Rev Oosthuizen led the way for women ministers

THE first woman to be ordained to the Ministry of the Methodist Church, the Rev Constance Margaret Oosthuizen, died last week.

Constance was born on 30 March 1931, the eldest of three children, in Pietermaritzburg where the family lived for a year before moving to Mayville.

Constance made her first commitment to Christ in 1946 at the age of 15 and believed that God had a plan for her life.

When she was assisting as a cook at a School of Religion at Botha’s Hill, she met Sr Mary Caley and heard of the Order of Deaconesses for the first time. Sr Caley’s testimony spoke directly to Constance but the requirement that Deaconesses pay for their own training meant that she was unable to offer. In 1953, Conference decided to assist with the costs of training Deaconesses and a decision was required. In her own words: “I now had to make a choice and I found that one could not preach about full commitment and shut your heart to God’s call.”

She was received as a probationer deaconess and served for the first part of 1954 at West Street Methodist in Durban. In August of 1954 she sailed for England and trained at the Wesley Deaconess College at Ilkley.

When she returned from college in 1956 she was stationed in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg where she worked to plant churches Once a society was established she would be moved to another area and a (male) Presbyter would be moved in. An additional facet of her work was the running of youth camps, an area of work which impacted the lives of many people now active in the church. She was ordained in 1957.

Constance found the work of ministry very satisfying. Some colleagues in the Order of Deaconesses felt the call to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament and left. Sitting in an air raid shelter in Israel during the Six Day War (1967), Constance found herself examining her heart. She realised she was doing the work of a Presbyter and wanted to be able to administer the Sacraments. Heavy on her heart too was the awareness of the opposition faced by those who had approached the church. She also did not want to be the reason for the demise of the Order of Deaconesses.

She was accepted as a first year probationer and an ordinand in 1976. She remembered being told that she would not be able to administer the sacraments until after ordination, even though the first year probationer who followed her in Johannesburg received dispensation. She was not disturbed and focused on preparing for ordination. After 21 years as a deaconess and one as a Probationer Presbyter Constance Oosthuizen was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on 17 October 1976 in Pietermaritzburg.

She was stationed at the Metropolitan Society in Pietermaritzburg for her year of probation. Stationing after ordination was not easy but the Port Shepstone Circuit was willing to accept her. She faced opposition from male ministers and from members of the congregations – some folk left, others protested. Ecumenically she faced opposition from other denominations too. The work grew while she was there. She built the David Morgan Home (1983), the Merlwood Creche (1991) and the Hibberdene Church. She was appointed Superintendent of the Circuit. She served the Circuit until 1997.

After she retired to Scottburgh, Rev Oosthuizen continued to serve God by ministering to the Umkomaas church and planting a church in Craigieburn.

Due to a fall and fractures, Constance took up residence in 2009 at the Pinetown Nursing Home, where she was wonderfully cared for. When her strength returned she moved to a cottage. She started ministering to the sick and taking Church services. She preached her last message and administered the Sacraments on Sunday, 6 March 2016.

Constance is survived by her sister Thelma and brother Andre and their families. Her nephew Paul has followed her into the Methodist ministry.