“Overcoming Abandonment” was the topic of Rivers Church pastor Andre Olivier’s sermon that later sparked outrage and had his congregants divided on Sunday. “If you’ve been abandoned‚ you can’t relate to people. There are many women who have been abandoned and finding it hard to relate to people‚” Olivier said during the sermon. He told his congregants that he too was abandoned by his father at six months. “He never sent a cent of support‚” Olivier said.In the sermon‚ which is available for download at R25 on the church’s website‚ Olivier talks about of overcoming abandonment.The tone of the sermon‚ however‚ changes when he tells his congregants that the idea that whites are a problem in South Africa‚ is “ridiculous”.“Sometimes God will send you the most unlikely people but that will be the very people you need in your abandonment.“Can I say God will send you white people if you are black? Don’t say the problem in South Africa is the white people…“Someone was interviewed recently on TV… [and said] ‘the big problem with SA is the white people’“Don’t be ridiculous‚” Olivier told his congregants.“God will sometimes send you black people. If you are white‚ God will not choose race‚ he will choose heart and he will put black people alongside you‚” he continued to say.“Whenever I hear the ANC say ‘our people’ on TV. Excuse me who are “our people?”“Our people is me. The minute you say our people‚ you are being racist.”In the sermon‚ Olivier also gives an example of American comedian Tommy Davidson‚ who he said was raised by a white woman‚ who found him in a trash dump when he was 18 months old.“A white woman adopted this black boy and raised him and he has happy memories of his family growing up.“He [Davidson] didn’t shut out‚ well‚ couldn’t shut out who came and God sent.“God sent a white woman in the racially segregated America of the 60s to raise him to be the success he is.”Oliver goes on to say‚ “don’t push away those that God will send to you‚ because he will send people you need in your life.“God wants you to know‚ even if you’ve been abandoned‚ you will be rescued…”Listen to the pastor explain his comments:  ..