In 2022, the Mossel Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church started its great journey of faith. To many, it would seem an impossible task but by God’s great power and mercy, the congregation has only seen the mighty hand of God.
Late last year, I received a series of photos and video clips from the Mossel Bay District Pastor, Pr Jacques Jonker. The captured very inspiring moments of building structures being erected, containers being brought in by huge trucks, and a church actively involved in community work.
Since it was nothing I had witnessed before, I had to touch and feel it for myself and so I drove down to find exactly how this church's evangelistic territory had grown in a space of a few months. Truly, this was an undertaking led by the Holy Spirit.
Immediately, when I came onto the church ground, I could feel the excitement. I was met with smiles by the church members and all I wanted to know is what, how, and why. Pastor Jonker took me around the premises and showed me the new developments and I could not believe my eyes! I then wanted to know the full story.
Pr Jonker said that it all started with the church elections. God had elected the right team to begin this project. He said: “I challenged the church to start an Urban Center of Influence (UCI).” A UCI has one primary purpose and that is to establish new churches in large urban areas that have little or no Adventist work.
“Initially,” he said, “I had a poor response. Everyone wanted to know where the money will come from.” At the time, the church only had R50 000 in the building fund. Pr Jonker then asked them to vote out all the money to start the project. “A lot of members were saying that we are wasting the church's money but a small group stood up and became the volunteers for the project.”
Not only did they begin growing their physical building but they also started growing their church family. “We started with a VOP Bible School and baptised our first three young men,” he says. “These guys got involved and brought the surrounding children to the church and assisted them with their schoolwork after being fed by the Welfare Department of the church.”
It was during this time that God impressed two individuals to make a donation of R640 000 in just two days. With the structural work almost complete, Pr Jonker is confident that God is still going to do more for this church. “God really is awesome and this is only the start of great things.”
The church is now ready to start its Community Adventist School. The proposed name of the School is “U-Turn” and they already have a uniform. The church has also registered with Meals on Wheels Community Services and has started a fully functional crèche. Furthermore, the church is serious about enrolling the students and their parents with the Voice of Prophecy Bible School.
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