Heritage Blue Plaque #Nr 12

NERDERDUITSCHE HERVORMDE KERK - 7 Voortrekker Street

What is the story here?

On the 4th of June 1932 Gerard Moerdyk presented the plans to the Church Board and in August, the tender from the firm Leemhuis and Leggatt was accepted and the building started earnestly. The cornerstone of the church was laid by Ds. Oosthuizen, on the 15th October 1932, in the presence of Ds. J.J. Prinsloo, Ds. T.F.J. Dreyer and Ds. Jac. Van Belkum. While Ds. Viljoen, Ds. A. Louw and Ds. de Vries represented the sister churches of Heidelberg.

The whole building project was a heavy burden on the congregation, but the sacrificial and willingness of members was stimulating. With this it must be noted that the Brits family carried most of the cost of the organ. Ds Oosthuizen adds further, that when visiting Auntie Martie Brits on the farm Sandfontein, that she paid her share in gold pounds from a chest. This made him travel home in silence and thankfulness. This was how, large or small, poor and rich did their share towards the building of the new church.

THE HISTORY OF THE NEW HERVORMDE CHURCH AND THE VAN BELKUM HALL (PART II)

​

THE ARRIVAL OF REVEREND OOSTHUIZEN AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS (1928)

​

Following the retirement of Reverend (Ds.) Jac van Belkum in 1927, the Nederduitsch Hervormde congregation quickly secured a pastoral successor. Reverend and Mrs A.J.G. Oosthuizen arrived to take up the local ministry during the Communion Celebrations held from 20 to 23 April 1828, receiving an enthusiastic community welcome.

​

A mounted horse commando and an official celebratory procession assembled outside the town limits to escort the new minister into Heidelberg. On Saturday afternoon, Reverend Van Belkum conducted the formal induction ceremony, and that evening, Reverend Oosthuizen delivered his introductory sermon, preaching from 1 Corinthians 2:1.

​

The new minister faced immediate, multi-layered challenges. Beyond directing the spiritual well-being of the parish, Oosthuizen had to provide intense social support to impoverished Afrikaners. Church board minutes from the era explicitly noted that lower-income families felt alienated and uncomfortable attending services alongside more affluent members of the congregation.

​

The working-class Afrikaner community was still reeling from the cumulative structural destruction of the Second Anglo-Boer War, the political fallout of the 1914 - 1915 Rebellion, and a succession of severe agricultural droughts throughout the 1920s. This socio-economic distress was subsequently compounded by the devastating Great Depression and the historic drought of 1932 - 1933.

​

Faced with this widespread poverty, Reverend Oosthuizen, alongside contemporary Afrikaner cultural and political leaders, mobilized to preserve their people's livelihood and social ideals. The Afrikaner churches, particularly the Hervormde Church, assumed a vital role in this cultural survival campaign. To restore a sense of self-worth and foster pride in their heritage, Reverend Oosthuizen and his congregation initiated a bold project: the construction of a grand, new stone church in Heidelberg.

​

THE EXPANDED CHURCH BOARD AND THE DARING PROPOSAL (1932)

​

By 1932, the Heidelberg congregation had grown remarkably resilient, boasting 865 active members and an expansive Church Board comprising 35 officials. The ruling elders of this era included: R.J. Crowther, T.F. Steyn, Jacob van der Westhuizen, Piet Brits, P.D. Bekker, B.J. Smit, L.H. Jordaan, F.J. van der Westhuizen, Nicolaas Jacobs, A. Minne, C.F.J. Strydom, C.P. Engelbrecht, A. Gouws, A. Greyling, J.H. Mulder, S.G.A. Nortje, and L.C. Ryke.

​

The serving deacons included: C.J. Strydom, N.H. Jacobs, H.P. Strydom, D.S. Jacobs, J.A. Greyling, P.H. Henning, P.G. Jacobs, P. Steyn, Cornelis Brits, A. van den Berg, J.J. Koekemoer, G.P. Bierman, P.F. Strydom, Schalk Brits, Sarel J. van der Westhuizen, Cornelius Brits (Junior), S. van der Westhuizen, and W.C.H. Erasmus. Frikkie Boltman served as the official church scribe. The names of many of these foundational church officers remain permanently visible across the headstones of the nearby Kloof Cemetery.

​

At a critical board meeting, Reverend Oosthuizen introduced a highly ambitious building proposal, stating:

"Die voorsitter sê verder dat hy ‘n baie belangrike saak wil voorbring. Hy meen dit is tyd dat ons besluit om ‘n nuwe kerk te bou. Hy meen die gebou self sal sowat £3000 kos, dit is ‘n gebou vir 600 sitplekke. Die ameublement sal sowat £2000 kos, uitsluitende die orrel. Ons het nou £2000 sodat ons nog £3000 kortkom. Hy meen dat gemaklik die geld vir die ameublement bymekaar kan kry."

​

(The chairman further states that he wishes to bring forward a very important matter. He believes it is time we decide to build a new church. He estimates the building itself will cost about £3,000, providing a sanctuary with 600 seats. The furnishings will cost about £2,000, excluding the organ. We currently have £2,000, leaving us short of £3,000. He believes we can easily raise the money for the furnishings.)

​

Given the devastating economic climate of the Great Depression, sourcing liquid capital and imported materials was an incredibly daring undertaking. To offset costs, Reverend Oosthuizen proposed a strategic, crowd-sourced funding model directly to the board:

​

"Ons vra die families Brits and Jacobs om ons die orrel te gee. Die families Van der Westhuizen om die grond langs die winkel van Dettman te gee. Die familie Strydom om dit toe te maak. Die familie Bierman om die ligte te gee. Die familie Lanser om die tapyte te gee. Die familie Labuschagne om die deure te gee. Die preekstoel sal deur ds Ooshuizen gegee word. Die stoel in die preekstoel kan oudl. Bekker gee. Die horlosie oudl. Crowther. Mnr Kilian kan byv. die doopbak gee... As dit kan verkry word, sal ons fetelik die kerk kontant kan bou."

​

(We ask the Brits and Jacobs families to give us the organ. The Van der Westhuizen families to give the land next to Dettman's shop. The Strydom family to enclose it. The Bierman family to give the lights. The Lanser family to give the carpets. The Labuschagne family to give the doors. The pulpit will be given by Reverend Oosthuizen. The chair in the pulpit can be given by Elder Bekker. The clock by Elder Crowther. Mr Kilian can, for example, give the baptismal font... If this can be obtained, we will effectively be able to build the church in cash.)

​

Although this innovative community sponsorship plan was formally approved, the church board never compiled a definitive final log of who donated specific items. While the council resolved to preserve these names inside a dedicated commemorative album, the physical artifact has never been found.

​

DESIGN BY MOERDYK AND SACRIFICIAL DONATIONS (1932)

​

At the church board meeting held on 2 April 1932, Elders P.D. Bekker and R.J. Crowther introduced a formal motion to launch construction. Following unanimous approval at a general Congregational Meeting, and backed by the financial guarantees of the influential Brits, Jacobs, and Van der Westhuizen families, an executive building committee was formed. The committee commissioned the legendary South African architect Gerard Moerdyk to design the new sanctuary.

​

On 4 June 1932, Moerdyk personally presented his blueprints to the Church Board. By August, the building committee accepted a construction tender submitted by the engineering firm Leemhuis and Leggatt, and site excavations began in earnest.

Reverend Oosthuizen officially laid the church cornerstone on 15 October 1932. The ceremony was attended by prominent theologians, including Reverend J.J. Prinsloo, Reverend T.F.J. Dreyer, and the retired Reverend Jac van Belkum, while the town's sister churches were represented by Reverend Viljoen, Reverend A. Louw, and Reverend de Vries.

​

The building project imposed a heavy financial burden on the community, yet the congregation's willingness to sacrifice stimulated continuous progress. Notably, the Brits family funded the vast majority of the custom pipe organ. Reverend Oosthuizen recalled that during a pastoral visit to the farm Sandfontein, the elderly Auntie Martie Brits retrieved her substantial donation entirely in gold sovereign pounds from a family chest. This profound act of faith left the minister traveling back to town in reflective, thankful silence. Through similar contributions, both rich and poor citizens completed their share of the sanctuary.

​

THE INAUGURATION AND FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISRUPTION (1933)

​

The new church was officially inaugurated on the afternoon of Saturday, 14 April 1933. The highly anticipated opening ceremonies were severely disrupted by a sudden local outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. To contain the highly contagious livestock virus, the agricultural authorities enforced strict quarantine laws that completely prohibited the movement of all farm animals.

​

Because rural families relied entirely on horse-drawn carriages or ox-wagons for long-distance transit, the quarantine prevented a large portion of the farming community from traveling into town.

Despite this disruption, the inauguration remained a massive, heavily attended regional event. Professor Dr J.H. Greyvenstein, the Dean of the church’s Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria, traveled to Heidelberg to deliver the keynote dedicatory sermon, preaching from Daniel 9:17.

​

To mark the historical milestone of the congregation's 70th anniversary, the original church building - which had been constructed in 1889 - was officially renamed the Van Belkum Hall to honor their pioneering past minister. The hall's historic wooden pulpit was subsequently traded to the Delmas congregation in a creative mutual exchange that covered the financial costs of constructing a new permanent theater stage inside the hall.

​

TIMELINE OF MINISTERS (1868 - 1984)

​

The spiritual leadership of the independent Heidelberg congregation was maintained by the following succession of verified resident ministers:

​

• Reverend N.J. van Warmelo (1868 - 1885)

• Reverend H. Lagerwey (1895 - 1898)

• Reverend Jac. van Belkum (1903 - 1927)

• Reverend A.J.G. Oosthuizen (1928 - 1941)

• Reverend T.F.J. Dreyer (1941 - 1954)

• Reverend J.C. du Plessis (1954 - 1970)

• Reverend J.J. Smit (1970 - 1972)

• Reverend J.A.A.A. Schroeder (1972 - 1990)

• Reverend F.H. van der Merwe (1982 - 1984)

• ​

Through their shared dedication, the community's generational ideal was fulfilled. The historic building inaugurated on 14 April 1933 stands as an architectural jewel within the modern town layout, remaining a living symbol of spiritual faith and community sacrifice.

​

References: 50-Jarige Gedenkalbum (1933 - 1983) and Die Nederduitsch Hervormde Gemeente Heidelberg (1865 - 1965). Historic archival photographs provided by the Heidelberg Heritage Association.