Somerset. This appeal “Do good and share” as recorded in Hebrews 13:16 served as the foundation for the dedication service of the newly formed Somerset West 1819 congregation. On Sunday 19 January 2014 District Apostle N Barnes accompanied by all apostles and bishops of NAC-Cape performed this act of blessing in the recently renovated and refurbished Dutch Reformed Church building which dates back to 1819.

The church building itself has a very rich history and is surrounded by a cemetery in which some people who had great influence on the historical developments of the region have been buried. In recent times the building had become derelict and was in a poor condition even though it had been declared a national monument. When the building ran the risk of being used for purposes other than worshipping the Lord, the New Apostolic Church enquired about purchasing the building. Unfortunately this was not possible due to its classification as national monument. Accordingly, the church had to enter into a long term lease agreement with the owners of the church.

An old, new church building

The bulk of the members who form the congregation previously gathered in the hall of a children’s play Centre for close to 15 years. They were delighted to now have such a beautiful building at their disposal. These members (335) could not be accommodated in our existing Somerset West 1931 church building which is only 500 metres away in the next street. The divine service itself was richly decorated with musical items ranging from solo instruments and orchestra to renditions by mixed, male and children’s choir.

Well over 114000 members participated in the divine service via our audio-visual transmission network.

Also read our report on the website of the New Apostolic Church Cape.