The Presbytery of East Griqualand

Good Friends in Christ

On Thursday 14 October, I travelled from Durban to Kokstad to meet with the incoming Moderator and Clerk of East Griqualand Presbytery.  Mike Craig, minister of St Columba’s, Kokstad, will be inducted as Moderator in early November and Thembeka Pitoyi, of Gillespie congregation, as Clerk. Both of these ministers were ordained in the UPCSA and not in either of the former denominations. I get a good feeling about this, it seems to be an opportunity to start afresh.

There are 16 congregations in East Griqualand. The Presbytery is very rural and some congregations have as many as 39 outstations. Thembeka told me that he recently held a baptism service in which 147 children were baptised. He borrowed the fonts from surrounding churches and the service went on for a long long time. 132 people were confirmed in another service. Ministers with many outstations have to train up lay preachers to preach in these. This becomes a major facet of their work.

According to Mike and Thembeka, the Presbytery enjoys unity within its Church Associations and Presbytery wide Consultations have been called on issues to be discussed. Sadly, Presbytery meetings have not always been pleasant with egos clashing and commissioners sometimes disrupting proceedings. They mentioned the need for workshops on Presbyterian polity and meeting procedures. Resources in such a rural Presbytery are always a challenge especially where there are such long distances to travel. There are two retired ministers resident in the bounds – the Revs JV Mdlalose and K Makiwane . The Presbytery has one probationer, Outon Ngxiya, placed at Stirling Memorial.

East Griqualand Presbytery lies south west of Thekwini and Drakensberg and North of Mthatha with Port Edward on its East and Lesotho forming its western border. It takes in Kokstad and Mout Ayliff, Mount Frere and its surrounding areas up to the Drakensberg range in the West.

We celebrate what God is doing among the brothers and sisters of East Griqualand.

Warm regards