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First Dutch Reformed Church 1856-1872
First Dutch Reformed Church 1856-1872
Dutch Reformed Church
This beautiful church forms the center of the town. Reverend Daneel was the first pastor.
On 13 January 1856 four children were christened in the old church school. The school church was built with the congregation's own funds. A law was later passed in 1959 that government would no longer fund churches and salaries for clergymen.
After 1872 the building was just used as a school.
First Dutch Reformed Church Rectory 1856-1872
First Dutch Reformed Church Rectory 1856-1872
Of the great revivals or revivals with which the congregation during the fruitful ministry of Rev. Daneel was blessed, that of 1884 was probably the most remarkable. It has been described as "a very extensive, spiritual revival". What distinguished this revival from the previous ones was the general interest which was particularly visible at the special services which were held first in the Independente Kerk, then in the old NG church building and finally in the large, new church for almost three weeks straight. During the last week, Rev. Daneel and Rev. Thomas Gamble united with their congregations in the large church where they were heartily and powerfully supported by Rev. JW Louw (brother of Mrs. Daneel) who specially came over from Ladismith to share in the joy at Heidelberg. At every service, the church was filled with a wholesome crowd and at the end of the preaching, twenty or thirty people always came forward to give themselves to the Lord. When the services came to an end on Sunday evening, August 10, there was already a crowd of about 500, white and brown, who made the right choice and later another hundred joined.
After the revival, the pastor and the elders could personally convince themselves of the depth and thoroughness of the work during the pastoral visit. The home religious service was held more regularly, the public religious exercises and the prayer times were better attended than ever before, the monthly brother meetings were heartily supported and where previously no prayer times were held in wards, these have now also been established. The yoke of drunkenness was thrown off by many in the congregation. This revival was particularly visible in the parishes of Swellendam, Heidelberg and Riversdal, but also in Ladismith and Barrydale the blessing did not remain. When the Ring sat in Heidelberg this year, the events were noted with great joy and the Lord received thanks for it.
Second Dutch Reformed Church 1872-1910
Second Dutch Reformed Church 1872-1910
Hager Church
Hager Church
There was a need for a larger building, and on 17 March 1872 the foundation was laid for the church, which was designed by Carl Otto Hager.
The church was opened on 19 July 1873.
The second Church was built on the exact spot that the existing church stands on. The Church was designed by Carl Otto Hagar.
The front façade of the Church broke away from the building.
The new dominee ask for the rebuilt as the Church was in a bad condition and too small for the services.
New Dutch Reformed Church 1910-present
New Dutch Reformed Church 1910-present
Existing Church/ N.G. Church
Existing Church/ N.G. Church
By 1910 , when Rev. Spies took up a position here with his wife, the church building was a poor condition. They asked the congregation to build a new church. On 22 March 1913 the new corner stone was laid. The congregation had paid for he building work by the time the church re-opened. The podium was a gift from Jan Rall from the farm Kruisrivier.
This is the new Dutch Reformed Church at 1950.
In the first church, the congregational singing was led by a harmonium, which was at least from 1866 by mej. Hendrina de Villiers, a daughter of the reader-coster, was played. For this labor of love, the church council always gave her a small gift at the beginning of the year, which varied from £2 in 1867 to £5 in 1872. However, on 30 April 1872 she married Nicolaas Uys and went to live on the farm. Then Mrs. Daneel asked to play the instrument; she readily agreed and received first £5, then £15 and finally £20 a year, until in 1876 it was decided to, with the help of the well-known organist from Caledon, Rocco C. de Villiers (a brother-in-law of Mrs. Daneel), to order an organ from England. The instrument, which was still used in modified form decades later, was produced by Henry Willis for the firm of Alford and Wills of London at a cost of £365. Together with the transport and other costs it cost the congregation £450 and in April 1877 it was in the Cape docks. Deacon Jan Human would take care of its transport to Heidelberg where the Cape Town organ builder A. Bredell came to set it up for £40 so that it could be consecrated by Rocco de Villiers on Sunday 10 June.
Then a permanent "organist" also had to be thought of and the position is at a compensation of £25 per year mrs. Daneel, "who has played a musical instrument for so many years," presented. The first organ presser was Abraham Naudé who £2 10s. per annum for his trouble. In 1889, the organ had to be closed "because of the state of the church treasury" for about six months so that the organist's salary could be saved. Later Mrs. Daneel agreed to do the work for free for six months. The old harmonium was sold to the church on Malgas for £12.
Soon a ring wall also had to be thought of for the church square which had already been fenced off in some way in 1868. A move to sell a portion of the square in plots was fortunately stopped by unfavorable legal advice, so that today the congregation can be filled with rightful pride about the beautiful church block that the ancestors left intact for them. A few brothers generously offered to haul material for the wall free of charge, collection lists yielded £119 and on 12 January 1880 CK Hopkins and JJ van Wyk's proposal was accepted "that one ring wall be made at a distance of 48 feet of the church building with trellis at the front, as wide as the building, and with three double iron gates in front and one small iron gate at the back. The entire wall must be set off by pillars."
The teacher had to calculate how many bricks were needed for the 237 meter long wall and the work had to start, "as soon as there is money". The stones were broken on the farm of JP Eksteen across the river and driven across Doornboom. The masons were Apollos and Oerson, assisted by Abdol, Isak November and Hans Kouter. In 1881 the wall was completed, but the trellis had to wait until the following year when CK Hopkins advanced the money for it. At the first church there was a bell which was donated to the congregation by Mr. JD Beyers van Klapmuts in 1868 and which was probably the old church bell of Stellenbosch. In 1880, however, it was given to Rev. D. Heese of the Berlin Missionary Congregation on Riversdal, to order a bell from Germany for the new church. It was cast by the firm of Voss and Sons in Stettin and cost about £30. This bell, on its open stand of poles brought from Bredasdorp, was in the earlier days a constant temptation for the frolicsome youth to jump over the wall at night and give the bell a few pulls.
- Ministers
Alexander Berthin Daneel, 1862 – 1899
Adrian Jacobus van Wijk, 1899 – 1906
Andrew Charles Murray, 1906 – 1910
Barend Abraham Spies, 1910 – 1921
Christian Rudolph Kotze, 1921 – 1929
Willem Nicolaas van der Merwe, 1930 – 1957
Marais Barend Marthinus Lindeque 1979 – 1982
Steyn Constant Wilsnach 1983 – 1987
Nortier Jacob Johannes 1987 – 1990
Louw Pieter Hendrik 1990 – 2007
Van Vuuren Lourens Erasmus 2006 – 2018
Vermeulen Hendrik Johannes 1993 – 2019
Quintin Nel, 2020 – 2022
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