Historic building deeply rooted in Waterberg

The building and its congregation’s roots are settled as deep in the Waterberg as that of the trees surrounding it.

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“On Thursday 5 November, a little after midday, neighbours living near the St John’s Church at 24 Rivers outside Vaalwater saw a tremendous flash of lightning and then flames shooting up. The message immediately went out on community WhatsApp groups: the 24 Rivers church is on fire!” said Juliet Baber, resident of Vaalwater. The immediate concern was that the historic building will be razed by the flames. “There had been heavy rainfall in the area at the time, so it hardly seemed possible. Yet by the time firefighters arrived the remains of the building were a smoking ruin,” she said.

The church building was spared but the community hall where services are held, was destroyed.

“The sadness at seeing the loss of the church building that provides the meeting place for the St John’s congregation each Sunday was tempered by the fact that the original, tiny, historical, 106 year old building standing just a few yards away had not been harmed in any way.”

According to Baber the little church was lovingly erected by pioneers in the early part of the 20th century and dedicated in 1914. Sir Herbert Baker, renowned architect of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, had been asked for a design.

The ground had been set aside by Edith Fawssett, the aunt of Mary Davidson. Edward Davidson, Mary’s husband, fetched stones by wagon from the Dwars River.

Wooden beams and later the wooden pews were hand-crafted by a skilled member of the congregation.

Some of the altar cloths were sent out from England and others were made by Edith and her sister, Katherine Peacock. The sisters had come to live in the Waterberg in 1892, and the niece, Mary, had married Edward in the home of the Tamsen family of the former Nylstroom in 1905. (Emil Tamsen opened the doors of the first general dealer and liquor store in Nylstroom in 1882. It was located across the road from where Absa is today.)

The little church, with its stained-glass windows and beautiful proportions, became the centre of community life for the English speaking community of Waterberg with the once-a-month communion service providing opportunity for picnics and tennis, and a visit to Edith’s library.

Two of the families that attended regularly from the very early days were the Kirkmans and Farrants of the farms in Vaalwater (established as a town when the railway was built in 1925) and neighbouring Hartebeespoort (home to the Zeederberg Spar complex, Waterberg Academy, Meetsetshehla Secondary School and the Farmer’s Hall).

The present congregation includes 22 descendants of the ori- ginal founding families, including 10 children belonging to the sixth generation. Elizabeth Hunter, granddaughter of the Davidson family, lives on the farm 24 Rivers and keeps a loving and tending eye on the original church building and the grounds.

“By 1996, not many of the congregation gathering at the church for services were Anglicans and in consultation with Bishop Le Feuvre of Polokwane, a constitution was set up whereby the life of the church could be run by elders and an elected leader, and the congregation was set free to be a church for any Christian denomination who accepted the Bible as the Word of God and Jesus as the way of salvation,” said Baber.

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” has been their mantra and Christians with different views on minor aspects co-operate peacefully in a spirit of love.

“We have no designated minister, but each person contributes to church life according to his or her gift — whether that be administration or worship or teaching or prayer ministry or care for those in need in the community. The congregation has become more and more cosmopoli- tan with Afrikaners, Americans, Brits, Malawians, Zimbabweans and Pedi and English speaking people of Waterberg,” she said.

“The historic building can accommodate no more than 40 people and over the years quite a number of weddings had to be held in the garden, including one on a very rainy day where the bride, Marion Baber, and her groom, Franco Zorzi, and all their guests were forced to huddle under umbrellas.

As the church grew, the need for a bigger building — able to accommodate about 150 — became more acute. Practical men of action, Charles and Colin Baber and Peter Farrant, initiated the project and many others in the congregation transported rocks to the site each Sunday and supplied the funds and skills needed to erect a beautiful stone and thatch structure that was completed in 1997. A mezzanine and beautiful teak staircase were added by David and Simone Baber in 2008. This is the building that was struck by lightning.

“The Clavinova keyboard (given in memory of Gary Farrant) and beautiful pieces of teak furniture, handmade by Andrew Poole, a lectern (given by the Baber brothers in gratitude for their happy marriages), and a giant teak cross (given in memory of Patti Farrant) were lost in the fire, as well as brass candlesticks (given by the Farrant family in memory of loved ones, Jack and Rupert Farrant) and a beautiful brass cross donated by Dr. Jill Farrant in gratitude for all that the church has meant to her.

Wall hangings in memory of Walter and Topsy Eschenburg’s daughter, Sarah-Jane were also lost.”

The congregation did not meet in the building since March due to the threat of Covid-19. Instead, they had services via WhatsApp. “These have proved so meaningful that friends from all over the world — from New Zealand to Indonesia, Uganda to United Arab Emirates, Germany, England, Ireland and the US (15 countries at the last count) have been joining in.

Just recently, we have met under shade cloth in the garden of the church, but the WhatsApp services are continuing as they have become such a powerful time of worship, fellowship and prayer. It has been exciting to see all sorts of answers to the believing prayer beaming up from all over the world: there is always someone awake somewhere in the world when a need arises and a prayer partner is needed,” said Baber.

“The building may be in ashes, but the church made up of living believers is very much alive. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has in plan for us as we seek His face for the way forward.”

Baie dankie aan André Kock en Seun sonder wie se hulp die plasing van dié aanlynberig nie moontlik sou wees nie.