The Wesleyan Church resulted from a merger between the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church in North America, both of which had outreach work in Southern Africa. We are part of the Body of Christ, with a worldwide denomination that ministers in over 60 countries.
The Pretoria Wesleyan Church was founded by Rev F.E and Mrs Delysia Stanley in 1979, with services in their home. They faithfully served the Lord in this congregation until their retirement in September 2010, when Rev Pieter and Mrs Annette du Plessis became only the second pastoral couple in the Pretoria Wesleyan Church until September 2012, when they took retiremwnt due to ill-health. Rev Cheryl Jonck became the third pastor of the church in June 2013.
Responding to the great need for a Christian nursery school, a multi purpose church building was erected in 1980, also accommodating the Glen Playcentre and Pre-Primary school, still an important ministry of our church. As the church and nursery school developed, more classrooms were added.
In January 2016, the nursery school was expanded to include a primary school, the Wesleyan Christian Academy. The academy will be a full primary school by 2022.
In 1987, the Pretoria Wesleyan Church further expanded its ministry and service to our members and the community by developing Serene Park Retirement Centre. In 1982 the Pretoria Wesleyan Church was instrumental in opening Prestige Nursery School in Sinoville and a new congregation was established under the leadership of Rev Gordon and Mrs Shirley Webster. In 1985 The Pretoria Wesleyan Church opened Noddyland Nursery School in Garsfontein X10 and established a new congregation, currently under the leadership of Rev Ab and Mrs Barbara van Alfen.
In the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.
Man is saved by undeserved grace through faith, following true repentance.
Sinners are redeemed and justified by Christ unto salvation and believers are sanctified by the Holy Spirit unto holy living.
Sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit by which the child of God is separated from sin unto God and is enabled to love God with all the heart and to walk blameless in all His holy commandments.
Every person is created in the image of God and human sexuality reflects that image in terms of fulfillment intimate love, communication, fellowship, subordination of the self to the larger whole.
Every one has a personal responsibility before God for the choices we make.
The Bible (39 canonical books of the Old Testament and 27 canonical books of the New Testament) is the complete, inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God and our only authority for teaching and preaching.
The Bible contains everything we need to know for salvation; whatever is not in it, or cannot be proved by it, is not required to be believed as necessary for salvation.
The two great commandments which require us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and our neighbors as ourselves, summarize God’s law as it is revealed in the Scriptures.
*This is only a summary of our Articles of Religion.
01. A living relationship with a Living Christ
02. Wholesome Christian fellowship in a loving family environment.
03. Pure Biblical teaching and preaching
Through missionary work, regional Wesleyan Churches were established around the world, including Southern Africa. The region is divided into districts. The Trans-Natal District, of which we form part, resulted from an evangelical campaign in Port Elizabeth, where the first congregation was started in 1909. The Trans-Natal District reports in to the Southern Africa Region that currently includes churches and missions in Gauteng (largest concentration), Natal, Free State, Cape Town, Transkei, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Northern Cape Swaziland and Zimbabwe .
The current District Superintendent is Rev. Dr. Johnathan Goosen and the Regional Superintendent is Rev Julius Doctor Galela. The Wesleyan Evangelical Seminary is situated in Brakpan. The Academic Dean is Rev Anke Theron.
God called Rev. & Mrs. F.E. Stanley to the Capital City of South Africa, Pretoria, in 1978, to start a Wesleyan Work there. From its early beginnings, the Stanleys began the work, first of all with a Sunday School for the whole family, in their home, on the 1st Sunday of August 1978. And then by building a Multipurpose church complex, which included a Day-Care Center for 120 children.
This school soon filled up, and was extended to cater for 150 children. One year total was 9 classes with 187 children! Soon other areas around the city challenged this couple, and three other Day-Care centers were opened up.
From these Day-Care Centers, three Wesleyan Churches came into existence, providing a Mission field in each of these premises. The first generation Wesleyan Converts from these Churches, are now the core Adults serving the congregations, with the added blessings in that some children who started in these Day-Care Centers, are now young adults, and are being married by their Pastors.
In 1984, Dr. & Mrs. Wm Phillippe came to South Africa, to promote the GRADE Evangelism Program. In the course of their visit, Rev. Phillippe shared with the Stanleys, the work that he and his brother Tom were doing for the aged in America, by the establishment of 'Nursing Homes' for the aged.
This created a new burden and vision for the Stanleys, who then began to explore the possibility of establishing a Retirement Home for the Aged in South Africa. Negotiations began with the Government Department of Welfare in Pretoria, for the purchase of land from them for this project. Borrowing money from a Building Society, land was purchased for the first phase of a building project, that provided for 45 apartments, a 20 bed Frail Care Unit, dining room, library, hairdressing salon, etc
The building began in January 1987, and was completed in November 1987, when the first residents moved in. The whole venture was an act of faith, as the Church did not have the
money to build, and thus borrowed it from a Home Loan company. Residents bought the Units on "A Life-Right" basis, similar to the Nursing Homes in the USA. As the residents moved in and paid for their Units, so the money was repaid to the Loan company.
Demand for the services being offered began to increase, and the Church was able to purchase five adjoining plots of ground, and the next phase was planned, approved and put into operation. Work began in 1993, to build 66 more cottages of various sizes, and a further 11 three years later. The miracle of the whole project was the provision of finance. The Loan company who had previously loaned the Church the money, saw the lucrative venture themselves, and declined to finance the Church. As work had begun using reserve funds, a huge problem confronted this Church, as the building
Contractor needed to be paid. Every avenue was investigated to find the means. In the end, the Church Board of the Church and some of its' members spent a week fasting & praying for the Lord to give direction for the funding. The Chairman of the Building Construction Company, along with his Administration staff asked the Church Board to meet with them to resolve the impasse. What they did, was to offer to finance the project, as they needed the work, and we would pay them rather than the loan company. The result of all that, was that when the project was finished, and all theBuilding Contractor's staff and equipment moved off the finished site, the Churchwas able to give them all the money owed.
This arrangement saved many thousands of Rands of the Lord's money in interest costs. Today, this Retirement Home houses 150 retired citizens, and nursing care to thirty 'frail-aged' patients. It has a waiting list of over 350 people of people who want to buy a unit.