Afro-Seventh-day Adventist History and Heritage with Paul Sibanda

WHY DID FOCUS CHANGE FROM KIMBERLY TO CAPE TOWN?

"Strangely enough, for reasons not given, it was the church erected in Cape Town and not the one in Beaconsfield that was destined to house the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa. " - Francois Swanepoel (1972)

WHATS YOUR TAKE ON THIS?

Please share your thoughts

A SNIPET OF ZAMBIA' S ADVENTIST HISTORY

In 1952, a Mission Primary School was established at Malawila Village in Zambia.

The greatest challenge faced by the church was the Chewa tradition called 'Gule Wamkulu or Nyau'. It made it difficult for men especially to convert to Adventism. Nyau is a "masked cultural dance which the Chewa people believe was given to them by God at creation. The Chewa men say that the Nyau are 'zilombo' (wild animals) reincarnated from 'mizimu' spirits of the departed."

Members of this secret society use secret codes when communicating amongst each other. Nyau is "the custodian of Chewa Traditional Religion (CTR) which is the religion of the Chewa people" of Central Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

FOREIGNERS AND ADVENTISM IN SOUTH AFRICA

Between 2007 and 2008, there was what I call "The Second Great Exodus " as Zimbabweans and other nationals left their native countries flocking into South Africa. What seemed to be a curse became a blessing especially for Adventism in the Rainbow nation.

In the Transvaal Conference [TC] (now Northern Conference of South Africa)[NCSA] between 2008 and 2014, number of churches increased from 86 to 125 (increase of 39 churches). Its membership went from 10,935 to 17,812 [6,877 member increase].

Trans-Orange Conference [TOC): number of churches went from 241 to 287 (increase of 46 churches), its membership went from 25,292 to 39,405 (14,113 member increase)

Source: God's Grace to our African Race Vol.1 : A brief history and heritage of Black Adventism in ghe United States and Southern Africa (2nd Ed. 2021) p.122,123.

*NB please note that these statistics are only for two conferences located in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province of South Africa.

Paul Sibanda Paulie Sibbs

FIRST BANTU MISSION VOLUNTEER SENIOR YOUTH CAMP

The first senior youth camp for the South Bantu Mission was held at Jeffrey's Bay, southwest of Port Elizabeth from January 8-16, 1957. Seventy-five (75) youths camped under the guidance of Camp pastor J.P Sundquist and director of the camp, Pastor P. J van Eck.
33 of the campers were enrolled in the Voice of Prophecy (VOP) Bible Course. During those days, all Adventist programs were Mission oriented.

Let us bring back this spirit of old🙏

MISSION CORE

Pastor J. N. de Beer (1881-1967)

Johannes Nicholas de Beer was born on January 17, 1881 in the Orange Free State of South Africa. He was the grandson of J N de Beers (1830-1883) after whom he was named. He served as a Seventh-day Adventist Church administrator, colporteur and pioneer of several mission stations in Southern Africa such as Cancele in South Africa, Selukwe(now Shurugwi), Shanghani, and QueQue (now Kwekwe) in Southern Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe). He retired in 1951 and died on March 13, 1967 at Port Shepstome, Natal.

Paul Sibanda

UNSELFISH LOVE❤️

FRED L. MEAD (1853-1901)

Frederick Luther Mead was an early missionary to Africans in Southern Africa. He was also an early leader in the Adventist colporteur ministry together with his wife, Rosie Cochran Mead.
Fred was born in 1853 in New Hampshire. In 1898 the Meads accepted the call to pioneering service in Africa where they helped strengthen the work at Solusi Mission. He is the man who baptized the the first person at Solusi Mission - Jim Mainza. Mead died from pneumonia on October 7, 1901 in Kimberly.
Paulie Sibbs

MUSLIM HELP

Malupi Sh*tanda was chief of the Kabras people in western Kenya. He was Muslim , but he assisted the Adventists by granting land to them for Chebwai Adventist Mission to.be established. Chief Sh*tanda died in 1952

*tanda

The first Adventist school in Namibia was established in 1920, at a place called Ikaba, in the eastern region. More schools were established in the region thereafter. These schools totaled about 12. Unfortunately all of them closed down in 1943.

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS CLOSURE?

The first Evangelistic Campaign in Namibia was conducted by Pastor J Van der Merwe resulting in 5 people getting baptized. These members were left under the care of Pastor S. Fourier from Upington Church.

God's grace to our African race Vol.1 p. 113

CHIEF JONATHAN MOLAPO (in 1920)

If it was not for this man, our presence in northern Lesotho would have been zero.

Thanks to this man who was moved by God to facilitate our land acquisition for a mission station in northern Basutoland around 1909.

In 1911, R C Porter visited Kolo Mission in Lesotho and described it this way, "Kolo is most pleasantly and beautifully situated. Old Kolo mountain lies in the rear, the atmosphere is bracing the good pure ever-living springs of water carried to the Mission by pipes, the vegetable and fruit gardens producing plenty of wholesome food, friendly class of intelligent natives sorrounding the station, a fertile valley for agriculture, spread out like a garden in front, makes the station a very pleasant place from which to let the glorious truth of the message shine out to the people who sit in darkness in south Basutoland. "
November 6, 1911

God's grace to our African race Vol.1: A brief history and heritage of Black Adventism in the United States and in Southern Africa p. 105,106