Hettie Viljoen, director of Victus Christi and leader of the Compassionate Service Group at the Gereformeerde Kerk Benoni, said both institutions have felt the effects of a slowing economy.
“In the church we’ve noticed that a need is growing among many of the members, from all age groups,” said Viljoen.
“We always received large financial donations in the past, but these have gone down, because everyone is struggling.
“Victus Christi has also been struggling to acquire donations and even the monthly market held on the church grounds is suffering.
“Victus Christi’s only steady contributor is Woolworths, at the Farrarmere Square, which donates food.”
Membership at the Benoni Synagogue has shrunk from over 400 to about 40 in the past three years, according to an employee of the Synagogue.
“The Jewish community in Benoni has dwindled, because many people are sick of the economy and country and have emigrated,” said the person, who wished to remain anonymous.
Charisma Kerk, in Farrarmere, is one of the churches that seems to have bucked the trend.
“Our congregation is in a growing phase, after a stagnant period a few years ago,” said Arnold Uys, pastor at the church.
“We support and manage two orphanages, which are doing well.”
Deon Swart, head pastor at EnDeo Familiekerk, said the church has been fortunate.
“There are families in our congregation who are strained, but the church itself has been blessed,” said Swart.
With soup kitchens four to five times a month and a free annual bazaar, the church’s projects are still going strong.
The Northfield Methodist Church said the current economic climate may mean church staffers will not receive bonuses at the end of the year or salary increases next year, according to John Roux, executive pastor at Northfield.
Northfield has 4 000 registered church members, and even though the church is not facing bankruptcy, the funding has dropped over the years.
“We are facing pressures from financial constrains because of the rising costs and economic pressure,” said Roux.
“These circumstances do affect how much people are willing to contribute.
“…For next year there probably won’t be any salary increases.
There are 50 staff members employed at the church and 50 at John Wesley Centre. Roux hopes the church has a positive impact in Ekurhuleni.
“If we are impacted negatively, it affects how we can contribute to the community,” he said.
“We would be grateful if members of the public donate in any way that they can to our church – even if they do not share the same beliefs.
The church has the following on campus projects:
- A soup kitchen that feeds 50 people daily.
- Collection and distribution of food to those in need.
- A clothing project, in which various clothing items are collected from the congregation and from the community for the needy and to raise funds through sales.
- Pastoral Care Centre, which is run from the church’s grounds
The centre is aimed at emotionally assisting people who have survived traumatic circumstances, preparing couples for marriage, parenting courses and teaching children protective behaviour.
Off-campus projects include:
- Running the John Wesley Centre, based in Etwatwa
- Partnering with Nora Day Care Centre in Daveyton
- Running a feeding scheme in Springs.
The Benoni Central Methodist Church (BCMC) in Cranbourne Avenue, currently has three projects that they are running, each focusing on the community.
These include the Harvest Care, which feeds approximately 40 people from the streets at one sitting, three times a week, and a Zenzele Crèche, where Easter and Christmas parties are held for children, and Zamokuhle Care Center.
Most of the congregants contribute to these projects which help people from Benoni and surrounding areas.
“We don’t limit who we care for, we believe we have been called to be an Oasis to all,”said Minster Hilton Volkwyn.
He said a lot of congregants who used to give financial aid to the church have moved.
The church now has a lot of elderly members, who live off their pensions.
The church’s finances have dropped by at least 30 per cent year on year, said Volkwyn.
All Souls Church in Northmead feeds approximately 70 people at its premises twice a week, as one of its projects.
The project was started to set up a soup kitchen for people attending a nearby clinic in order for them to have a meal before taking their medication.
According to Chris Hart, a global investment strategist of wealth and investment, at Standard Bank, South Africa is already in a recession.
“The economic slowdown is pushing small businesses, which are important for communities like Benoni, out,” said Hart.
“It comes from problems within the manufacturing, mining and agricultural sectors, which filter through to the rest of the economy.
“We have multiple deficits: within the government, households and the country itself and external factors are also affecting the country.”
