Umbilo Congregational Church welcomes new pastor

UMBILO Congregational Church has welcomed a new pastor, Reverend Chris Pieterse. Pieterse is a newly ordained reverend but says he has a long history with the church.

“I started my theology studies back in 2008. I was studying part-time while working, and I have my Diploma in Theology and Ministry. I was ordained on May 11 of this year, here at Umbilo Congregational Church. The ordination ceremony is an ordination and an induction. Even if you are ordained and there is no church that will take you, you could sit for some time without serving. But with God’s timing, I was immediately placed with the Umbilo Congregational Church,” said Pieterse.

He said he received a shocking diagnosis at the start of 2020 that changed his perspective. “In the beginning of 2020, when I started my internship at Berea Congregational Church, something told me to go and get myself checked for cancer. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And that diagnosis inspired me to push through my studies and finish – even though there had been hurdles along the way, before 2020, with my studies, the diagnosis made me want to persevere and finish my qualification.”

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Pieterse says he was called by God from a young age. “From Grade 11, I had this sense of a call, but I didn’t pay attention to it, and then I went to a Mighty Men conference with my boss at the time. There, it was almost like God was talking to me, telling me to take this path, and from then, I started pursuing the path to becoming a reverend.”

Umbilo Congregational Church is Pieterse’s childhood church – he says the pairing between him and the local church is a match made in heaven. “I have been attending Umbilo Congregational Church since I was a young man in 1985. I found my wife here, I got married here and both of my kids were baptised here. So this church has a special place in my heart.”

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He invites all local residents to visit the church. “This is a family church – we have Sunday School, monthly markets and so many programmes for our congregants to get involved in. My goal for this church is to pull in the community – we have a large and diverse community in Umbilo, and I want our church’s congregation to reflect that. Anybody and everybody can come and join us and join the Umbilo Congregational family.”

For more information, contact the church on 060 474 7281.

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