The Story of the Claremont Baptist Church

The birth of Claremont Baptist Church was a planned birth. Some churches in the providence of God just happen. Claremont came about because the Spirit inspired a vision in the delegates who attended the Baptist Assembly in Cape Town in October 1902. They asked the Rev. H. J. Batts, a respected and experienced pastor to go to Claremont, which was a growing suburb, and plant a church. The nearest church was in Wynberg which, in the days when there were no motor cars, was a considerable distance.

Rev. Batts must have been a dynamic and very enthusiastic person. One of those at the first service described him like this “He is fortunately not made of the metal that snaps and breaks at an ordinary strain; he had come to stay he told us.” He began by renting the old Claremont Town Hall (by the Railway station.) for two guineas a Sunday. He advertised that a Baptist service would start on Sunday 9^th November 1902. Ten people came. Of these, five were probably the Batts family! However the services grew in popularity and on 31^st May 1903 the church could constitute with 54 members. By Oct of that year 150 were attending services every Sunday. A Sunday school had commenced as well as a young men’s fellowship. The congregation was described this way:

“There is not in the Peninsula a more intelligent congregation than that which enjoys the pleasure of listening to the thoughtful and powerful sermons Mr. Batts preaches.” Most of us agree that this still holds true of Claremont Baptist congregations!

After 11 months of services, a letter was sent to the Baptist Union detailing the progress of the work. It reads “ A year ago we had no existence as a community, and the majority of us had no church home or Association at all. How we are glad to ask to become recognized as a church and congregation in connection with the Baptist Union of South Africa.

In November 1902 our minister began services in the Town Hall, without knowing for certain of the existence of any one person who would be interested in the undertaking. Very few attended the first services and little promise of success should itself. Without detailing the progress month by month, this is a summary of 11 months work: -

A congregation numbering, say, fifty in the mornings and 120 in the evenings.

A Sunday school of 40 scholars, a Men’s Bible Class of 29 and a thoroughly united and hopeful people, determined with God’s help, to do our best to serve our generation.”

With such a wonderful start it is not surprising that the church has shone effectively the light of the gospel for 100 years. Here are some of the major characteristics of the church that have coloured its history.

a. Just as the church was started as an “outreach” of the Baptist Union, so the burden for outreach has always been high on the church's agenda. Soon the early congregation was reaching out and in 1904 a work was started on Sunday afternoons at the Reservoir in Newland’s forest where there was a large work force living. In 1944 the young people were conducting regular open air meetings in the Kildare road area where the population was largely “coloured.” In later years wayside Sunday schools were conducted in different areas on the Cape Flats.

b. Working with other churches in the community has always been important. In an article in May 1916 it was reported “a very helpful and interesting United Mission is being held under the auspices of the Baptist, Congregational and Wesleyan churches. Captain Hertlet, a medical doctor serving at Wynberg Military hospital, is the missioner.” This emphasis on unity has been maintained and the churches work well together. In the 1980’s Cumic (Churches’ United Mission In Claremont) was formed and this lasted well into the 1990’s. Since 1992 a combined service has been held with churches in the area on the day of Pentecost to celebrate the unity of the Spirit that we have.

c. From the early days there was a very strong mission’s interest. In 1916 we have a report of the Rev. Phillips “being our missionary in Kafulafuta. In 1954 the church reported that in the previous 3 years the missionary giving had increased by 500%! At times the church has been supporting up to 23 missionaries and a high percentage of the income has always gone to this cause. At the present time the church supports 12 missionaries/missionary families financially.

d. The church has always been known for a strong preaching ministry. Starting with the Rev. Batts many of our pastors have been recognised for their powerful preaching. Names such as Harold Herringshaw, George Dennison, Roger Voke, John Wilton, Dereck Stone are all well known throughout the Baptist Union in South Africa. Roger Voke and John Wilton have also been used by God in various countries around the world. Don Wilton, who spent some of his teenage years at Claremont during his father’s ministry, is now the pastor of the large First Baptist Church, Spartenberg, S. Carolina. He was recently given the honour of preaching at one of President Bush’s prayer breakfasts in Washington. One of the results of this strong pulpit ministry has been the number of people called into the preaching ministry from the church. This year there are 12 pastors on the Baptist Union Ministerial lists who spent formative years at Claremont. Seven out of the 12 previous pastors have been accorded the distinction of being the president of the Baptist Union.

e. Claremont has been fortunate to have had the resources to purchase wonderful buildings. The first church site was 11 Grove Avenue and cost £500. This was purchased in 1904. Money was raised and soon the plot was debt free. The building was going to cost around £800 which was a huge amount for this new congregation. A report in the BU magazine of April 1906 reads “But from what had already been done, the committee was not afraid of the future, and they looked not at the material side but at the spiritual side.” The building was erected for £756 and officially opened in 1906. By 1950 this was too small and a new building seating 300 was erected and the old one was then used as the hall. These buildings served the church well until sold in 1991. With the growth of Claremont Baptist Church and the introduction of Sunday shopping, the Grove avenue site became unattractive and noisy. The present structure was purchased from the NGK. The amazing thing was that the price of the new building was the same as the selling price of the old building - we never had to face any debt. Praise the Lord. This new building has proved ideal for developing a ministry to families and children.

f. Children’s ministry has always been important. With outstanding schools in the area, many families live in this suburb. The church became well known for its excellent Sunday school, youth choir and youth work. Many have been won for the Lord through the ministry of the youth and children’s programmes. With faithful and competent leaders the youth ministry has often been the highlight of the church's programme. With UCT so close, student ministry has also been important. In the 1980’s the church was fortunate to have Keith and Terry Blakley, Southern Baptist missionaries, join the church. They felt called to commence a Baptist Students Union on the UCT campus. This ministry soon grew into the largest Christian organisation on campus and of course many students started attending the church. After the Blakley’s left, BSU could not keep going. However we were able to commence a different student ministry converting the BSU house into a student’s digs and “hangout”. This ministry has been of great benefit to many students and young adults. A pleasing development over the past 10 years has been the number of young people who have gone out on short term missions. At the moment we have 5 serving in various places around the world.

g. The church has not always experienced growth as it did in the early days. There have been times of deep waters. Here are some of the difficult times that the church has faced. In 1913 the second pastor, Rev Doble resigned suddenly having come to the opinion that babies should be baptised. This came as a shock to the young church. However one interesting sequel to this is that while Rev. and Mrs. Doble were at Claremont, their son Arthur was born. In 1996 Arthur paid the church a visit. He was pleased to see the church as a large vibrant congregation. After the Doble’s left for the next 25 years the church went through lean times. By 1934 after the Rev. Hopkins left, the church roll had dwindled down to 26. Finances were in a serious situation and enthusiasm was low. But God still had His plan for the church and it soon entered a growth phase once more. The ministry of Rev. Gabriel Watson was wonderfully blessed by God. He served from 1939 to 1946. When he resigned because of ill health, the membership had risen to 136. His ministry was followed by Rev. Herringshaw. His enthusiasm and dedication was catching. From him came the vision to build a bigger building. A 300 seater was completed in 1951 and this was soon filled. Since those days there has always been a strong congregation. We have learnt that through all the ups and downs, God is faithful.

h. Since the vision for the church came from the BU, the church has always been a strong supporter of the Baptist Union. The church has contributed unstintingly to the Union and to the Western Province Baptist Association. In the bad times we received from them and in the good times we have shared with them. We have learnt that we need the fellowship provided by the BU. At present we not only have links with the denominations but are actively encouraging close ties with the poorer churches that may benefit from our experience. In doing this we find we actually learn and receive far more than we give.

We today consider ourselves fortunate to have such a rich heritage and we look forward to building on the foundation that has been laid. Old churches often have difficulty changing with changing times but we have seen that this congregation has been willing to adapt and change ministries and styles. This has often been a painful experience as change is never fast enough for some and always too fast for others. However, it is exciting to be able to say that God has put us here and He has guided us in the past and we have full confidence that the blessing of the past is just a fore taste of the blessing to come! By God’s grace we are as committed now to do our best to serve our generation as we were in 1903.

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Claremont Baptist Church

39 Cook Road

Claremont

7708

Cape Town

South Africa

Telephone and Fax: +27 21 671-9640

E-mail: Admin Office

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