Pastor Andrew Matsi tells of his road to full-time preacher
Andrew stayed in the hostel and fully experienced the generation gap between bright, young men from school and a man in his fifties.
A Pedi from Standerton can converse in all 11 official languages, which makes him suitable for a job as interpreter, instead he preaches the gospel.
No problem with Sotho, Tswana, Swati, Venda, Tsonga, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa or Zulu.
Past Andrew Matsi of the Replica Church can add studies of Hebrew and Greek for interpreting decade-old verses of the Bible to his name as well.
Andrew’s road to the seminary in Polokwane began with several people crossing his path, notably so a former colleague at Nestlé, who introduced him to an American visitor.
The man needed an interpreter for a three-day-missionary event.
“Yes, I will,” he agreed.
The die to a certain extent was cast and Past Ettienne Rossouw was next in line to introduce him to the Replica Church, formerly known as the Baptist Church.
“I did not want to be a full-time pastor,” was his feeling at that stage.
Retrenchment at the factory where he worked as a supervisor in the raw material department, prompted him, in that difficult time, to open a small business.
“Ettienne came to my house and asked my wife whether she knew that the Lord was calling me.”
A still sceptical Andrew then also had Themsy, who used to sit in his Sunday school-class at the Apostolic Faith Mission, confirming what was obvious to many people.
He went for an interview to the Christ Baptist Seminary in Limpopo in November 2004 and the following February, his studies began in earnest.
The business in town was closed down.
Andrew stayed in the hostel and fully experienced the generation gap between bright, young men from school and a man in his fifties.
Meanwhile, Themsy kept the home fires burning in Standerton and he commuted, once a month, having young children at home.
Both Kgaugelo and Khutso were eventually learners at Hoërskool Standerton, while Tsholofelo has already spread her wings. In his class of 30 in Polokwane, 23 students eventually graduated in 2008.
Past Rossouw offered a position to a man who was grounded in preaching at farms in the district, focusing on the rural areas.
Andrew tied the knot with Themsy, who grew up in Standerton, in 1998.
“I fell in love with the girl from the Sunday school.”
She studied teaching in Pietermaritzburg and now works at Isifisosethu Primary School.
He admitted to not having time for hobbies, but a Kaizer Chiefs-match will surely not be missed.
Andrew’s uncle was a pastor at the AFM in Sakhile before he moved back to Middelburg and his nephew decided not to follow suit.
When saying goodbye, he alluded to discrepancies between some churchgoers’ conduct on Sundays as compared to weekdays.
“Belief in God has to be integrated in everyday life,” he said.
