Ministry News: Goodwood Baptist Church (July 2007)

It did not begin with a flash of lightning or a thunderous voice saying, “Go,” but the Lord was behind the growth of Goodwood Baptist Church from its inception. It is thirty-five years since a group of believers met in the area, began a bilingual Sunday school, and constituted as a fellowship. Since then there have only been two pastors before our present one, Roland Eskinazi. Peter Dewberry (now in the US) served faithfully from 1972–1982 , followed by Bernard Cartledge (1982–1998). We praise God for their ministries, which laid a solid foundation on which to continue to build. The church’s constitution was adopted and approved on 6 March 1977. The important distinctives in this document were its references to elders (unusual for South African Baptists at this time) and its allegiance to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. After meeting for many years in a building in Anderson Street, the Lord enabled the church family to purchase the AGS church building on Milton Road. Services there commenced in October 1994 and continue to the present day.

The GBC family compromises people from a variety of backgrounds. From the very outset, the focus of our services and ministry has been unashamedly God’s word above all else. Public worship is conducted simply with a clear focus on preparing God’s people to hear God’s word. Like all churches within Sola 5, we seek to implement ministries that present the gospel clearly to all age groups. On Sunday mornings, our children and young people meet with us and then move to what is known as COOL (Christ Our Only Lord) Club and Teen Bible Class. We are grateful too for opportunities to reach non-Christian homes in the area through our youth work on a Friday (Crusaders and Khula!). Currently, there are five home fellowship groups meeting on Wednesdays in Goodwood, Tygerdal, Monte Vista, Welgelegen, and Bothasig. For enquirers and those confused about the gospel, there is a Christianity Explored course followed by a Back to Basics course, which has been used of the Lord to bring some to saving faith. At the time of writing, we are greatly encouraged to see how the Lord has honoured the faithful sowing of his word through a number of people currently attending baptism and membership classes. These classes would include instruction on the doctrinal distinctives of a Reformed Baptist Church as well as privileges and responsibilities associated with belonging to the family of God.

Through a series of remarkable providences, Goodwood Baptist Church has been involved in encouraging and helping the Robertson Reformed Community Church, a church in the country areas, to constitute. Sybrand de Swardt, our former pastoral intern, is shepherding the flock there and we rejoice that they too have come into membership of the Sola 5 family. At the same time, we are involved in assisting Wallacedene Baptist Fellowship. This work, in an informal settlement some 30km from Goodwood, is pastored by Otto Makalima who, with his wife, Matshepo, are members of GBC. He is assisted by Mphumezi Hombana, another graduate of the Cape Town Baptist Seminary. They report as follows:

With the undeserved grace and strength that proceeds from the sovereign God, we see ourselves involved in the planting of a church that is committed to the doctrines of grace. Wallacedene, situated on the edge of the northern suburbs of Cape Town, boasts a population of about 120,000 people. Most of the population originates from the rural parts of the Eastern Cape, in the former Transkei. Generally, their wage is earned through working as domestic workers, construction workers, farm workers, and factory workers, with a huge number of casual workers. In terms of literacy, there is only a small percentage who are literate, and the culture of thinking is still by and large pre-modern, in the sense that it is still strongly rooted in superstition. Currently, the fellowship meets in a local school on Sunday mornings and in homes during the week. We do not as yet see many that are coming to faith or of those who are being baptised. However, we are seeing spiritual growth and increased appreciation of expository preaching among those who are already with us. Pray with us for more conversions and baptisms before we constitute; also for a clearer understanding of the church on the part of our members.

As a result of our doctrinal commitments, we have thought it necessary to extend our ministry to the entire Xhosa speaking (though not exclusively) Christian community in the Western Cape. Hence, All of Grace Institute was established. The mission of the Institute is to encourage perseverance in sound biblical doctrine. There is such a great influx of false teaching to which an average person is exposed, but sadly there is nothing in the Xhosa speaking community that is designed to counteract it. Instead, more and more churches dance to its tune to the detriment of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Our vision is a God-centred generation of Christians. Apparently, it is inevitable that when commitment to a sound biblical faith goes, God-centeredness goes with it and man-centeredness sets in. The institute is established with a hope that God would be pleased to incline his people’s hearts to him, once again, through us. Among other things, the Institute aims at having quarterly conferences in which doctrinal subjects will be addresses by likeminded ministers. Here are our subjects for this year:

GBC has the joy of partnering with several “fulltime” national and overseas missionaries in the work of the gospel. Diane Guta has just returned from Bolivia (SIM), where she has faithfully worked with underprivileged children in Cochabamba. Pray for her as she adjusts to life in South Africa again. Hans-Walter and Sabine Ritter are resident in Germany where Hans is serving as National Director of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship). Colin and Barbara Tomlinson, who served with Middle East Christian Outreach in Turkey for many years, are now resident in Cape Town where Colin heads up the MECO office. Hylton Sumner, who has ministered for many years among Baptist churches in the area of hospital chaplaincy, has returned to his roots as a missionary and is engaged in pastoral work in the Indian community, at La Mercy, KZN. Doug Crutchley has been involved in a unique and challenging ministry in Cape Town and further afield (recently Namibia). Readers will be interested in its beginnings and progress. In May 1996, as a result of observing a Hare Krishna devotee promoting his sect’s literature and his consequent and increasing conviction to point the lost to Christ, Doug began evangelism outreach in the streets of Cape Town. At that time he was working for a bank situated in the heart of the city centre. After purchasing a suitable carry-bag and a number of Ultimate Questions (John Blanchard’s excellent 32-page evangelistic booklet), every available lunch break was used to share the good news. Initially the outreach was limited to the city bowl, but it soon expanded into the suburbs. He continued to share the gospel on a part-time basis for three years, gaining experience and insight into the enormous potential for one-to-one literature evangelism using Ultimate Questions. In April 1999, he was able to begin fulltime outreach. Since then, new dimensions have been added to the ministry: discipling through literature; undertaking itinerant evangelism trips (to other parts of South Africa and, in June 2006, to Namibia); and, from May 2005, weekend outreach at Cape Town harbour. Mission statement: To point individuals, couples and families–irrespective of culture, nationality, race, religion or social standing–to Christ, for salvation or, where saved, for encouragement in their walk with the Lord, using sound Christian literature Objectives of the ministry: To identify with the Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of the public; to offer the good news of salvation through literature; to sow the seed of the gospel, primarily using Ultimate Questions; to disciple individuals through follow-on material; to endorse and promote the necessity of being actively involved in a Bible-centred, Christ-focused local church. Modus operandi: Evangelistic literature is offered indiscriminately, that is, to the whole cross-section of society. It is given out generously but not carelessly. Each recipient knows what he or she is receiving and has indicated that the booklet is wanted. A perspective–distribution of literature for the 12-month period Dec 2005 to Nov 2006:

Doug also refers to a Board of reference who take an active interest in the ministry: Rev. Roland Eskinazi, Rev. Martin Holdt, Rev. Dr. Syd Hudson-Reed, Dr. Frank Opie, Mr. Phil Shrimpton (UK), Rev. Dr. Bryan Williams.

Roland Eskinazi was born to Egyptian parents in Harare, Zimbabwe. His father, Salomon, was a Jew who came to faith in Jesus Christ when Roland was a child. Roland studied ballet from an early age, travelling to the UK when he was 16. After performing professionally with the Cape Performing Arts Board in Cape Town (1979–1985), during which time he was converted, he went to study for the pastoral ministry at the Cape Town Baptist Seminary. It was over that time, along with Joachim Rieck (pastor of Eastside Baptist Church), that he came to understand the doctrines of grace. He is especially grateful for the years spent at Wynberg Baptist Church—with Brian Stone as pastor! After spending a year as a national service chaplain, and a further year as associate pastor of Mowbray Baptist Church, Roland was called to Germiston Baptist Church. He served God’s people there from 1992–1999. He was subsequently called to Goodwood Baptist Church and has ministered to the church family along with Hanlie (they married in 2001) for the past seven years. Along with his pastoral responsibilities, Roland serves on the organising team of the Grace Ministers’ Conference and is a member of the Board of the Bible Institute of South Africa (BISA) where he has the privilege of lecturing in the Christian Leadership Programme in the Cape Flats. Denis Stephen was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and attended Wynberg Baptist Church until he married Lyn in 1976. He and Lyn moved to Goodwood where they joined the fellowship in 1977. Jenny was born to them in 1980 and Christine in 1983. Jenny is a teacher-counsellor at a primary school in Cape Town and Christine is doing her internship in Pietermaritzburg after graduating last year as a medical doctor. Lyn passed away in March 2003 as a result of a serious motor accident. The year following her death, was for Denis the most difficult one of his life, but also the one in which he grew more spiritually than ever before. God proved himself over and over again, strengthening and sustaining him throughout that dark period. A “chance” meeting, on a busy Friday evening in a small shop in the huge Canal Walk shopping centre in Cape Town, with a lady Denis had known for many years through Scripture Union activities and teaching, led to Glenda and he marrying on 31 December 2005. Glenda has three daughters: Sharon is married and is a preschool teacher, Wendy-Lynn is studying at a business college, and Kirsty is in matric. Denis has been a primary school teacher since 1975. His training was done at Paarl Teachers’ College and Stellenbosch University. He is at present headmaster of Blouberg Ridge Primary School, a vibrant school in the middle of one of the fastest growing residential areas in the country, but also an area with the highest divorce rate. The opportunities for ministry to children, their parents and the teachers are many. His Christian ministry has been quite varied. Denis began in high school being involved in the local YFC Club and Youth Group at Church. When in Grade 11, he served for the first time at a SU Camp. The following years saw much involvement with SU through Beach Missions (where he first met Glenda in 1973!), holiday clubs, camps, and primary schools’ work. When at GBC, he was involved as a deacon, running the first Sunday School and then the youth club for teenagers, being the camp director for the annual family camp for about ten years, running a couples’ group, heading up the worship team and, for the past year-and-a-half, as elder. Colin Tomlinson was born in a gold-mining village west of Johannesburg in 1940. He was raised as a nominal Anglican. Later, as an early teenager, he moved with his family to the South Coast, Natal where he in 1965 married Barbara McArthur. He and Barbara moved to Cape Town in 1967. They now have four adult children and four grandchildren. Colin and his wife accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour in the mid 70s and immediately committed themselves to serving God in church fellowship. Colin soon felt called to mission and he and his wife have—after training at BISA in Kalk Bay—spent the last 25 years working with Middle East Christian Outreach, most of the time in Istanbul, Turkey. They retired from field service at the end of 2005 and Colin is currently the director of Middle East Christian Outreach South Africa. Colin also leads the Missions Committee at GBC besides serving as an elder. John Whaits’ high school years were spent in Mossel Bay and it was there that he began his banking career with Barclays Bank. He writes: “I retired 42 years later as a manager from the by now called First National Bank. After a stint at Mossel Bay and Albertinia I was transferred to Cape Town and it was here in 1956, by God’s wonderful grace that I came to know him as Lord and Saviour. I met and married my wife Margaret and together we were involved for many years (until I retired) in youth work of various forms. We were foundation members of GBC and from early days I was the treasurer of the church until 2001 when they set me aside to serve the Lord as an elder. We have three children; Delmarie Blackbeard married to Richard and living in Pretoria; Trevor and Marié who live in Robertson; and our youngest Wendy Wyatt married to Barry and living outside of East London. All our children are following the Lord for which we thank God. We have been blessed with seven lovely grandchildren who bring us much happiness and it was with much joy that we witnessed the baptism of our eldest grandchild Bronwen in Pretoria during June 2006.”