A life of community upliftment
When God calls you, you have to make a choice, I chose this pathway, says pastor Trevor Nair of Shakaskraal
DEDICATING one’s life to serving the community comes with numerous challenges, but quitting is never an option for Shakaskraal pastor Trevor Nair.
The 49-year old clergyman had other plans for his life and worked as a public relations officer for Sembcorp Siza Water in Ballito. He resigned in 2006 to focus on the multiple community projects he’s involved in.
“When God calls you, you have to make a choice… and I chose that pathway. I also believe that you can serve God even if you don’t work in the church on a full time basis. You can serve God wherever you are or in whatever vocation.”
The father of two is a pastor at a Breakthrough Centre, in Etete, as well as the director and full-time manager of its community centre, which also has a pre-school with more than 50 children.
“When I married and moved to the north coast, I began working with people in Etete. Here I saw how poverty affected their lives. I began to trust God to give us the ability to do whatever we could to ease that burden,” he said.
The Breakthrough Centre was an NPO founded by Nair’s wife, Jessica Nair, in October 1990 as a children’s club. It was initially called the Kidz Club. It was the start of the first community based-project in Etete, Groutville.
Its main purpose was to empower children, and to provide activities that would develop them into responsible young people. The centre has these evils to become the standard of our community. If we can raise the standard in our communities, then that is what our next generation will carry into the future.”
As part of its poverty-eradication programme, the centre has partnered with various employment agencies to facilitate the process of helping people in the community find employment.
Talking about the highlights of his 14-year career as a pastor, Nair said he enjoyed being a part of everything, as every aspect of community work was just as important as the other.
“I would say that my greatest reward is the smiles on the faces of the lives I touch.”
He said he was grateful his family had been supportive of the vision God had given them as each was actively involved in the work of the Breakthrough Centre. His children, Taldon and Tamsyn, have been part of the programmes from a young age and even teach at weekends.
“Jessica has been a driving force and an inspiration to many who have crossed our paths. Being in the ministry is not always an easy task, so you need strong, positive people around you. I am grateful to God that I have that in my family.”
Nair looks up to his mentor and spiritual father Dr Jonathan David, whom, he says: “His walk with God, his life and ministry have inspired and challenged me to live a life that pleases God”.