On the 7th& 8th of November 2009, Burgersdorp Family Church celebrated the official opening of their brand new facility…
It was wonderful to have Louis and Edna Els as well as Hennie and Suzette Liebenberg to share in this special time together. There were many others who came from far and wide; some came from Jeffreys Bay, Middleburg, Port Elizabeth, Colesberg, Plettenberg Bay and even folks from other denominations within the town of Burgersdorp - what a sense of family and unity!
Saturday morning started with a tea where Edna shared her heart with about 70 Ladies. The men trekked about 35 km’s into the hills behind Burgersdorp, where a team put together a great breakfast for about 80 men. After breakfast, Andre de Beer gave an amazing testimony of God’s mercy and love from his own life experience. Many tears were shed and 9 young men committed their lives to Jesus, praise the Lord! After the serious stuff, teams were organised and the men enjoyed a time of clay pigeon shooting and target shooting with both rifles and pistols – a great time was had by all! On Saturday evening they had a time of worship and then Louis Els ministered. Holy Spirit touched a number of people in such a special way.
Sunday, of course, was the big day! Approximately 200 people gathered to celebrate the occasion. Jannie Venter sang some of the cuts off his latest CD which was wonderful! Hennie Liebenberg shared briefly to encouraging the leadership and then Louis Els ministered to a virtually full auditorium. The service was closed with a lunch for all in their coffee shop / youth centre.
Many hearts were touched and lives changed over this weekend and they truly believe that this was a defining moment in the life and times of Burgersdorp. What a privilege to serve and work among a family with such commitment. Many hours and personal finances were sacrificed by many people who worked late and hard to make this event so successful. Many travelled from far to share this time and some sent wishes because they could not be there. John & Karen thank the Lord and are so grateful to Him for this family that they find themselves a part of. They would like to extend a big thank you to Louis and Edna for all their work, for their obedience to God and for their part in making this all happen.
