Tongaat AFM KZN Celebration Church recently welcomed hundreds of congregants to a series of special services marking 60 years of its ministry in the town.

Hosted at the church in Tongaat from September 25-28, the events also coincided with the 70th birthdays of senior ministers Ronnie and Shirley Naidoo.

Now a thriving ministry with a church that seats more than 1 000 people, the surroundings are a far cry from those Pastor Ronnie arrived to in 1977.

“I got off the train at Hambanathi with nothing more than a Bible in one hand and a suit hanger in the other,” he said.

Within two years, Ronnie and Shirley met and began full-time ministry. At that time, the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) church was still segregated and Ronnie rose to become the moderator of its Indian section in 1985.

By 1992, he took over as the church’s full-time pastor and helped lead it towards unification in 1996.

“At 70 years of age, with 51 years in ministry and 46 years of marriage, I look back with deep gratitude,” said Ronnie.

“To my beloved wife, Shirley – my companion and colleague in ministry – thank you. You have been unwavering, faithful and a powerful woman of God.”

A highlight of the years since unification was the dedication of the current church in 2003 and the placing of more than 300 Bible school graduates, 40 of whom actively serve as pastors.

For 25 years, the church’s social outreach arm, Haven of Rest, has also been at the forefront of relief efforts in the town, touching thousands of lives.

“As Shirley and I come into this season of our lives and prepare to hand the baton to Pastor Reynold and Dalphene Naidoo, we believe the church will grow stronger, accomplish greater exploits for God and be a carrier of the last great revival on earth before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Ronnie.

“To God be the glory for the great things He has done and may His grace continue to rest upon our beloved AFM KZN Celebration Centre Church.”

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