Boksburg church members unite to restore historic building

Members of Boksburg North Methodist Church rolled up their sleeves on October 17 to spruce up their historic place of worship, combining a fresh coat of paint with fellowship as they worked to restore the building and strengthen their sense of community.

The initiative saw congregants contributing their time, effort and money towards the improvements, with members painting window sills and tackling maintenance work around the church.

Church steward Victor Hall said the project was about more than improving the building’s appearance.

“Today is about our members, fellowship amongst our members and also about doing some sprucing up of our church,” he said.

“Members already completed heavier tasks, including scraping and painting doors, during previous work sessions.

“Now we’re focused on painting, starting with the front of the building before moving to other areas as time, paint and energy allow.

“We thought that we have not had a good clean-up for many, many years. So let us give it a bash and have a braai at the same time,” he said.

The project was funded through contributions from congregants, who were encouraged to put money into collection envelopes introduced in July.

Hall said the funds raised would go towards the church’s maintenance, with further work depending on the money available.

For congregant Kathy Smook the day also reflected the close-knit relationships that have long defined the church.

“The church has always been a very close, family-orientated place of worship. Mother and father would come, or granny and grandpa would come to church and then all the kids would join,” she said.

“It’s a really a wonderful atmosphere and everybody is so supportive. It is just lovely to be here.”

Kathy, who estimates she has been involved with the church for about 20 to 25 years, said the project was an opportunity for members to help with much-needed work while spending time together.

“It is fellowship. It is helping the church to do much-needed work around the building.”

She added that the congregation had previously organised clean-ups through its ladies’ fellowship, with members working together to clean the church.

Victor, who has served the church for about 24 years and has been a steward for four years, said preserving the building was important because of its history and the memories attached to it.

He also hopes the project will encourage more people to reconnect with the congregation as attendance has not returned to pre-Covid-19 levels.

“Before the pandemic, Sunday services typically drew between 50 and 60 people, compared with about 25 to 35 people currently.”

While growing the congregation remains a goal, Victor said spiritual development was just as important as increasing membership.

“It is good to have 10 000 people as members, but you want people who are spiritually mature,” he said.

Kathy praised the church’s ministerial support, including visiting preachers who lead Sunday services.

Through the revamp, members hope to improve the building while keeping the church’s sense of family and fellowship alive for future generations.

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