Kenneth Meshoe was born in Pretoria and is the fourth of seven children.  He completed his Matric Certificate in 1972.  In 1975 he graduated from the University of the North with a Secondary Teachers Diploma.  In 1976, he married Lydia and they have three children, Olga, Esther and Joshua.  In 1983, Kenneth went to Shekinah Bible Institute in Kingsport, Tennessee in the US, where he did the first year of his Theological Diploma.  He later returned to Kingsport in January 1987 to complete his 2nd year Diploma. In 1988, Kenneth and Lydia started a non-denominational, praying church in Vosloorus, Gauteng, called Hope of Glory Tabernacle that is involved in running a number of community projects in the area.  The church strongly advocates the power of prayer and actively mobilises Christians to pray for the nation of South Africa. Kenneth and Lydia are both international speakers, who travel extensively, speaking at conferences in many parts of world. In December 1993, they started a political party based on biblical principles called the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), and Kenneth became it’s first President and has remained thus to date.  He also has also served as a Member of Parliament for the ACDP since 1994. In 2006, Kenneth completed a one-year programme in Economics and Public Finance with the Department of Economics at the University of South Africa. In 2008, Kenneth Meshoe completed his Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy (ADEP) with the University of the Western Cape. Notable Achievements Between 1994 and 1996, Kenneth was the only Evangelical Christian represented in the Constitutional Assembly’s Management Committee. The Committee was made up of around six to eight Members of Parliament. The rest of its contingent (12 in all) were officials. The Committee was tasked with the organisation and management of the overall Constitution-making process. One of its major responsibilities was to ensure that the Constitutional Assembly worked according to an agreed schedule in order to meet its two-year target in which to complete the drafting of our new South African Constitution by 8 May 1996. This was achieved. During the Constitution-making process, the ANC had made it very clear that it wished to see South Africa declared a secular state, which aimed to separate Church and State. Kenneth Meshoe, however, championed a backlash against this, both in Theme Committee 1 (Character of the State) that dealt with this particular clause  and by raising his concerns over the implications such a status with as many Christians who would listen. As a result, in 1995, a protest march under the banner of the “Christian Voice’ was organised which saw Christians in their thousands march to Parliament against the proposed secular state clause as well as other concerning clauses in the draft Constitution, including the right to life and anti-discrimination clauses on the grounds of sexual orientation, all of which undermined our Biblical values. As a result, the Constitution today states that South Africa is a Constitutional Democracy, and churches can, to this day, fellowship in state-owned school classrooms and halls, civic centres and can still pitch a tent in which to meet or hold crusades on state-owned land. In addition, faith-based political parties are able to exist and work to defend their the values and principles of their faith in all levels of government and religious leaders are able to serve as Members of Parliament. Also notable is that South Africa is the only African country to have a Christian Party serving in its Parliament. “The ACDP would like to see a Constitution that is the supreme law of the land, a Constitution that protects not only the rights of individuals but also those of unborn children. The ACDP wishes to see a Constitution that will be legitimate, enduring and that upholds biblical, family and traditional values.” Rev KRJ Meshoe, MP - Constitutio