“On Monday, 28 September, God put the finishing touches on his mansion in Heaven.
”This was the way the Reverend Lynton Ressell described the passing of Dr Terence Barton McGee at his funeral held on Friday, 2 October at the Florida Baptist Church.
Terrence was born in Pietermaritzburg on 29 March 1938 with a severely malformed heart. Doctors predicted he would live for four months, but he defied all odd and lived for 77 and ‘n half years. He married his wife Sheilagh in 1959 and being a maths boffin, he became a maths teacher at Estcourt High and later Harward High in Pietermaritzburg.
In 1963 he had open heart surgery performed on him by a then relatively unknown surgeon called Chris Barnard. Terence was one of only four patients in his ward to live longer than a year.In 1966 Terence became the principal of a mission school in Swaziland called Florence Christian Academy.
Here, besides academia, he raised chickens, a tortoise and a family. Next he was called to pastor the Margate Baptist Church in 1968. Whilst being a minister there, he completed his Diploma in Theology and then accepted the post of Secretary for Christian Education for the Baptist Union of South Africa. Thus, two of Terence’s passions were combined – teaching and conveying the Christian message.
Terence went on to pastor the Baptist Churches in Springs and Lambert Road in Durban, and moderated at the Horison, Fynnland and Florida churches. He served as the President of the Baptist Union in 1989/90 and as the Editor of the South African Baptist magazine, now known as Baptists Today from 1998 to 2010. His mettle as a leader and prayer warrior was demonstrated in Kimberley at the Baptist Union conference in 1989 when the Cape delegation walked out as they felt the premises chosen to house the large assembly reflected Apartheid leanings. He was a founder of the Treverton School Committee and ran the annual conferences for 25 years. He served on the Christian Education Committee of the Baptist World Alliance from 1988 to 1994.
Terence was described as a devout father by his three children, Colin, Gary and Jenni Mackenzie. In fact what he used to tell his children forty years ago, is still valid for the youth of today when facing the stress of exams, “Just be calm and think!” Nothing was ever too much for Terence when it came to his family, which later included 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Terence may not have left a legacy of millions of Rands, but he left an indelible footprint on thousands of people’s lives.
He was an author and publisher, writing and translating into Afrikaans A Look at the Book in 1972. He had the privilege of leading his own father to salvation and baptizing him. Terence founded Church Training Ministries in 1991.
Many will remember Terence for his wonderful sense of humour, the way that each person he spoke to seemed to be the most important person in his life at that moment and above all for his passion for God and being the most incredible family man.
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