Our Origin
History of the Church of God in South Africa
Whilst the Church was officially established in the USA in 1896, it did not reach Africa, until seven years later, that is in 1903 when Evangelist Albert Christian was given the charge to establish churches in South Africa.
Albert Christian was born in 1868, in the West Indies, the isle of Jamaica. (Weekly Prophet, 1902). At some point in his life, before coming in contact with Prophet W.S. Crowdy and with the Church of God and Saints of Christ, he resided in England and then moved to South Africa to do missionary work.
In early 1902, Albert Christian returned to the USA. It is at this time that he met Prophet Crowdy in Philadelphia, and then joined the church. The Prophet did not delay to let Bro. Albert Christian know that God has work for him in Africa. During the next several months, Brother Albert Christian spent an enormous amount of time learning the doctrine of the Church of God and Saints of Christ. During this period in 1902, he was ordained to the office of an elder and preached in the surrounding towns of Philadelphia, PA.
At the 1903 Assembly held in Boston, Mass. Elder Albert Christian served on the Presbytery Board. By the end of that General Assembly Elder Albert Christian was elevated to Evangelist. He was allocated the district of Cape Colony, South Africa. He was also told which tribes to preach to and which to leave alone. Few months after his appointment, Evangelist Albert Christian left for South Africa.
At the 1904 Assembly, held in Washington, DC, Evangelist Albert Christian submitted two tabernacle reports, namely Uteinage tabernacle #1, and Cape Town tab. #2. It is at the end of this Assembly in 1904, that Evangelist Albert Christian was appointed a Bishop in his absence. Only two bishops were ordained during the time of Prophet W.S. Crowdy, namely: Bishop J.M. Groves and Bishop Albert Christian.
Bishop Albert Christian’s work reached near and far, at an amazing speed. At one point before his return to the USA, Bishop Albert Christian became friends with Prince Cornelius Masebe of the Bapedi Tribe in the Northern Transvaal. It is believed that Prince Cornelius Masebe at the time was working in Cape Town when he met Bishop Albert Christian and believed the gospel that was preached by his new found friend, Bishop Albert Christian. Prince Cornelius Masebe then invited Bishop Albert Christian to preach in his hometown and village of Mapela near PietPotgietersrus, Transvaal. It is at this time that Prince Masebe and all the residents and citizens of his village joined the Church. This is one of the many stories which illustrates how God blessed and prospered the work of Bishop Albert Christian.
By late 1905, Bishop Albert Christian was making plans to return to the USA. He left Port Elizabeth, South Africa and headed for England on Tebeth (commonly called January) 10, 1906, and arrived on 18th Tebeth/January at Ellis Island, New York. Upon his return to the USA, Bishop Albert Christian was a guest at the Prophet’s house in Washington, DC. Whilst staying at the Prophet’s home, Bishop Albert Christian took ill and subsequently died before the first Brown and Blue Passover of 1906 held in Plainfield, NJ. He was only 38years when he arrived in the shores of America from South Africa, this was also his age at the time of his death.
Bishop Albert Christian was succeeded by Evangelist-at-Large Charles Mohlabane as the Church leader in South Africa. In 1909 Chief Evangelist Joseph Crowdy, from USA sent Bishop John Msikinya to lead the Church in South Africa, and to continue the work of Bishop Albert Christian. Bishop John Msikinya was a native of South Africa who came in contact with the Church of God and Saints of Christ when he was in the USA studying at Lincoln University. It was during the tenure of Bishop John Msikinya in 1911 in South Africa that Elder Samuel Mashaka of Bengu converted Enoch Mgijima whom he baptized with many of his followers.
Many continued to preach to others, as the gospel was preached to them. Evangelist-at-Large Charles Mohlabane took the gospel to Natal. He preached in some of the great cities and surburbs of Natal. His recorded work is from PieterMaritzburg, and some suburbs of Durban namely Berea and Sydenham, before proceeding to Empangeni, where his work yielded much fruit. His efforts to take the gospel to Mozambique are not recorded or known as Evangelist-at-Large Charles Mohlabane was never seen alive again. His work from Cape Province to Natal, continued to grow in strength.
Some of the early converts of Evangelist-at-Large Charles Mohlabane were Johannes Ntshangase and his brother William Ntshangase. Johannes Ntshangase, commonly known as Biyela was a preacher at another Church at Nhlababo in Mthunzini. The latter was baptized into the Church of God and Saints of Christ with forty-eight of his members in 1917.
In Natal and Kwa-Zulu, Evangelist Johannes Biyela spread the gospel throughout Empangeni, and also took the gospel to Swaziland where he converted the man who later became known as Evangelist Mthunzini. When Evangelist William Tele Sibanda retired from his work in South Africa, he returned to his homeland, Zimbabwe, where he continued preaching and teaching. Evangelist Mdaka successfully took the gospel to Zimbabwe in the early 1930’s where he planted many tabernacles which are still flourishing today. It was around the same time that the late Bishop Howard L. Chase took the gospel of Christ to the shores of Jamaica in 1931. In the recent past also Elder Basil Lindsay, now Pastor of Miami, FL tabernacle revived churches in England and organized Bermuda. There are many others who laboured and toiled to spread the gospel. For they all laboured, looking for a city, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11).
Bishop Albert Christian planted and nourished a seed in South Africa that continues to expand, to grow and to spread to other parts of Southern Africa.
Today, Church of God and Saints of Christ is an international organization made up of tabernacles located in the USA, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Bermuda, Jamaica, Great Cayman Island, UK and Canada under Bishop Robert D. Grant the pastor of the church in Cleveland, Ohio. The churches in Africa are under Bishop J.S.S. Ntshangase.
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