2 Faans Klopper’s story.
Faans’ story:
The Beginnings at Harfield Road.:
Paul Lange’s ministry from circa 1963 was indeed a watershed in bringing together believers who were looking for more than what they had experienced in their local churches until then.
We joined with the group that was forming under Paul Lange’s ministry, coming from a Pentecostal Assembly, which was fast developing into a Pentecostal denomination.
Paul Lange was a Fire brand in Zeal, devotion and passion and he practiced a disciplined spiritual life,. And God honored his work with signs following.
Soon the need for premises came up and we faced the challenge in prayer, a site was found opposite Harfield Road station and plans were soon drawn up to build. The whole project was bathed in earnest prayer. When the application for a bond to build was refused, it was met with an exclamation of praise from those in prayer, declaring “we will build, God will provide”. So the builder was appointed without telling him we had no money.
Eccs.11:5 As thou knowest Not what the way of the Spirit is, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who makes all.
The Move of the Spirit that birthed the “Hippie Revival” in various parts of the world had prepared a ” Womb” in the Harfield Road Assembly to give birth, or stature to the Movement in Cape Town. As in the event of the World’s Redeemer’s birth, the Holy Spirit found the prepared Virgin Womb in Mary.
The genealogy preceding Harfield Road goes back to the Move of the Holy Spirit in Azusa Street, the calling of John Lake, then a top executive in a large Insurance Company who left all, sold all his possessions and distributed the money to the poor. He then waited on God to supply the money for the passage of him and his family to Cape Town His destination was Pretoria, where the Supernatural attended his ministry. Out of the revival that followed the AFM came into being.
During lake’s ministry in 1918, a man van Vuuren by name was burdened to pray, he told Lake that he was going into the velt to pray through the night. The following day Lake said he was going to find van Vuuren to see how he is progressing. Lake found him down on his knees under a thorn tree. Sensing Lake’s arrival he said “the break through is very near, pray with me”. Lake joined in that intercession, after only a short while, they heard a disturbing squelching sound and saw a host of demons depart, as if swept away. The burden lifted. That was the end of the Spanish ‘flu epidemic in South Africa.
Many were thrust out into full time ministry including a young man affectionately called Boetie (Brother) de Vries, who obeyed the call to Cape Town. Under his Charismatic ministry the Durham Avenue AFM in Salt River came into being. Salt River was a Railway junction Town with the South African Railways running sheds nearby and the Railway workshops where the steam engines were assembled and maintained. The Town was alive with workers , the Durham Avenue venue was close to this thriving metropolis.
This venue became a Revival Centre and played a leading role for many years. At one time even the prime Minister’s wife regularly attended the services. She arranged for the Sunday school picnics to be held in the grounds of the Prime Minister’s residence.
Bro de Vries launched the house meeting in Dieprivier which continued for over 40 years, the families’ fellowshipping at Tenby Hall in Wynberg where Dick Coates was the Pastor. He was at the same time the Collector of Customs in Cape Town, part of his duties were the collecting of dues when the Union Castle Liners arrived from England, he made a point of personally meeting the Missionaries en route to the Congo Evangelistic Mission founded and directed by William Burton. The missionaries were accommodated with the Tenby Hall families and these all benefited from their rich ministry.
As a result of the input of these men and women, including William Burton, the Tenby Hall congregation excelled in maturity, and some especially in intercessory prayer. Some of these folk were now joined with Paul Lange, and I believe played a crucial role in what followed.
James Mullan came to Cape Town in 1948 and made some contacts; John Bond followed for some time, a small group continued but then came Paul Lange!
These are the “visible” that perhaps have more comeliness; those ‘nvisible’ others that prevailed in prayer will mostly remain unheralded.
I remember one prayer before the move to Harfield Road, “Lord if you are not going with us then take us not up thence”.
With Paul Lange prayer was important; apart from the Friday evening prayer meeting, there were those who prayed until the early hours of Sunday for the meeting that morning. Paul taught that the four meetings a week were essential for any Christian who means business with God — Breaking of Bread, Bible Study, Prayers, Gospel meeting.
The open ministry on a Sunday morning became unique, with a number of persons ministering, coupled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was a Spiritual Feast for hungry souls. This followed a time of worship and a precious time around the Table of the Lord as we remembered His Atoning Sacrifice every Sunday. The prayers after the service for the sick with the elders anointing the sick in the Name of the Lord saw many healed.
Our daughter Rosemary had the worst case of warts on her fingers that a Dr (dermatologist) had witnessed, she was just a little girl and, without prompting, she on her own came to the front one morning and asked for prayer. During the course of the next week we noticed her hands were completely free of warts, never to return.
Into this Holy Atmosphere, people received faith to believe God others were drawn from near and far.
It can be said that others have planted, Paul Lange watered, and during John Bond’s ministry God gave the increase. Paul Lange had “set the Assembly in order” by appointing elders and some of these brethren were from East London Assembly and other Assembly of God fellowships so that they were familiar with the oversight by the elders.
John Bond then came to a fully functional Assembly.
The “home” was now ready to accommodate the harvest that the Holy Spirit was to bring in. An ongoing urge to pray was still evident, men spent an half an hour in prayer together before going to work.
Then the Hippies came; the Assembly was in a state of shock, their dress or lack of it, their spontaneous behavior, their expressive language, some young men with hair reaching far down their back.
The elders met: Bro. Bond presented the request of the Hippies; to fellowship with us. Objections were raised, what about our children? What if they introduce drugs? Etc. A word of wisdom followed; “Brethren what are we here for?” End of discussion.
But request that on Sunday Mornings they respect us and come cleaned up.
On Sunday night come as you are.
Harfield Road experienced a mini explosion in numbers, I remember one Sunday night when some 40 followed the Lord through the waters of Baptism.
During this time a burden for the Jewish people was birthed, Basil Jacobs started Christian Action for Israel, at that time the greater part of the church was still in Replacement theology, and saw no future for Israel. By 1975 a Holy Spirit Conference was held in Jerusalem, attended by some 7000 from various parts of the world including a very large representation from South Africa. Not least among the crowd the Arch Bishop of Cape Town Bill Burnett, who had also come into the Renewal.
A night club in Cape Town became an outreach for the Kingdom of God so did Brian Odonnel’s Hippie Market . It was not long before a venue was sought in Cape Town for meetings, an upstairs space above a secondhand car dealer in Long Street was hired for mid week meetings. Later the group meeting there was accommodated in the Presbyterian Church. The work there grew and became the Assembly of God in Sea Point.
The Spirit of God was also at work in Stellenbosch.
A report appeared in the Sunday Times, expressing concern regarding the students, some DRC Theological, that were being caught up in this ” Jesus Revolution”. We later ministered there and an Assembly was subsequently established.
In Pretoria there was a move in the Baptist church under Ed Raebert, one of their deacons was on his way to the Claremont Baptist church, driving past the Harfield Road Assembly that Sunday morning, he felt a strong urge to go in. he drove on but was compelled to turn back. I spoke to him after the service, he said “I don’t believe what I saw but I want it”. He was totally overawed by the order and freedom of the open ministry and the scriptural exercising of the gifts of the Spirit. In later years I had close fellowship with Ed Raebert and his church was no longer the staid Baptist church anymore, in fact many members of the Park Street Assembly of God joined the Hatfield Baptist Church.
There is an interesting answer to this, the Park Street Assembly was duly set in order elders etc., but they had settled into a formal legalistic rut, very correct. Then, at the Sunday evening Gospel service students started to arrive with tattered jeans, uncombed hair, nothing like the Hippies in Cape Town but the same revolt against the “order”. The elders considered the matter and at the next Gospel service a stern disciple (elder) duly told them that they should come decently clothed to the House of God. The students did not come back but went instead to Hatfield, where there was a prepared “home” for them; needless to say, the Hatfield Baptist grew by leaps and bounds and became a mission sending church. Ed Raebert became a “Pastors” Pastor and his influence was spread throughout the Country.
In Meadowridge a couple became burdened for the young people, and got a number of local churches to support a coffee bar. They rented an upstairs room in a shopping complex. The supporting Churches cooperated with speakers and funds.
With young people beginning to speak in other tongues, opposition came but the work grew. With Harfield Road overflowing, the Library Hall in Meadow ridge was hired. This was just opposite the “Upper room, and soon the young people were absorbed in the newly formed Assembly.
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