02/01/2024
The NG congregation Colesberg, with the Northern Cape town of Colesberg as its centre, is the 18th oldest congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, but due to the synodal boundaries which differ from the provincial ones, the fifth oldest in the Synod of Eastern Capeland. On 10 December 2011, the congregation was already 185 years old. In 2015, the congregation had 90 individuals baptized and 458 professing members.
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The congregation was founded on 10 December 1826 by Rev. Andrew Murray of the NG congregation Graaff-Reinet founded under the name "the congregation of Torenberg", following the round hill on the west side of the mountain.
There is uncertainty as to whether this was indeed the correct designation. The original name was quite possibly "the congregation of de Toverberg", because firstly the San had a kraal here and were used to obtaining their magic goods from the hill and secondly there is the "Acta" of the Cape Synod's session of 1829 which declares: "From the Magic Mountain, no one appeared." Most likely, Fr. Murray confused the expression "Toorberg", as already used colloquially at the time, with "Torenberg" and officially gave this incorrect name to the parish.
Nevertheless, the congregation only carried its original name for three years, because in 1830 the then governor, Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, thanks to the intervention of Sir Andries Stockenstrรถm, donated about 15,500 hectares to the NG church. In honor of the governor, the parish, town and district have since been called Colesberg. The church divided the land into lots and used the proceeds from its sale to erect its building in the center of the town.
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For ten years the congregation was vacant until the first pastor, Rev. Thomas Reid, was appointed here in 1836. This Scottish pastor, one of those that the then colonial government brought in to supplement the shortage of ministers but especially to anglicize the Dutch population, his ministry in the Colesberg congregation extends from July 1836 to 13 February 1854. From time to time several Voortrekkers and migrant farmers north of the Orange River come to Colesberg to have their children baptized by Reid. As a result, he feels concerned about their spiritual welfare and asks permission from the Presbytery of Graaff-Reinet to minister the gospel to the emigrants along the Riet, Sand and Kaffer rivers. Although the Presbytery grants permission, he is prevented from going by the country's laws at the time.
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His ministry in the Colesberg congregation was overshadowed by a bitter dispute over the introduction of the evangelical hymns. For years the Cape churches sang only the rhyming psalms. From 1814, the hymns were also introduced in one congregation after another. Over time, certain members with more conservative views, especially in the northern and north-eastern districts of the Cape Colony, opposed the singing of the hymns because, like psalms, they did not rhyme directly from the Bible and, moreover, in their opinion, were contrary to Scripture. After Reid's arrival at Colesberg, the dispute about it became even greater. In November 1841, the Presbytery of Graaff-Reinet addressed a pastoral letter to the congregation in which they wanted to refute the objections of the anti-singing people, without being accommodating at all. They also state that if members refuse to sing hymns out of prejudice or bigotry, they are "piercing," even tearing, the body of Christ. This harsh language deeply offends and causes a tremendous stir among the disaffected of the Colesberg community. The matter is made worse when Reid, armed with this strong Ring decision, wants to enforce the hymns by even refusing certain ecclesiastical privileges in some cases unless those involved commit to singing them.
In this matter, he often behaves extremely tactlessly and even insultingly. As the disaffected get no satisfaction from the Presbytery or the Synod, their attacks become more and more on Fr. Directed by Reid himself. They accuse him of neglecting his official duty and insist that he be transferred. Only after tremendous pressure was exerted, also from the Presbytery and the Synod, did he resign as vicar of Colesberg in 1854. By this time the rift in the congregation was already too great and when the Reformed Church was established in Rustenburg on 11 February 1859, the seeds for the Reformed secession had already been sown on Colesberg. On 8 December 1860, a part of the congregation also joined the new Church.
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After another long vacancy, this time five years, Dr. Servaas Hofmeyr served the congregation for two years, after which Rev. AD Lรผckhoff takes up the shepherd's staff. During his ministry, the church building, which still dominates the town today, was erected. The dedication speech was given on 12 August 1866 by Rev. G. van de Wall, then pastor of Bloemfontein, delivered. However, the original plan for the building was not immediately completed. The tower above the entrance had to be left behind because "people didn't seem to have had the courage to do more". After all, the church had already cost ยฃ14,000 when partially completed. Only in 1926 with the congregation's centenary celebration during the ministry of dr. H.A. Lamprecht, the tower was added and the building took its current form.
Rev. Lรผckhoff left in 1875 for the Groote Kerk in Cape Town and was succeeded by Rev. WAGON. Alheit (1875 โ โ88). (Written by Morne van Rooyen)
Source: https://af.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NG_gemeente_Colesberg
