Slave Church’s untold stories

• Published date: 07 October 2021
• Author: Tamlynne Thompson tamlynne.thompson@inl.co.za
• Publication title: Atlantic Sun

They also want to use the museum to bring the old congregation back to the city centre, to enjoy the building they once had to leave behind.

The South African Sendinggestig Museum, also known as the South African Missionary Meeting House or Slave Church, was built between 1802 and 1804, and is one of the oldest mission churches that still exists in its original structure.

It was founded by the African Missionary Society in 1799.

The church was predominantly used as a space to educate slaves and those identified as non-Christians in the Cape.

The church was later sold due to the poor state of the building and a new church was established in Belhar.

The journey began in 2014 when the now late Petronella Hendricks (nee February), the last remaining member of the February family from Bo-Kaap, visited the church she worshipped in after she had been diagnosed with dementia.

Her daughter, Benita Alard, from Pinelands, said the family was disappointed by the absence of any acknowledgement of the significant role the February family and others played in the church.

“We raised these concerns with the curator and later researchers were appointed to interview us and we provided the museum with a number of pictures which included our parents signing the marriage register in front of the magnificent pulpit.

“We then organised a family reunion to gather information.”

One of the researchers was Aubrey Springveld, appointed by the museum to help trace the family roots at the archives in Roeland Street, Stellenbosch Church archives and Belhar Uniting Reformed Church, where they found the records of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths of their forebears.

Mr Springveld, who is from Claremont, said the church in Long Street was one of those affected by Apartheid. The congregation was moved to get people of colour out of the city.

He said three years ago, he met Ms Alard after he helped people in the church to track their family trees.

He said this helped the families of the former congregants, who are now trying to create a space of healing in the building. “I'm excited about this, because these people are now encouraged not to dwell on the painful past, but to seek liberation and reconciliation.”

He said during the search for the family trees, they found church meeting documents and minutes, as well as records of the then church members. “It's one of those stories where political interference caused chaos and the community is determined to work through the pain of the...