Published by Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk, 1979, hardcover, Afrikaans text, illustrated, large format, 92 pages, condition: new.
The Dutch Reformed Church of Porterville is a congregation in the Swartland that falls under the Presbytery of Piketberg, Porterville 's neighboring town, and the Synod of the Western Cape.
The present Porterville was formerly part of the farm Willemsvallei, which was located in the ward Vier-en-twintigriviere and initially belonged to the Dutch Reformed Congregation Tulbagh. Later, the said ward was reassigned to the congregation Piketberg. In 1860, the farm Willemsvallei passed into the hands of Frederick John Owen, who in 1863 had part of the farm surveyed into plots and sold to the public. Thus was laid the foundation of a new town, to which Owen, in honour of the then Attorney-General of the Cape Colony, gave the name Porterville.
In 1869, the first day school was founded and opened here through the mediation of Rev. (later professor) PGJ de Vos, then minister of Piketberg. The first religious teacher was JV Maclean, who also had to observe the religious exercises in the school building on Sundays. Rev. C. Rabie, who succeeded Rev. De Vos in Piketberg in the year 1871, is considered the father of the NG Gemeente Porterville. During his ministry, the school building became too small for church gatherings and in 1877 the first church building was erected in the above-mentioned ward.
On 25 February 1879 the Porterville congregation was separated from Piketberg, and on 4 March 1881 the Rev. MC Mostert was ordained and confirmed as the first pastor. The congregation thereafter developed rapidly and increased in numbers so rapidly that the first church building soon became too small. In 1894 the second church building was completed and dedicated, which contained approximately 800 seats.
Rev. Mostert worked fruitfully and blessedly in the congregation for almost 40 years until he left the congregation, with expressions of loving appreciation, on 6 September 1920. After a vacancy of about a year, Rev. GJ Hugo, who later became Moderator of the Synod of the Cape Church, was confirmed here on 23 August 1921.
The second church building had also become too small for the growing congregation, and under the able leadership of Rev. Hugo, the current and third church building in the congregation was erected and consecrated on 18 November 1925. The new church building, of which Wynand Louw van die Paarl was the architect, is certainly one of the most elegant and sturdy church buildings in the Western Cape, writes the congregation's collaborator in Ons gemeentelijke feesalbum (1952).
On 24 October 1931, Rev. Hugo was succeeded by Rev. PAM Brink, who worked faithfully in the congregation until his retirement on 7 March 1948. His successor was Rev. D. van N. Theron.
The author, Christiaan Fick Albertyn wrote fiction under the name Jan Fick . In addition to his work as a publisher and writer , Albertyn was also the general manager of Nasionale Pers . Albertyn is also married to the Afrikaans children's and youth writer Anna S. du Raan
