A HISTORY OF THE CHAPEL AT FORT WHITE

The German Settlers arrived in South Africa in 1857 and were settled around the districts of King William's Town, 60km inland from East London. The first group to be allowed to settle there were about 2 400 German soldiers, and these were followed later by a larger group of settlers from North
Germany. In 1967 Hugo Gutsche was sent over to tend the Baptist flock among the Germans, and he became one of the most prominent pioneers of Baptist work in South Africa. The extension of the German influence in the area is confirmed by the names of the settlements - Berlin, Frankfort, Potsdam, Hamburg, Hanover, Breidbach, Keiskama Hoek and others. In most of these churches were started, as well as in other places that did not bear Germans names.

The Chapel at Fort White was built in the late 1800s, probably in the late 1860s or 1870s, and served the settler population. It also doubled up as a school, and we know people whose parents and grandparents attended the school, and one person actually attended himself as late as 1947. He is an
elder of the Amalinda Baptist Church in East London. We also know several people who were baptised in the outside baptistery of the church - and this baptistery still exists.

The original chapel still exists, although it has a clinker brick cladding and the original windows have apparently been changed. The pews and the pulpit are still the original, although they need some attention.

At the back of the Chapel are two large rooms that were built as the original classrooms of the school. And these also need some renovations, although their condition is good in view of their lacking maintenance for at least the past twelve years. The original kitchen of the church, a wood and corrugated iron building, is still in remarkable condition considering it has been unused for many years.

The last evidence that is available to me is that the school was definitely fully functional up until 1947, but we have no factual evidence of when it closed.

The chapel was the centre of the worship of the, mainly, German folk and a cemetery near the chapel bears testimony to the involvement of a number of families of German descent. In fact, the descendents of these folk are very active members of many of the local Baptist Churches in East London and other towns and villages in the interior. This region of the Eastern Cape has a very rich heritage derived from these people.

The Baptist Union of South Africa took over the property in 1955 and established the Fort White Theological College, largely for those who had not completed their schooling and were thus excluded from the two main Colleges of the Baptist Union, in Johannesburg and Cape Town, where the school leaving certificate was required. This resulted in the Fort White College catering mainly, and initially only, for Black students, and over the years many pastors were trained in the Word of God and sent out into the areas around Fort White and into other far flung regions across South Africa. In 1988, when the apartheid government was starting to crumble,
the Southern Baptist Board of the southern USA Baptist Churches purchased the property and continued to train pastors. It was, at this stage, open to all, and there was an arrangement with the University of Fort Hare, in Alice, whereby the students could obtain a theological qualification through Fort Hare University. In 1996, the Southern Baptist Board decided to close the college, but they retained the property.

From the time that the Baptist Union of South Africa took over the property, the Chapel became the centre of devotion and training in preaching of the College, and formed a vital part of the entire programme of the college. It was also used for times of quiet and personal devotions by the students who wished to be undisturbed in their devotions. Churches were planted in the area surrounding the College, and remain to this day.

When the Southern Baptists pulled out in 1996, no organised or controlled use of the property was determined, and apparently a school ran there for several years, but out of the ambit of the Southern Baptist Mission Board.

Lat year negotiations were initiated with the Southern Baptist Mission Board and these resulted in the purchase of the property by a Trust set up by interested parties in close liaison with the local Ministers Fraternal (made up of local pastors). The registered Trust is the Indawo Yethemba Trust (Place of Hope Trust) and the Trust vision is to use the property and all
the facilities that are available for outreach into the community. Perhaps a summary of our proposals is appropriate, before we deal with the Chapel as such.

The outreach envisioned includes the following:

A facility to use as a Hospice, mainly for those who are dying prematurely of AIDS. While medical treatment for them may not be possible because of the costs involved, we wish to provide a sort of "Dignity House" where the terminally ill, who can no longer be cared for in the community, can come and be washed, cared for, given clean linen, comfortable beds and nutritious food, and where they can be shown the love of Jesus Christ. Who knows but some of them may come to know Jesus as their personal Saviour before they die.

There are many AIDS parents who have died and left children. Although in our communities, there is a very strong emphasis on the extended family, and these children are often taken into such families, there are still situations where families are left without parents, and the eldest child, perhaps 15 or 16 years old, is left with the responsibility of caring for the siblings - often without any financial means, or at the best, very meagre means. The older child frequently leaves school to fulfil the role of "parent". We hope to be able to help these children and parentless families. We do not like to concept of "Orphanage" but rather would be involved in trying to establish unit families, with "parents" who could care for the children.

The community has expressed very strong feelings that one of their main interests is in the provision of an English medium School at Fort White, and this has been part of the vision of the Trust since its inception. There is a large "Education" block where the colleges trained the pastors, and this is what we would intend to renovate and use to establish a school as
soon as the current school vacates the property at the end of the year.

There is a need for food production in the district, and we are intending to start this as soon as we are able to, and as soon as the necessary funds become available. If food is produced on the property, it will mean that the other residential outreaches that are present on the property will be able to have a supply of food from the property, and this will save money. It will also mean that there may well be surplus food that can be supplied to needy families through the local community Churches.

We are aware of the talents of our local people, but these are not used as the people have no availability of resources to express their capacity in practical ways. We hope to start a Craft Workshop, where these talents can be used for the production of products that can be sold for income for
otherwise unemployed and destitute persons.

The site lends itself to a camp site, and in our disadvantaged areas this will be a great asset to the community and to the local schools. Leadership camps, outreach camps, camps arranged in conjunction with Scripture Union, Church camps - all of these form part of our hopes for the future.

Theological training, not so much in the sense of theological qualifications for the ministry, but rather in workshops, seminars, weekend retreats and the like will all be possible when the property is fully renovated and in full use.

There are other uses to which this property can be put in the work of the Lord, and surely as we develop the property, renovate it and initiate envisioned programmes there will be other opportunities that present themselves that we have perhaps not thought of. One factor that has been of considerable encouragement to the Trustees is that the Lord has preserved the property from vandalism which is so rife in properties that are not occupied. The renovations that are necessary are as the result of a total lack of any maintenance over at least 12 years.

You may well ask, "What has this to do with the Chapel?" The understanding of the Trust, and its deep conviction, is that this property is the Lord's and any use thereof must be for His Glory and for the extension of the Gospel that men and women may come to know Jesus as their Saviour.

It is our conviction that the Chapel will form the pivotal point of all the activities on the property, and it is our hope that it will be used by all who come to Fort White either to help or to visit. It is our intention that there will be services conducted every Sunday, and possibly mid-week also, and we may well have evangelical outreach from this Chapel into the
community. As the residential population of the property increases, so will the use of the Chapel, and it may well become the only Church that some of the residents know. One of our Trustees has had experience of the value of a Chapel at what was formerly a Mission Hospital, and twice a year
outreach services were held for the community, at Easter and in November. Only the Lord knows the full impact of these services on the hearts and in the souls of those who came to hear the message of the Gospel, and in the lives of the staff at the Hospital.

We hope to have holiday Bible clubs at Fort White and the Chapel will form an integral part of this outreach. Community weddings can also be held at the Chapel, where the hall can be used for the reception, and in baptismal services, as the community churches do not normally have the facility of a
suitable hall for events or of a baptistery.

As more of the Churches in the surrounding towns become aware of, and a part of, the outreach at Fort White, we would anticipate that there will be gatherings at Fort White by the interested parties, and the Chapel would be the central point of such gatherings.

While at this stage we do not anticipate a fully fledged "Church" membership in the Chapel, as the Body of Christ, we will surely utilise this facility to its utmost potential and rejoice at the goodness of God in providing such a facility for our use, and rejoice too in the fact that we also are the Body of Christ.

If you feel you are able to help us with the various aspects within this facility, we shall be most grateful to both you and the Lord, and we shall certainly keep you up to date with developments at Fort White. Thank you for your interest.