St Francis United Church in Delmas celebrates Diamond Jubilee
“It has been a journey of milestones, achievements, happiness, sadness, and a sense of deep spiritual accomplishments.”
Congregants from the St Francis United Church in Delmas gathered for a joyful event on August 27.
The reason was to celebrate 60 years of St Francis United Church Christian services and fellowships to the small English community in Delmas.
“It has been a journey of milestones, achievements, happiness, sadness, and deep spiritual accomplishments. But most of all, it has continued to bring the word of God into the community and to be a part of the Christian fellowship throughout the Delmas region,” said William Brodrick, a lay preacher at the church.
“From its humble beginnings in a classroom in Delmas Primary School to its current location on Trichardt Street in Delmas, it has been a memorable and exciting journey filled with fun, laughter, tears, whacky characters and even more whacky and goofy times.”
Brodrick shared the unforgettable June Vermaak and her famous ‘traporrel’.
“June claimed she was the only one qualified to do the job because she went on her bicycle to wherever she needed to be and believe me, no one dared to question the logic.”
According to Brodrick, the 20-year celebration of St Francis on August 19, 1983, coincided with the 75th anniversary of Delmas.
“The then-mayor of Delmas, Clr Hermanus van Niekerk and his wife Louisa, and Fritz Huyser, who first permitted the English community to use a classroom in the Delmas Primary School, attended.”
For the 30th celebration, a service on August 9, 1993, celebrated the establishment and inauguration of the church as a United Church. This incorporated Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Presbyterian denominations.
The first full-time minister was reverend Steve Roux, then Rowan Rogers, Rob Jobling, Andrew Sieborger and Brian Wilkinson. Frans van Loggrenberg is the current full-time minister.
ALSO READ: Bambino’s op Cullinan hou Flintstones pretdag
Brodrick said St Francis had seen many events in SA, such as the inclusive elections for all peoples of SA, the crash of the Helderberg Boeing en route from Taiwan to Johannesburg, the worldwide economic crash in 2008, Aids sweeping the world and the recent ravaging of Covid-19 with the subsequent lockdowns.
“Through it all, though, St Francis has remained a beacon of hope and love to all people. Only through the love of Christ have we survived and even prospered,” Brodrick added.
“Through the work of such giants as Kay Harvard, Meg Knoessen, Danny and Gail Geldenhuys, June Vermaak, and Elaine Robertson, St Francis has continued to stay alive and, more importantly, be a significant and spiritual beacon to those looking for a spiritual life.
“May God bless St Francis for the next 60 years,” Brodrick concluded.
