A new centre for a new way of learning

Imagine a one-stop education and training centre where everyone from pre-primary children  to grandparents can go for education, skills training and even to obtain tertiary qualifications.
Imagine this training centre complying with government legislation, surpassing national standards and even offering students internationally accredited qualifications.
Now imagine all this founded on spiritual principles that not only address academic teaching, but also seeks to empower individuals by equipping them with a ready response to the challenges of modern-day life.
Members of Destiny Alive Family Church, a congregation in Mokopane, is building just such a centre from where they wish to serve the town, the province and the continent. It is not one of those ‘by Christians for Christians’ projects - its for everyone. “We are not building a congregation, we are building lives,” said Destiny Alive shepherd, pastor Thomas Marshall at an introductory evening to the Mokopane RET (Resource Equipping and Training) Centre last week.
The centre is being developed on the corner of Geyser and Fourie Streets next to the Voortrekker hospital and will house Learning Land - the pre-primary school, Destiny Academy – which offers schooling from Grade R to Grade 12 and Compass Academy of Learning which offers a range of vocational courses ranging from tourism to engineering. A university is also planned for the premises.
The church engaged to buy the land from the Mogalakwena municipality in 2003 and was able to finalize formalities to occupy the land in 2009. It currently houses a boma, ablution and storage facilities and a big tent which doubles as a gathering place for the congregation and a gymnasium for the gymnastics club.
Once completed the RET Centre on this premises will be the nerve centre from where Destiny Alive’s outreach programmes will be launched and where people from all over will be equipped to go back to their communities and become the answer to the challenges in their society.
The college and schools are already operational at Destiny Alive’s campus in Schoeman Street, Mokopane and will move across as soon as they can be accommodated in the RET Centre.
“You are going to see great things happen in this place,” said Past. Marshall.
Making no apologies for RET Centre’s Christian roots, Past. Marshall makes it clear that the centre and its founders will take hands with anybody who wants to make a difference. “We are not against any school or college and we are not against any church or denomination.”
Destiny Alive spokesperson, Daleen Janse van Rensburg, explains that the purpose of the new RET Centre would be to empower all people, regardless of their religious views, for a better future through training them to break through the trappings of political struggle and corporate strife.
“We want to send people into the world with more than academic qualifications, they must also be free of historic baggage and intellectually, emotionally and spiritually equipped to effect positive change in our country and in the world.”