The Church and its history

Germiston Central Methodist Church is situated in Germiston, which is in Gauteng province, in South Africa.

We are in Lady Duncan Avenue, in Germiston.

The Church was founded in 1898, and we will be celebrating our centenary next year. The current church building's stone laying ceremony was held on the 2nd March, 1937, at 3pm.

Over the years, some of our ministers have been:

We have a large Emmaus community within the church, and several of our members were involved in the first Walks to Emmaus in South Africa.

The opening of the new church building in 1934

The following is an exert from the East Rand Express, dated Friday, October, 1934, describing the early days of the Germiston Methodists.

EAST RAND EXPRESS, Friday, October 5th, 1934

At Germiston

The work of the Methodist Church in Germiston was commenced some time in 1898, when several people approached the Rev Walter T. Goodwin, who was the resident minister at Van Ryn, and asked him to visit the town, and establish a Methodist Church.
He formed a class meeting, and out of that grew the Church.

There is no record of the members of this early beginning of the Church, but services were held in a private house at the corner of Milne and Victoria Streets. The class grew in size, and the members felt that the time had arrived for definite work in the town - then a collection of more or less dilapidated iron buildings with a waste of sand dignified by the name of President Street.
To reach the class on wet days members often had to wade through mud over their boots, but nothing dampened their ardor.

Boarding House Services

The first public services took place in the boarding house of the Simmer East, but these were discontinued after only a few had been held. Boarding houses played an important part in the history of Methodism on the East Rand, and most of the classes on the mines originated in what the miners delighted to term the "hash houses."

A distraction

Further east, it is related, at what is now an important Wesleyan Methodist center, the preachers were seriously inconvenienced by the wags of the district who would leave the door ajar so that the pet goat might com in to appropriate bananas from one of the sideboards during the course of the proceedings. This somewhat divided the attention of even the most serious portion of the congregation.

A stand secured

Land was difficult to procure in Germiston in those days, but Mr. Goodwin, while in the course of his pastoral visitations, one day noticed a vacant piece of land in Victoria Street, and finding that it was the property of Messrs. Amm and Sons, had an interview with the principal. The firm anticipated the land might be required by them for business purposes they were not willing to sell. Mr. Amm, snr., however, was a prominent Johannesburg Methodist, and, desiring to see the work flourish, agreed to lend the ground for Church purposes.

It was not a "beautiful situation," being not far from the storm ditch, which in those days could not merely be seen but smelt, added to which at night there was a serious risk of travelers falling therein. A building committee was formed and as there was no title to the ground it was resolved that a sectional building be erected.

The Church opened

Generous promises were made by the members of the committee, who in addition to the donations agreed to lend the balance of the cost free of interest. The church was at once commenced and completed at the cost of F470, the opening ceremony taking place in April, 1898. The Rev Thos. Wainman, of the Johannesburg Central Circuit, preached the dedicatory sermon. A public tea and meeting followed. The ministers of the East Rand Circuit (Jeppe to Springs) were in attendance, and the financial results were beyond all anticipations.
The following Sunday, large congregations were present, and the success of the undertaking was assured. A Sunday School was established, and an organized Church was soon in full swing.

Lived in the vestry

At the quarterly meeting it was decided that Mr. Goodwin should be transferred to Germiston and for some time he lived in the vestry behind the church. Under Mr. Goodwin's guidance the work prospered greatly and the church was generally crowded. A feature of the happy corporate life of the congregation was seen in the socials, which drew large gatherings. Amongst the ladies who rendered signal help were Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Merryweather.

Anniversaries were celebrated in great style, and it is recorded that the collections at the 1899 services realized no less than F62.

Came early

An amusing contemporary account of a service at the Germiston Methodist Church, which was reached by so high a flight of steps that the little ones had great difficulty in negotiating them, states the "Wesleyans as a rule are not noted for their punctuality, but such an excess of early attendance as that which characterizes the brothers and sisters of Germiston constitutes a record in the writer's experience. When I entered the building at five minutes past seven the church was already more than half filled, and there appeared no likelihood of an early commencement to judge by the look of stolid patience on the faces of the worshippers, ample opportunity was given for inspecting the building . . . . For a quarter of an hour after my arrival a Quaker-like silence prevailed. Nothing distracted the congregation save the vagaries of a devotional fox terrier and a general turning of the eyes at the advent of new comers. At twenty past seven the organist put in an appearance, and at half past seven, when the church was well filled the service commenced."

It is gratifying to read, however, a little further on, that while there was no choir the singing was hearty and the sermon came as a pleasant surprise to the censorious critic.

With the Anglo-Boer war rumors, the miners and the general inhabitants of Germiston began to leave, while Mr. Goodwin was ordered to take up his abode at Jeppestown and be responsible to the work along the East Rand. A permit was granted him to stay in the county after hostilities commenced, and he held an afternoon service during the eight months prior to going "over the border".

In June 1901, Mr. Goodwin was back again, and found the church in a dilapidated condition. The windows were broken and as glass was unobtainable, he patched the windows with calico and recommended the services. Thanks to his gift of organization everything was soon in as good order as before the war, and the attempt to build a permanent church was revived.

An eloquent Welshman

On Mr. Goodwin's removal to Barberton the Rev Glyndwyr Davies, an eloquent Welshman, was appointed, and the small iron building soon became inadequate.

At that time stands in Germiston were at boom prices, but land had to be obtained, and the Church secured the ground on which the existing buildings stand. The old building was transferred behind the church and was used as a hall, while Gain's Bakery occupies the site the hall formerly occupied.

The New Church

The foundation stones of the new church were laid on Saturday, January 3, 1903, by Mrs. R.Raine, Mr. R.N.Catlin, Mrs. R.Hosken and Mr. T.R. Price (later Sir Thomas) The church building with seats cost approximately 2,700 pounds, and the land 1,800 pounds. The architects were Messrs. Dill Bros., and the contractors, Messrs. Jenkins and Wilson.

The new church was opened for worship on Saturday, May 16, 1903, by Sir Arthur Lawley.

Mr. Davies was succeeded in 1905 by the Rev. Walton B. Millward, and two years later the Rev Geo Rolland came to Germiston. In March, 1910, the Rev. Ernest Titcomb arrived as resident minister, this was considered appropriate, since with the Rev Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Titcomb had first explored the wilds of Germiston and established services at the New Primrose.

After a ministry of some three years, Mr. Titcomb was called upon to fill the pulpit at the Central Hall, Johannesburg, and Germiston's loss was certainly the gain of our neighboring city.

He was followed here by the Rev. John Howard, who, with the aid of his sister, did a find work here amongst the young people.

Reverend John Howard