7 & 8.
In 1Thessalonians 1:7&8 Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica: "And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere." Such was the quality of the church in Thessalonica that their faith had become known everywhere!
As a local community we have a deep desire to be all we can be in God. For us this means by God’s
grace to build a local church in Cape Town that reflects the kind of church we see God wants in the
New Testament:
- A church created by the gospel
Any genuine church is a church that is joined together through accepting Jesus’ finished work on the cross on their behalf. We believe that it is the gospel that creates our community. Without the gospel we would cease to exist. But because the gospel does define us we are able to welcome and build church with people from very different backgrounds because Jesus and the gospel is the glue that holds us together. Jubilee is a church created and built on the gospel. - A church fully devoted to God
We feel called as a people to build a church centered on God. We want God to be the focus of our lives, our meetings, our teaching and our worship times. We exist to make much of God. We exist to glorify Him. God is the main event at Jubilee. - A church devoted to one another.
Our vision isn’t to put on a Sunday gig but rather by God’s grace build an authentic Christian community. The word ‘community’ in our name is very important to us. The gospel rightly applied shouldn’t simply cause us to love God but others as well. As a result our church life together isn't simply expressed through our Sunday meetings but also through midweek small groups. These small groups of between 8 and 12 people, which we call Lifegroups is a place where community can be built, spiritual gifts can be developed and deployed and where love can be received and expressed. - A church committed to serving people and communities that are currently far from God.
As a local church we have a passion to serve others far from God and in difficult situations. Because we have so freely and wonderfully received grace we want to be grace givers to those around us. Jubilee Community Church doesn’t simply exist for itself but in numerous ways seeks to minister God’s love and grace to a broken world.
