The Church Committee currently consists of the following members:
Pastor Schalk Treurnicht, Danie Steytler (treasurer), Gisela Prüter (chair), Ernst-Günther Brunke, Dieter Geiger and Detlev Ahlert.
In addition, Christiane Duwe joins us for our monthly meetings as a representative of the office.
Since our previous AGM held on 4 June 2023, the Church Committee met 11 times. In this time the most talked about and challenging topic was 12 Angelier Street, where the tenant decided not to pay the monthly rent nor the municipal accounts. This put the congregation under great financial strain. After endless hours of discussion, legal advice, prayers and any other help we could get, the tenant left the premises without us even knowing this. I especially want to thank Dieter Geiger for all the hours he spent patiently dealing with both the rental agent and the lawyers. I would also like to thank Danie, Ernst-Günther and Schalk for being proactive in getting everything at the house restored to a good working condition so that the property may be rented out again. Thank you to Detlev in contacting Louis Andrag for his assistance in drafting the new rental agreement.
Our Church Committee meetings are structured into various ministries, with various members of the committee taking the lead in reporting back at our monthly meetings on what has happened, what is still to come and are there any decisions that we as a committee need to take. It is in this structure that I will also give you feedback today.
The first of these ministries is Kreuz. This ministry is in the capable hands of Ernst-Günther Brunke, where he reports on Church service, Church music, Lectors, Bible Study and Prayer meetings.
We have seen, especially in the 09h00 English service a gradual increase in attendance – where new faces have become more well known. For special services such as the Joint Advent Service with Kraaifontein, Christmas Eve and Good Friday services, extra effort is made by Schalk and the team he selects for this. This makes these services livelier and more interactive. It is appreciated by all and receives positive feedback. All through the rest of the year’s services Schalk is well prepared and the slide shows guide the congregants through the service. Additionally, the pulpit exchange Sundays are also well received within the congregation.
An integral part of the Services is the music. Without them the services would not be the same. In no particular order, I would like to thank the following for their continued dedication in this regard: Auguste Douglas, Thaniel Frans, Yngvild Steytler, Wendy and Michael Haller.
Some new lectors have also started reading in the services, they are Nomvuyo, Jennifer Windholz, William Kohler, Detlev Ahlert, Thaniel Frans and Liska Kassier (usually with little Liana helping along on the arm). The more familiar lectors include Hannelore Sachse, Ernst-Günther and Ingrid Brunke, Yngvild Steytler, Dieter Geiger and Inge Demasius. For all of them a big thank you for the ongoing service to the congregation.
In the middle of 2023, a second Bible Study group was formed, which meets twice a month at the St. Johannisheim – I would like to thank Lorraine Nuss for being the driving force behind this initiative.
The second ministry on our monthly agenda is called Kirche. This ministry is divided into 2 sections. The first is Housekeeping, where Danie Steytler advises us regarding issues such as the Church grounds, 27 Middle Street, the Church Car and Finances.
12 Angelier Street is also part of this portfolio, but this was expertly dealt with by Dieter Geiger as previously mentioned.
When something requires fixing in and around the Church Grounds, Danie is quick to assist. Whether it is doing it himself or arranging for it with one of the people he knows, it always gets sorted out. Other helpers who also assisted with the practical work that is required to keep the Church going are Ernst-Günther, Dieter, Schalk and Christiane.
Finances remain one of the biggest discussion points in our monthly meetings. 12 Angelier Street really put strain on our finances for the last year. We hope and pray that with a new tenant that this strain will be considerably lessoned.
27 Middle Street remains a steady source of income. We only need to do some maintenance from time to time. The tenants don’t give us any problems and pay us on time.
The second part of the Kirche ministry is Caring. For this ministry I supply the feedback at our monthly meetings. This includes Fundraising, other social events and the Flower & Coffee/Tea roster.
Every year I’m astounded by the dedication and hard work from all involved with the organization for the 3 bazaars. Most notably is the time and effort that Christiane puts into every bazaar. In addition to Christiane, who cannot do everything on her own, I would also like to thank each and every one contributing in any shape or form to these events.
Without your continued support these fundraising events will not be a successful.
The Gemeindeessen is an annual institution. Last year was made a bit more special in that we held our 60th Inauguration of our Church Building on Pentecost Sunday. This year the event will take place on Sunday. 23 June. I hope to see you all there. I’m sure you will see the posters about the event through the Church building.
On 22/07/2023 we held our first Soup & Sherry Winter Warm Up Evening. Dieter and his band Rare Revival entertained us with great music for both listening and dancing. To all who assisted in making this evening a success – a big thank you! This year, the event will take place on 3 August – again I’m sure you will see the posters around the church building advertising this event.
We’ve introduced Bratwurst Sunday in 2023 as a social event and to provide feedback to the congregation on what is happening in the Church Committee. Some have been cancelled, but I still think the ones that we did have were a great success.
As of today, we still start keeping bowls of soup in the freezer again. These will be on sale throughout the winter months. If you are prepared to make a soup that can be portioned into bowls and freezes well, then please speak to Christiane about the specific containers for this.
Last but most definitely not the least I want to thank each and every one for the weekly support in ensuring that there are fresh flowers on the altar. The coffee or tea (with maybe something sweet to eat) after the 09h00 service is much appreciated.
The third ministry is called Community, which in turn is divided into 2 separate reports. The first one being the community focused topics, such as Bless-a-Baby, MES coupons, the Methodists and the Kreuzkirche/Kraaifontein Bible Study evenings. Here Detlev gives the monthly feedback.
The Bless-a-Baby project is extremely well supported by the congregation, and we thank everyone for their ongoing support in this matter.
The Methodists keep on using our facilities for their Church services. We would like to supply them with a cupboard to store items that are used weekly in their services, but to date we have not managed to obtain such a cupboard. We want to put the cupboard in the hallway of the church entrance, against the furthest wall. So, if you know of a cupboard that we would be able to give them of this purpose, please let us know.
The second part of the Community ministry is called Connections. For this part of the meeting Christiane and Schalk give feedback on what is going on in the Sister Churches, news from the Kindergarten, St. Johannisheim and the Cape Church, our newsletter, webpage and YouTube channel, etc.
At the end of January, the KiGa committee requested a meeting with the Church Committee. They advised us of their plans to ask the DSK (Deutsche Schule Kapstadt) on whether they may move to the Parow campus and use part of those facilities and also then become part of the DSK. The talks between these parties are still ongoing.
Our 3-monthly newsletter is always informative and well received by con- gregants and other guests. In this regard I particularly want to thank Ernst-Günther and his editorial team on the great work that is done in this regard.
I want to thank Schalk for his ongoing YouTube services. They are to this day, still well received.
Upcoming dates of events in our congregation that you need to diarize are as follow:
Winter Warm Up Soup & Sherry – 03/08/2024
Church Bazaar – 07/09/2024
Men’s Breakfast – 16/11/2024 Advent Market – 30/11/2024
In conclusion, I would like to thank each and everyone in the congregation for anything and everything that I have not mentioned or specified previously, whether it’s partaking in church services, helping with washing the cups and saucers on Sundays, making the coffee or tea, bring flowers or anything else you do, thank you.
I have informed the Church Committee that I will be stepping down from the committee after today. So, this will be my last AGM report.
As always, I end my AGM report off with a quote.
“Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.” Alice Morse Earle (American Historian and writer)
Gisela Prüter.
