EPC celebrates 140 years of excellence and goodwill

A large number of members of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa (EPC) celebrated the church's 140 anniversary at Valdezia last week.

The theme of the celebrations was Remembering the rock from which we were cut.
The EPC's moderator, Rev Patrick Nyambi, said that the church had a history of excellence, goodness, goodwill and good leadership, which spanned more than a century. “It's the reason why we have chosen Isaiah 51:1 as our standpoint on this 140th anniversary,” he said.

“We have got people from at least six provinces – and all the people enjoyed the celebration which was like a pilgrimage to many who spent five full days staying in homes or local lodges in and around Valdezia.” Different speakers encouraged members of the church to continue to walk and follow the path which believers who came before them had walked faithfully.

According to Nyambi, the celebrations were aimed at commemorating the achievements and milestones of the church since its establishment in 1875. The celebrations were also attended by dignitaries from both the business and private sector and people from the entertainment industry attended and entertained the guests.

The Valdezia Mission Station, which houses the EPC, was established by Swiss theological students of missionaries, Henri Bertroud and Ernst Creux. 
“The two had obtained permission to purchase the farm Klipfontein from a Scotsman, Mr J Watt, in 1874, on which they established the station,” said media liaison officer Ms Rirhandzu Nkombyani.

“Mr Alexis Thomas, an artisan and missionary, was responsible for the buildings, gardens and day-to-day functions of the mission.” Nkombyani stated that the Swiss Mission complex consisted of Elim Hospital, Old Valdezia School, Lemana College, Elim Mission Church, Elim Mill and a dam, as well other historical buildings.

Date:15 July 2015

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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