Dice loaded against casino prayer

They don't accept casino chips in the collection plate and, like the rest of the Christian fraternity, they consider gambling a social ill.

But, every Sunday, parishioners of Rhema West Family Church go to the Platinum Ballroom at the Silverstar Casino, west of Johannesburg, for their weekly worship session - because their church is based in the casino.

Now the church venue has been slammed by the South African Council of Churches (SACC), which this week described it as "unbecoming, immoral and unethical".

"There is no way you can associate faith with an institution that has a gambling aspect," said SACC president the Right Reverend Thomas Seoka.

"While there is a commitment on the part of the Christian church to be there where there are working communities ... I'm not sure we can do it there. There are ethical and moral questions," he said.

Professor Thias Kgatla, moderator of the Uniting Reformed Church of South Africa, said: "The teaching of the Word is clear: you can't serve God and mammon.

"The church has nothing to do with the casino; they do not go together. That is unacceptable. That place [the church] is a place for worship. There should be a lot of places they could have gone to."

But Rhema West Family Church's presiding pastor, Norman Clack, justified their choice of venue, saying: "The casino is not our focus; the good news of Jesus is. People love the atmosphere at Silverstar; they believe the church must be where the people are."

Previously known as the Cedarhill Christian Church and having been based at the casino for two years, the church changed its name this year after joining the Rhema stable, one of the country's best-known charismatic churches.

It has 200 regular worshippers, but Clack said the church was not allowed to encourage casino patrons to attend services.

He admitted that "religiously minded" Christians might take exception to the casino-based church, but added: "This is where Christ would have been. Religion makes it as difficult as possible to come to Jesus."

He said the church did not condone gambling.

"Even though we are very liberal in our methods, the Bible remains our final authority, but we don't condemn the gamblers," he said.

Rhema West is not the only church based in an unconventional venue. The Godfirst Church in Fourways holds services in a theatre at the Montecasino complex.

Some theological experts agreed with Clack.

"In principle, the church could theoretically meet anywhere, as the church was not a building, but a gathering of people in God's name," said Dr Kevin Smith, vice-principal of the South African Theological Seminary.

He said it was becoming common for churches to use unconventional venues, because town planners did not make as many provisions for big church buildings as they used to.

Dr Isak Burger, the Apostolic Faith Mission president, commended Rhema, saying: "Moving to an unconventional place sends out the signal that the church does not isolate itself ."

Anglican Archbishop Dr Thabo Makgoba said the Cape Town diocese was implementing "Fresh Expressions", an innovative way of taking the church beyond its traditional approaches.

"You will, perhaps, see us 'doing church' on beaches and in shebeens. As is often said, we are 'in the world and not of the world', and nowhere is a no-go area for the Holy Spirit."

Silverstar Casino general manager Shane Collinson said the casino had no problem renting out its hall to the church, adding: "They come in, do their thing and then leave."