We are much younger than we look!

Although we use a church building which was completed in 1898, Cape Peninsula Reformed Church (CPRC) is still relatively young. The congregation was founded in founded in September 1970. Its founding minister was dr Gustav Bam, who pastored the church for twelve years until he accepted a call as a professor in theology at the University of the Western Cape in 1982. As a member of the Synod of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church which met in Belhar in 1983, dr Bam proposed that the black Reformed churches should not only say that they reject apartheid, but also in what they believe. As a result of this proposal, a small working group, including dr Bam, drafted the confession which later became known as the famous Confession of Belhar.

The Rev Dana Minnaar suceeded dr Bam as minister of CPRC in 1982. Before coming to CPRC, he patored De Tyger DRC, and before that he was Secretary for Youth Work in the Dutch Reformed Church in Namibia. It was during those years that he was called to minister to Christians behind in Communist countries. Although in the 1970s it was virtually impossible for a South African to visit countries in Eastern Europe, God used Dana Minnaar to minister God's Word to, pray for and comfort Christian communities who for many years have been deprived of contact with Christians outside their own persecuted circle. Rev Minnaar has retired at the end of 1994, but still serves CPRC as a part-time pastor.

Dr Francois Wessels succeeded Rev Minnaar in 1995. Before coming to CPRC in August 1983, he was a lecturer at the Zomba Theological College in Malawi, representing the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. In August 1983 he was called as minister of CPRC with the special commission to communicate the good news that Jesus is the Messiah to the Jewish people. In this regard he and miss Cecilia Burger have been seconded to cooperate fully with Beit Ariel Messianic Congregation. When Rev Minnaar retired, Francois Wessels was called to pastor CPRC as well as taking responsibility for the ministry to the Jewish people.