Most Christian counselors refer to Isaiah 61 when talking about the restoring, redeeming work of the Lord in building up the broken places within people, spirit, soul and body.

In 1997 when the first Philippi counselling courses were being trained in the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa was celebrating political freedom but was a fragmented nation much in need of God’s restoration. Philippi Trust was founded to assist the work of equipping people within the church and the community in being a listening and caring ear and to bring a professional standard of training to lay people.

With a particular emphasis on Philippians 2, the ethos of the organization was always to ‘consider others more highly’ and in so doing offer high levels of respect to people who may never have experienced it previously. With this in our minds and intentions we aspired to shoes lofty goals. God challenged us by showing us the daunting levels of racism, division, spiritual pride, materialism, sexual brokenness, addictions and anger in our small area alone. Whilst we realized that we were not the answer to all of that, only God could be, we did know that we could play a small part and encourage others to do the same.

Our first mission was to pray and seek the Lord for direction and in the early days God was speaking to Chantal and I through the picture of building. For the first two years Hê just kept pointing us back to the importance of strong foundations – so prayer, worship and building a strong relationship network was a primary goal. God also referred to the importance of people being more important that the building in order to help us to keep a balance in being so involved with the work that we lost sight of the people we were working with and trying to reach.

In later years our prayer times reflected the building at different stages with walls, windows and eventually reaching roof height by 2006 – a period of 7 years having transpired by then!

One of the strengths Philippi has enjoyed over the years has been brilliant, committed and loving people to support, be involved in and sometimes carry the work. All the different Trustees faithfully served the organization not only with their specific gifting, but also in prayer and offering moral and sometimes financial help. The staff over the years have mostly been a joy ...either through their contributions of help or in being iron sharpening iron! Every staff member and volunteer brought and brings a unique dimension to the organization – without them Philippi would not exist or have been possible.

Today you see an organization that owes much to a large network of people and organization but most especially to its founding member Chantal Philander, who has remained a faithful, dependable and very tired pillar within the ‘house’.

Ten years ago we dreamed of God using the organization’s training and counselling within churches, the community and at local governmental level. He has been faithful to bring this into being – that and much more. However establishing a large organization was never really the original intention, its origins were very humble and sought to be an instrument to bring healing to people who badly need to know that there is a God and saviour who loves and cares about the. As a retired member of Philippi myself I watched many joys and tears over the years and may I extend very heartfelt congratulations to you all on the 10th anniversary and well done for hanging in there – may you continue to serve and be instruments of blessings.