Parish of Formosa
Anglican Churches Garden Route
Who we are
The Anglican Church has a long history in Plettenberg Bay, beginning in 1851 with the construction of the little yellowwood St Andrew’s Church (a National Monument) on the Newdigate farm in Piesang Valley. St Peter’s Church in Plett Central is the ‘mother’ church for the Parish. Situated in a beautifully maintained garden, this impressive stone church dates back to 1879 and today is an extremely popular venue for weddings. A temporary church was built in The Crags in 1881 and subsequently replaced by the existing St Michael’s Church, which was consecrated in 1905.
We serve various communities in the area: St Michael’s Church – The Crags; St Mary’s – New Horizons; St Monica’s – kwaNokuthula; St Chad’s – Harkerville. We also have outstations – smaller areas which are a growing church community, some of which do not yet have a dedicated building for services: St Paul’s in Covie; St Simon’s in Kranshoek; St Markus in Wittedrift. On the 4th Friday of every month, we hold a service at the Formosa Garden Village retirement complex.
Anglican Churches Garden Route
Who we are
The Anglican Church has a long history in Plettenberg Bay, beginning in 1851 with the construction of the little yellowwood St Andrew’s Church (a National Monument) on the Newdigate farm in Piesang Valley. St Peter’s Church in Plett Central is the ‘mother’ church for the Parish. Situated in a beautifully maintained garden, this impressive stone church dates back to 1879 and today is an extremely popular venue for weddings. A temporary church was built in The Crags in 1881 and subsequently replaced by the existing St Michael’s Church, which was consecrated in 1905.
We serve various communities in the area: St Michael’s Church – The Crags; St Mary’s – New Horizons; St Monica’s – kwaNokuthula; St Chad’s – Harkerville. We also have outstations – smaller areas which are a growing church community, some of which do not yet have a dedicated building for services: St Paul’s in Covie; St Simon’s in Kranshoek; St Markus in Wittedrift. On the 4th Friday of every month, we hold a service at the Formosa Garden Village retirement complex.
Many Hands Make Light Work!
Who’s Who?
Revd Rhodes Arendse is our Rector. He has been with the Parish for 10 years and his CV includes a term as Mayor of Swellendam. In Plettenberg Bay, he has chaired Child Welfare and the Plett Community Policing Forum. We have one other stipendiary priest – Revd Marioh Marcus (previously in Mossel Bay). Non-stipendiary assistants are Revd Erik (Andy) Andersen; Revd Pam Berning; Revd Vonnie Smith; Revd Colin Edwards; Revd Isak Henecke. Together this team sees to all the spiritual needs of our far-flung Parish.
Parish operations are administered from a central office based at St Peter’s Church. Sally Taylor is the Accountant and Christine Mason is the Secretary/Administrator.
Each Chapelry has a Council which oversees its activities and each of these Chapelry Councils is represented at Parish Council, so that the entire Parish is co-ordinated.
There are many others who are involved in ensuring that all of our communities are effectively served – from both within and outside of the church. We are grateful for our many Lay Ministers, Sacristans, Flower teams, Organists, Choirs, Cleaning and Ground staff. Our catering crews are often called upon at short notice for funeral teas and do a superb job of underpinning fundraising functions. Men’s and Women’s organisations pay special attention to the needs of their respective communities and children and ‘youth’ receive special attention through the Servers and Youth Guilds and our Sunday School teachers.
Our Objective
Our primary objective is to bring the word of God into the homes in all of our communities. We arrange regular home visits – particularly in sub economic areas – and regular church services are held in all our communities.
We have a responsibility to offer practical support as well and we operate 4 soup kitchens: kwaNokuthula, New Horizons, Plett Central and The Crags. We also support a 5th one which is privately run. These 5 centres provide soup and bread to the unemployed and for those who are unable to feed their families properly, irrespective of whether or not they are Anglican. Volunteer staff cook and serve the meals between 3 and 5 times per week, depending on the area. Times vary – during school terms we serve the soup later in the day so that schoolchildren are assured of something nourishing to eat. We estimate that we are currently feeding about 700 people per day. Our soup powder contains vitamins for optimal nutrition and we add dried ingredients as a source of secondary protein. We order our supplies in bulk from Port Elizabeth. The entire project is funded solely from donations.
There is nothing more loving
than the word of God!
In Kranshoek, kwaNokuthula and Wittedrift, we oversee the operations of 3 crèches (Early Childhood Development). The land is owned by the church and the buildings have been funded by incredibly generous private donors wanting to “put something back”. Small teams of our church ladies ensure that basic standards are in place for government subsidy purposes, monitor adherence to those standards and ensure that special needs (e.g. computers, carpets and cooking facilities) are addressed through appeals via the church. Every winter there is a drive to collect a warm jersey or jacket for each little one and we fund the cost of annual Christmas parties.
The church is responsible for all the crèche building maintenance and this is funded from operating costs.
We assist the Child Welfare Crèche from time to time and have given a church property in Bossiesgif for a crèche to be run by a private organisation.
At the start of every winter, we nominate a ‘warm’ Sunday and congregants bring socks, shoes, blankets, jerseys and tracksuits which are then sorted and sent out to the underprivileged communities. The bulk of these donations is adult wear, which at least puts something into adult lives as well.
St Michael’s Church has implemented a self-help home gardening project. The implements, seeds, fertiliser and expert advice are all donated and the participants have the opportunity to sell their produce at the Sunday morning market in The Crags.
In order to survive, the Church cannot rely on collections alone. Properties must be maintained, some priests receive a stipend and employees need to be paid, so specific fundraising events are undertaken during the year. Early 2010 saw simultaneous ‘Valentine’ braais at each Chapelry. All come together for a combined annual ‘bazaar’ towards the end of the year and individual communities host events according to the capabilities and culture of their respective communities.
Of particular interest this year was the Valentine’s ‘mass wedding’ held at St Michael’s in The Crags – 16 couples were married and the combined reception raised much needed funds, while allowing the couples to host a joint reception which would otherwise have been financially impossible.
Last year, St Peter’s hosted a ‘Barry Coleman’ (tenor) fundraiser and a light-hearted evening of political satire presented by Charles Bester.
Regular fish braais at various Chapelries are ever popular in their respective communities.
The St Peter’s choir and others with lovely voices in Plett get together from time to time to present programmes of a superb standard.
We are always deeply grateful for the support we receive from the general public at these fundraisers.
Of special interest is the Anglican Board of Education. Formed to address deteriorating conditions in schools and to re-introduce Christian and moral principles, the Board (under the Chairmanship of erstwhile Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane) seeks to revitalise ‘church schools’ which were established in the apartheid era and to build new schools where these are needed. This project is developing in conjunction with the Department of Education and is a country-wide initiative. One such school is to be built in Kranshoek within the next 2 years.
The St Andrew’s Chapel in Piesang Valley needs restoration. This is a National Monument but is still used for small country weddings, Baptisms and church services for the descendants of the original cong
Our Projects
Of special interest is the Anglican Board of Education. Formed to address deteriorating conditions in schools and to re-introduce Christian and moral principles, the Board (under the Chairmanship of erstwhile Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane) seeks to revitalise ‘church schools’ which were established in the apartheid era and to build new schools where these are needed. This project is developing in conjunction with the Department of Education and is a country-wide initiative. One such school is to be built in Kranshoek within the next 2 years.
The St Andrew’s Chapel in Piesang Valley needs restoration. This is a National Monument but is still used for small country weddings, Baptisms and church services for the descendants of the original congregants. But the building requires urgent attention to the roof, guttering, exterior yellowwood cladding and the interior. It is possible that people who appreciate the Chapel’s historical significance and who have proud ancestral ties to the area may want to assist with this – not only in the restoration phase but also with ongoing maintenance. If you’d like to be a part of this project, please contact our office for further details.
The establishment of a Skills Training Centre is planned for the site next to St Michael’s Church (The Crags). We intend to offer accredited basic adult education and training in skills relating to computers; general administration; domestic practices; hospitality industry; cooking; bricklaying and any other skills for which a demand emerges. The centre will be called ‘JIKA’, which translates from Xhosa as ‘turnaround’. Funds are still needed for this centre.
We are always in need of a helping hand
As a church, we see so much happening at grass roots level. These are not newsworthy situations, but the fact is that there are many in our area who lack much in their lives. The conditions in which people live are hidden from all but their immediate neighbours and, because its function is to serve people and communities, the Church reaches out to hundreds of families who need regular and ongoing help. We are a channel for your constructive support, ensuring that whatever you are able to offer reaches those who most need it.
Give us your time
This is only really necessary on an ad hoc basis. What is more important is for you to offer anything which will help to improve another’s quality of life.
Make a Cash Donation
Name of Account: Parish of Formosa
Bank: FNB
Branch: Plettenberg Bay
Branch Code: 210514
Account Number: 62026859952
Reference: Donation – ‘Project Name’ or your own name
Our Products:
We have postcards depicting St Peter’s Church, which are available from our Parish office. We also sell Christmas cards every year.
Support for our raffles and attendance at fundraising events is always appreciated.
The church also has quite large tracts of land which are unused. We would be willing to consider project proposals for the use of the land by individuals or organisations so that we can reinvest the income stream in outreach work.
Our Wish List
Warm winter blankets; shoes; socks; coats and jackets; tracksuits; scarves, hats and gloves; umbrellas.
Household goods, e.g. cutlery, crockery and pots.
Carpeting.
Furniture.
Funds to restore the St Andrew’s Chapelry (see ‘Our Projects’)
Funds for the JIKA Training Centre (see ‘Our Projects’)
Physical Address: St Peter's Anglican Church
Church Street
Plettenberg Bay
Postal Address: Postal address:
PO Box 18
Plettenberg Bay 6600
Postal Code: 6600
Telephone: +27(0)44 533 5558
Mobile: +27(0)82 788 6529
Fax: +27(0)44 533 5558
Email: formosap@telkomsa.net
Latitude: -34.054190997849936
Longitude: 23.37532335506694
