Bloemendal church still a beacon of hope after 30 years
A Bloemendal church in Gqeberha’s northern areas, established after the merger of the wards of three Congregational churches, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The United Congregational Church Chatty in Lawrence Erasmus Drive, with more than 3,000 members, launched its 30th-anniversary celebrations under the theme “Keep the fire burning with great excitement” in a packed church hall recently.
The church was established in 1992 after the Bloemendal wards of the Audrey Renecke, Bethesda and Bethelsdorp Congregational Churches merged as part of the church extension project of the Algoa region.
The resident minister for the past 25 years, Rev Adam Berkatt, said one of the many things that stood out for him was that this congregation had learnt over the past 30 years to accept one another unconditionally.
“We were different from the beginning — we worshipped in different mother churches and came together with our different traditions and backgrounds as one, a new congregation.
“Due to the nature of the matter, it was initially difficult to find each other, but the determination of the congregation to make this experiment work was unprecedented,” he said.
“The current, fairly young leadership corps makes me excited about the future of this congregation.”
Church secretary Llewellyn Martin said when he started being actively involved in the church, he worked with leaders who arranged training camps to empower and equip everyone with leadership skills.
“The church through its organisations and the Mission Council offers opportunities for all age groups to develop and grow.
“The future is bright. We only need to develop programmes to include more young people and teach them about making sacrifices for the greater good, to persevere, and introduce them to the ways to grow spiritually,” he said.
Treasurer Eurica Whitehead said the church would remain relevant and be a beacon of hope by always being aware of the needs of the congregation and the community in which they served.
The United Congregational Church Chatty is planning a range of activities to celebrate its anniversary.