Durban — The old picture this week features the Greyville Presbyterian Church in Windermere, today Lilian Ngoyi Road, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this weekend.
A special service will be held on Sunday remembering those who contributed to the life and work of the church over the decades.
The church congregation is actually 130 years old, having started out in 1893.
On October 14, 1892, a group of young parents, anxious for their children to have the biblical teaching they had in Scotland, met at a house on Umgeni Road to form a Sabbath School. The following Sunday, 39 people signed a memorandum expressing their need for a place where they could gather for worship.
Grants were received from the Free Church of Scotland, the Established Church of Scotland, the Irish Presbyterian Church and the Church Extension Committee of Natal. On April 17, 1893, Greyville Presbyterian Church was granted full congregational status and rented the Bayley Hall for worship.
In 1894 the present site was bought after the Governor of the Colony of Natal granted permission for a church to be built on the ground. The original church building was a very small hall erected in 1895 by Mr A Litman.
The money was borrowed from W Palmer and sons. The land and properties belonged to the congregation and the original title deeds stated, “To the Session of Greyville and their successors for all time”.
It didn’t take long for the congregation to outgrow the tiny church. A new church was designed by famed Durban architects Street-Wilson & Paton, and the foundation stone was laid in November 1923. The church was dedicated in April the following year.
Shortly after the construction of the church, in 1927, Greyville called a young minister of 31, Reverend Hugh Yule and his wife, Dorothy, to tend to its affairs.
Over the period of his ministry of 42 years, much was accomplished. The first manse was built in 1928, the memorial organ installed in 1949, the new hall built in 1956, and by 1965 the church was debt-free.
Durban musician Ann Muir, who has been attending the church for more than 35 years, is the church organist and says it’s an excellent instrument, and still in very good condition, although the electrics could do with an overhaul.
She learnt to play the organ as a girl growing up in East London.
“Organists begin as pianists and once they’re physically able, they get taught how to play the organ as it requires both hand and foot co-ordination,” Muir says.
It was around this time that the beautiful stained glass windows were added to the church, commissioned from artist Anton Voorveld. It was Voorveld who mentored prominent Durban glass artist Guido van Besouw.
Each July the Governor General from 1945 to 1950, Gideon Brand van Zyl and his wife Marie, attended morning worship at Greyville during their stay at King’s House. The household of the royal family also worshipped in Greyville during the royal visit of 1947.
In 1969 Greyville once again called a young minister to his first pastoral charge, Reverend Lawrence Hall, his wife Dorothy and their four children.
Alterations and renovations were carried out to the manse. For the first time a church car was bought, and many changes were made in the life and work of Greyville which enabled the church to grow and develop.
Hall’s first love was mission work. His wife was an accomplished musician and became choir mistress and trained a senior Sunday School choir which won all sections at the South African National Sunday School Association Eisteddfod.
The government health clinic began holding a pensioners’ clinic at Greyville. The Kupugani Feeding Scheme was also run from the church hall. Youth meetings were again held. A Cine Club was started by Jimmy and Judy Milligan and a visitation programme called “Knock Knock” undertaken in the Greyville area.
Hall left in 1973 to return to teaching, before Reverend John Tooke took over the ministry.
Current pastor Kevin Bestwick has only just joined the Greyville Presbyterian Church. Born in Zambia and raised in Zimbabwe, he came to South Africa in 2003.
“I took a pastoral call to work with the Norwegian Settlers Church in Marburg, near Port Shepstone, where I worked for three years.
“After that, I worked with the Eshowe Presbyterian Church for seven years before going back to IT (information technology).
“My aim is to see the church continue to portray the Gospel of Christ among the Greyville and surrounding community. In a rapidly changing and often-confused world, the church represents the constancy of God, the truth of His word and the transforming power of His light in the midst of darkness.”
He added that Sunday’s service would be in celebration of the 100th year of the laying of the church’s foundation stone. The fact that it’s still standing is something significant to commemorate.
The celebratory service will begin at 9am and will include hymns, prayers, readings, a sermon, and tributes by long-serving ministers and congregants.
Independent on Saturday