Who are the Baptists?
South Africa - German Baptists in The Cape
by Elwin Tarr
(c) 30Nov2003
Early Baptist history in South African splashes on our pallet in a variety of colours. We often reminisce on the arrival of the 1820 English Settlers, but this is only a part of the story. What about some of our other early fathers? History records another group of people who strike me as being just as interesting and "colourful" - the German Settlers. These folk represented a second influx of immigrants to the country and their coming makes interesting reading!
Do you remember reading about the Crimean War? History books tell us that allied forces, which included England and France, were at war with Russia. A fierce battle raged at a place near the Black Sea. The allied forces met with severe resistance at this point and, coupled with severe cold and disease, they began to loose the battle. Reinforcements were desparately needed and this led to the calling of military support from Germany. The Germans unhesitatingly responded by sending a volunteer contingent to the area under General von Stutterheim. Alas, the war ended before these men reached the battle zone but by now they had became the responsibility of England and England had to decide their future. What then, was to become of them?
It was decided to send them to South Africa, and Sir George Grey welcomed the proposal, but urged that the men marry before their emigration. Accordingly, mass marriages took place in England before they set sail.
They arrived in the Cape in 1857 but, disappointingly, not all were married and this caused a problem. To rectify the situation, Sir George Grey promptly arranged for another batch of German families to immigrate to South Africa and these folk arrived at the Cape in 1858 and 1859. These were of far greater importance to South Africa and to the British cause than the military settlers. After all England had previously sent out people to be "buffers" between the Colony and the marauding locals, why not these Germans?
Inevitably, there were Baptists among this contingent - five in all. They didn't arrive together, nor did they settle together. Mr Langheim and his wife Dorothea settled at Frankfort, Schmidt and his wife Maria settled in Berlin and the Sandows put down roots at Braunschweig.
These folk had all been influenced in Germany under the founder of the Baptist movement in that country, one Johann Gerhadt Oncken. A man of great spiritual fevour, he encouraged them to embrace the motto "every member a missionary".
In his book "History of the Baptist Union of South Africa", Syd Hudson-Reed says that it was enthusiasm generated by this motto which caused the phenomenal growth of the Baptist cause in South Africa.
Although not an outstanding preacher, Carsten Langhein was a good personal worker and clearly emerged as the leader. He had already made an impact on the voyage to the country by arranging worship services on board ship and this zeal continued in his agricultural activities in the Eastern Cape.
In 1861 these five couples arranged a reunion in Frankfort when they officially formed a Baptist Church. It grew at an amazing rate and contact was made with the English Baptists at Grahamstown for financial and general help. The overture was successful especially since Grahamstown's involvement led to the ordination of Carsten Langheim in Frankfort to the ministry of the German churches which by now had grown to 61 members. Because the flock was scattered far and wide, early workers had to walk many miles over rough and dusty roads in order to hold services.
However, before long, a human element came to the fore and trouble reared it's ugly head in the burgeoning church which in 1896 numbered 300 members and so an appeal for further assistance was made to their homeland to placate ruffled feathers.
At the time there were 27 students in training in Hamburg for missionary work. Enquiries were made, ecclesiastic requirements for a suitable pastor were considered and finally Johan Oncken suggested that Carl Hugo Gutsche fill the role as first pastor of the Eastern Cape German settlement. Hugo Gutsche was well educated. He had trained as a pharmacist and was in fact personal assistant to Oncken himself. Of Gutsche, Oncken quipped "Such men do not grow on apple trees, nor are they produced as a baker produces loaves of bread".
Before leaving for South Africa, Hugo married a Mary Lange, also a gifted and well educated woman and they arrived in King Williamstown on 7th December 1867 after having embarked on the "Celt" for their voyage to South Africa.
We read that Gutsche's first task was to organize the scattered churches. To do this he had to visit each area in turn; Braunschweig, East London, Frankfort, Breodbach, Hanover, Stutterheim, and Bodiam. A general meeting was held on the 18th December 1867 and "the church of baptized believers in British Kaffraria" was founded with 283 members, divided into three districts or Associations.
Familiar names still resound in Eastern Cape church corridors - Fetting, Gernetzke, Langheim, Gutsche and Pape, to name a few. After many years the German Baptists merged with English Baptists in the city of East London which had become the centre of church activity.
Porter Street Baptist church subsequently became a development of the widespread German Baptists until a new church was built. At one time two thriving Baptist churches, built almost diagonally opposite each other in East London's main street, catered for the cultural needs of East London baptists but eventually good sense prevailed and the two churches combined to become the first Baptist Church, Oxford Street. As a result of all this background, East London remains a bastion of Baptist witness in South Africa.
(This article appeared in Baptists Today, the journal of the Baptist Union of South Africa
October 2003, and is used by permission.)