PROFILE OF ST. CRUCIS LUTHERAN CHURCH BEACON BAY

 

 

The Congregation of St. Crucis was founded by the German Lutheran immigrants (1857 - 1858) who settled in the Frankfort area of the Eastern Cape (approximately 80 km. north of East London). To worship God they built a small house of sods under thatch called the Bethaus (house of prayer which was also used, as a school during the week.

In 1868 the Government granted them a lot as a site for a church and a school. In 1870, with the congregation numbering about 40 families, the foundation of the church building was laid, with the church being consecrated on the 17th December, 1871.

These buildings (church and school) served the community until the early 1980's, when the government bought all the land and buildings in the Frankfort area for incorporation into the Ciskei.

The "Farewell Service" for the Frankfort church building was held in May, 1980 and the "Service of Ground Breaking" for the new church building overlooking the sea in the town of Beacon Bay (now one of the more modern suburbs of Buffalo City) was held in November, 1981.

In February, 1983 with the congregation now totalling just on 100 families, the new church building was dedicated.

This church, in the year 2000, serves the spiritual needs of 140 families (234 voting members, 31 confirmed youth under 18 years and 54 children). Worship services in our modern and spacious church (seating 200) and junior youth education classes at present held in the hall (115m² Lutheran education centre in process of being built) are held each Sunday morning in English. There is an active choir, Junior and Senior youth groups, Womens' Auxilliary, fund raising group and now an Alpha co-ordinating group.

Over the past few years, there has become an awareness, that due to the locality of the church (reasonably central to our sister congregations and in a well maintained and secure neighbourhood), and the large number of children and youth in our congregation, St. Crucis could, God willing, with motivated and dedicated leadership, provide a centralised youth education and fellowship activity centre, for all Lutheran youth in the Buffalo City area.