Message Alan Maker

HOME

ABOUT US

NEWSLETTER

DONATIONS

4126

Church Whatsapp : 065 9470188

Home About Us Life Events Calendar Contact Us

MEMORIES FROM ALAN MAKER

Presbyterian services started at Umgogintwini at the instigation of the dearly beloved Physician, Tormod McLeod. Services were held in the “Tin Temple” (I am not sure where that was). He approached Dr Andre de Villiers of the Frere Road Presbyterian Church and received his support. At first services were held every second Sunday in the afternoon so as to not interfere with the services at Frere Road. Dr de Villiers approached the McDonald Trust for a donation to build a church. This was forthcoming and hence the original name, the McDonald Memorial Church, which it will always be to me in honour of a generous and devout Cape Town Family of doctors who gave so much for the extension of the proclamation of the gospel.

I preached my first sermon at the church on my 21st birthday, 30th of June, 1963. It was Tormod McLeod’s dream to have a permanent minister and a growing work there. I promised Dr de Villiers that I would go there on completion of my studies, should the Church Extension Committee Choose to appoint me. This, Harold Munro did but sadly Dr McLeod died very suddenly before I could begin my ministry.

Dr de Villiers asked me who I would like to be my first elders. I had spent a vacation working at ‘Twini so knew the congregation quite well. I picked Collin Cumming, whom I had known for many years, Harry Duncan, the first session clerk and a teacher at Adam’s Mission, Sid Wheelock, who was running the Sunday School and George Sheares, who was a Roman Catholic but became a Presbyterian. I performed Harry’s funeral in Johannesburg not so long ago, and George Sheares is still alive living in Australia, now well in his 90’s Collin is dead and Sid left Amanzimtoti recently. Later we added two further elders, Pat Holder and Tom Makin, who was an elder at St Mark’s in Johannesburg and whose mother –in-law Mrs Lambert owned “Three Jays” on Beach Road, in ‘Toti. Tom was at the service when I preached in June and is currently an elder at Berea Presbyterian Church. Session meetings were very informal and often I had to say, “finish your whiskies we are about to constitute a court of the church” Jim Somerville was the char of the Board of Management.

I started at Umbogintwini on 1st January 1067 and stayed in the home of Rana Viljoen in Linscott Road. Margie and I married in April, 1967 and moved into the house so lovingly built for us by Ginger Smith at 12 Booth Road, Athlone Park. Not long after that Rae, Ginger and Nell’s beautiful daughter was killed in that dreadful air crash at Windhoek.

We had much fun in those early years. We were all inexperienced and wading through unfamiliar territory. In the middle weeks of the month the offering used to be in the region of R12 and Ian Donald, the treasurer would tear his hair out. Services alternated, one morning, one evening, and so I had to chance the preach all over Durban. I then introduced two services and often at fine minutes to &, Margie, I and Denise Kenton would sit on the wall outside the church wondering whether anyone would come, and they did, especially the young people. Next to Durban North we had the biggest youth group in Natal, some 60 young people on a Friday night.

From the beginning, I was going to teach these country hicks some good theology and started on a study of the Apostles’ Creed. My group grew rapidly from 12 to 5. Cina Hofland finally said to me, “Alan, we don’t care if Mary was perpetually a virgin, we do not understand a word you are saying we are only here because we love you” I learned a number of lessons that day and the course stopped there!

Eventually the need for some place to meet, became urgent. We decided to add on to the Church, where I had already established my office, and to build a new manse on the site we owned next door. We never lived in that house David Grant Built because we moved to St Columba’s at the end of 1970.

Margie and I owe the congregation at Umbogintwini a great deal. I was young, abrasive and callow. I made many mistakes that were forgiven. Together with Denise Wilson and others we started the Big Walk for SANTA. Together with the Rev. George Irvine, we established Distress Line. It was an exciting time. Our first daughter, Clair was born there as was our second, Susan, only three weeks before we left. The congregation shaped me and enabled me to express my deepest convictions and hone them so that they became useful and helpful in my later ministry.

I give thanks to God for every lovely memory of you.

Alan Maker

Grace is the gift; gratitude and graciousness are our response. The Jerusalem Bible translates Ephesians 2:10 as “you are God’s works of art created in Christ Jesus to do the good works which he had prepared for you”. Notice we are God’s works of art – it matters not what we look like, whether we have succeeded or failed, whether we are rich or poor. It does not depend on us, all is from God, all is grace. Our response is to care for one another and the world in which we live.

As some turned the law into a work, so have some today done the same with faith. You have to have faith in Christ, which is the key. No, Christ has faith in you, you have to appropriate that we live a Christ-like life amidst the brutality and cruelty and inhumanity of our modern world.

Alan Maker

Sunday, 07 June 2009