Northfield Methodist Church

Celebrating Northfield
"Yesterday, Today and Always"
 
When Reverend Walter Goodwin left the emerald shores of England to bring Methodism to the dusty mining town of Benoni, he described what he first saw as a ‘spiritual wilderness’.
 
But as a result of the work of dedicated Christians, this wilderness has long since been left behind. Through the unwavering guidance and strength of our Lord, Methodism in the town has not only been kept alive, but has thrived against the odds.
 
The fact that the church was forced to seek new premises several times after its humble beginnings over a hundred years ago is proof of this.
 
The constant stream of people joining the Northfield family in more recent years has brought about a drastic transformation of the existing campus, with the sanctuary now being large enough to seat over 800 people. Other new additions to the campus promote further opportunities for worship, fellowship, hospitality, community work and discipleship.
 
Northfield is built on the fact that all Christians are ministers and as such that not only the ‘professional clergy’ do the work of ministry.
 
We have answered God’s call for us to reach out, and continue to actively do His work through the various ministries and activities run through the church.
 
Now we commemorate the dawn of a new era, dedicating the new buildings to our Lord God and focusing on growing His church through worship, hospitality, discipleship and community.  
 
Benoni’s Beginnings
A short history lesson
 
In 1881, the then Transvaal Boer Republic government decided to conduct a survey and allot titles to unclaimed sections of state-owned property between occupied farms.
 
This task fell on the shoulders of Johann Rissik, who experienced great difficulties with one piece of land that was particularly irregular in shape and difficult to survey.
 
He must have wrestled long with the problem and, remembering the name that Rachel gave to her son in her grief, named the farm Benoni (Genesis 35:18). Ben-Oni means son of my sorrows.
 
In September 1887, gold was discovered and in May 1888, Benoni was declared a gold-bearing farm.
 
This set the ball in motion for great development and, in the midst of a frenzied search for gold, Methodism in the area was born.
 
Mining, Methodists and doing God’s work
Many of the Methodist miners who had come to seek their fortunes in Benoni in the late 1800s hailed from Wales and Cornwall, and gathered themselves together for worship.
1895 – Rev Walter Goodwin left his native England to establish Methodism on the East Rand’s gold mines, and described what he first saw as a ‘spiritual wilderness’.
1896 – He was stationed at the first Methodist Church in the area, which was built on the Van Ryn Gold Mine close to where the Benoni Country Club is today.  It was a corrugated iron building with a wooden floor, and was regarded as the height of luxury in those days.
1907 – The first Methodist church in Benoni Central, an impressive building with three gables, was built on the corner of Lake Avenue and Rothsay Street.
1922 – Children attended Sunday school at the Northmead home of a Mr Lipscombe.
1926 – As Benoni’s residential areas expanded westwards, the church was replaced by the present Benoni Central Church on the corner of Bunyan Street and Cranbourne Avenue.
 
Scene 1:  1929 - 1969
1929 – As people continued to flock to the area, Benoni grew, and so did the Methodist congregation. Bursting at the seams, a private home could no longer be used to accommodate the children, and it was decided to build a hall which would also serve as a church.
The Wesley Hall, affectionately known as ‘the church on the hill’, was built on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street, Northmead, opposite the current Hoërskool Brandwag.
1950's – Two halls were added and extensive renovations were done.
1960's – ‘The church on the hill’ had become too small for a thriving Sunday school and congregation. The local municipality made two acres of land available to the church where Northfield stands today, in exchange for another site the church owned in Northmead Ext 4.
 
Scene 2:  1969 - 1972
1969 – The Northmead church was sold to the Assemblies of God and the congregation moved in with the Rynfield worshippers in O’Reilly Merry Street.
1971 – After two-and-a-half years of fundraising and careful planning, the foundation stone of Northfield was laid.
1972 – The new church, built at a cost of just over R 200 000, was officially opened on May 6.
 
Scene 3 – 1972 - 2001
More and more people were becoming part of the Northfield family, while ministries and community outreach programmes continued to flourish.
 
Who would have thought that our 400-seater sanctuary would have become too small, especially on special occasions? Our facilities for children and youth were also overcrowded; we did not have enough space for community building, and disabled people were poorly catered for. Something needed to be done!
 
Plans, prayer and fundraising programmes were set in motion for Scene 4 – the beginning of an even bigger and better Northfield Methodist Church.
 
Scene 4 - Northfield today
Despite its humble beginnings, Northfield has become one of the largest Methodist churches in South Africa today.
 
As Benoni’s suburbs have expanded, the church has experienced amazing growth — in numbers, activities and outreach programmes.
 
A single morning service became two, and when the evening service became more contemporary, an earlier one was started to cater for those who preferred a more traditional style of worship.
 
More recently, the 5:30pm service has moved into the Hope Chapel, allowing the 7:30pm service to take place at 6:30pm in the main sanctuary. A 7am Holy Communion service caters for the early birds, and there is a 3pm service geared for African folk who prefer to worship in their own languages.
 
The congregation currently numbers around 4885, with an average 1250 people worshipping at Northfield each Sunday. There are also several worship services at local old age homes.
 
Children’s Church – has played a significant role in Northfield’s growth, and there are around 700 children on the roll, with about 70 teachers who provide for the spiritual needs of young ones.
 
Youth work is strong, with over 350 young people (aged between 11 and 14 years) attending Young People’s Church on Sunday mornings, while older teenagers can enjoy the lively worship at Josh on Sunday evenings.
 
Through Northfield’s ministry, thousands of people have come to know Jesus, thousands more have been uplifted in worship, whilst many others have found enriching opportunities for ministry and outreach. Northfield continues to purport the mission of ‘Everyone is welcome. Nobody is perfect. Anything is possible.’.
 
Changing shape
In order to cater for all of these worshippers and their long list of activities, Northfield was forced to undergo a miraculous R3.5m makeover, making 2005 an historic year for the church.
The usually peaceful grounds became a hive of furious activity as builders turned heaps of bricks and mortar into an expanded sanctuary, which now seats 800 people.
 
The steeple was removed to make way for a larger foyer, and the sanctuary boasts a more spacious cry room with an adjoining toilet and changing facility, a new kitchen and enclosed tea area, and state-of-the-art multi-media and sound equipment.
 
A new chapel was included in the ambitious building plans, and was completed in October. Seating 140, the Hope Chapel has already proved to be popular for smaller weddings and funerals, with the newly installed stained glass windows adding colour to the tranquil ambience.
 
The former chapel, which seated 70 people, is now used as a prayer and reflection centre for the younger people of Northfield. 
 
The work is not over yet
New and increased parking facilities are being developed, and a linking wall is to be built between the office block and the Pastoral Care Centre. The walled off area will be paved and will incorporate gardens ideal for children to play in, breakaway areas and an outside chapel.
 
A further project planned for 2006 is the modification of the Faith Hall to incorporate a mezzanine floor, additional offices and storerooms.
 
All of these exciting changes would not be possible without the continued support of Northfielders who have helped fund the venture. When a call for funding went out, members stepped to the plate, donating and pledging around R2.5m. The balance needed was raised by mortgage bonds.
 
In order to cut costs, the board of trustees opted to project manage the building operations, which saw a number of longstanding Northfielders getting involved with overseeing the project and the contractors.
In 2004, a book room for the Methodist Publishing House was built, in addition to our Coffee shoppe known as The Crossing.
 
With the rapid growth in staff numbers, it became necessary to increase office accommodation. A new wing was constructed, increasing the number of offices from four to twelve, including a large meeting room.