The New Apostolic Church Towerby in Hillen Street, Forest Hill, was destroyed by fire on August 25.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. Emergency services responded to the blaze and managed to contain the raging flames, but most of the church building was destroyed.

According to a post by Fellow South Africans, the church leadership issued a statement confirming the extent of the damage.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have to inform you that our Towerby church building was unfortunately destroyed this afternoon due to a fire. Most of the building burnt down and nothing could be salvaged. The building is condemned and cannot be used in its current state,” the statement said.

However, the sacristy suffered only minor damage, with the Holy Communion chalices and Holy Bibles left unscathed.

“Miraculously, the sacristy suffered minor damage and the Holy Communion chalices and the Holy Bibles were all unscathed. We thank God that no one suffered any injury,” the statement said.

All planned congregational activities for the week have been cancelled.

The church leadership is making arrangements for the divine service on the coming Sunday with the Apostle and will communicate details once they are confirmed.

The congregation has also been urged to unite in prayer for the church and its District Apostle, who will determine the way forward for accommodating the congregation.

The New Apostolic Church has a history in South Africa dating back more than a century, while the Towerby congregation has served the Johannesburg South community for several decades.

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