About Us
Welcome to the Sea Point Methodist Church web page! We are a medium sized church but boast a rather diverse “membership”, situated as we are in a very cosmopolitan urban setting in one of the greatest tourist destinations of the world! Some of “our people” have been with us for decades, others visit for three to six months as they attend one of the area’s famous Language Schools, and yet others visit for just a Sunday or two while they tour our beautiful land. Whoever you may be, YOU ARE WELCOME! Our mission is to enable the unique people of our unique community to encounter God in a very real and meaningful way, however long or short their stay with us!
Our vision can be simply summarised in the phrase: ‘Offering Christ’s Love’. In keeping with our location on the Atlantic Sea Board, a lighthouse visually expresses our calling in our logo. Three supporting phrases flesh out our vision a little more practically. They are: ‘Loving God in Vibrant Worship’, ‘Loving Each Other in Care’, and ‘Loving Our Neighbour in Service’.
Rev Debbie van de Laar is married to John who is also a Methodist minister (for
more information about his ministry, go to www.sacredise.com). They have two sons, Bryce and Kieron, and are passionate about worship that helps us to to live, fully alive, and spirituality that connects us to the big issues of our day.
Without our extremely dedicated stewards, though, very little at SPMC would have been accomplished, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Each of them has a portfolio for which they are responsible. As I report on each portfolio, you will see how much work has been done to make our vision a reality.
09:30 English Service
Justice and Service
At SPMC our vision of ‘Offering Christ’s Love’ challenges us to answer this question 
from our vision: ‘are we, at SPMC, loving our neighbour in service?
We certainly try! Each month 3 000 meals go out from SPMC to the hungry in their own communities of origin. Intyatyambo, a creche in Khayelitsha, and Hout Bay Methodist Creche each get epap, a highly nutritious porridge, for each of their children for breakfast every day, and Stop Hunger Now meals for lunch once a week. The Hout Bay Methodist Soup Kitchen gets Stop Hunger Food from us: enough to serve all who come once a week. The Haven Night Shelter receives about 900 meals from us a month too.Some volunteers take out not just food and supplies, but hand knitted jerseys, toys and blankets made by our industrious WA. Some Intyatyambo volunteers share Bible stories and educational experiences with the kids of Intyatyambo. Other of these volunteers are part of a prayer circle and yet others help with the maintenance of their buildings, or in giving financial and organisational assistance, especially in their dream to build a Safe Haven. This year the Women’s Auxiliary will host both creches for their Christmas parties, with Santa and presents and fun on the cards!
SPMC supports Ons Plek, a Methodist Church initiative which supports runaway girls in the city. We always have Night Haven passports on hand for the myriad folk needing food and a bed for the night. Mike and Verna still run our Loaves and Fishes ministry, which continues to help many of our congregation to put food on the table. We have also helped many members of our congregation through difficult times through our ‘Congregational Assist’ program, and twice a year pack about 7 200 meals using the ‘Stop Hunger Now’ program, so that we can have six months worth of meals ready for delivery! In addition we give to Methodist Mission and Extension Fund (which helps struggling churches pay their ministers a salary) the Ministerial Student Fund (which helps in the education of ministers-in-training) and every year our entire Christmas Day collection goes to Marsh Memorial and Heatherdale Children’s homes, both of which are Methodist Church initiatives.
Worship
The second portfolio, headed by John van de Laar, is ‘Worship’, where we answer the question from our vision: ‘are we, at SPMC, loving God in vibrant worship?’ Worship is the power house of the church, the sacred
ground where each of us develops our personal and corporate experience of intimacy with God.Many thanks must go to musicians, our flower co-ordinator, multi-media operators, sound desk operators, and our communion stewards who work together to make our services flow so beautifully. Because we so love our festivals: Advent and Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week and Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost and Harvest Festival we try to make these the high point of our worship services. Because we so value our children, we hold monthly family services, and very nearly now have our cry room in place.
Pastoral Care
The third portfolio, headed by Gaynor Fisher, is ‘ Pastoral Care’, where we answer the question from our vision: ‘are we, here at SPMC, loving each other in care?’ One of the many busy and caring groups in our little
church is the Women’s Auxiliary, a group of 25 women who meet every second Tuesday morning at the manse to ‘Know Christ and Make Him Known’. Another is our monthly communion service group at Sea Point Place retirement home. We love to host ‘Welcoming Dinners’, and have volunteers who do home visits, and have an active prayer chain. We have just started doing monthly hikes in the area, and we love to support Emmaus!
Educational Care
Another portfolio that answers the question from our vision of: ‘are w
e, here at SPMC, loving each other in care?’ is Verna’s one of ‘Educational Care’.
Youth; we have a dear little Sunday School who love their new playground equipment, and offer confirmation classes. Our annual Christmas Eve Crib Service is especially aimed at the little ones.
Adults; on the adult side of educational care, we have a weekly Bible Study who are working through the books of the New Testament. We have another group doing Disciple and in addition we like to do short courses such as Navigating Change, and Bridging the Generation Gap, as well as Manna and Mercy, Intimacy with God, in Search of Grace and Truth, the Hour that Changes Everything, Dancing with the Light, and the Enneagram .
Administration
The last portfolio that answers the question from our vision of: ‘‘are we, here at SPMC, loving each other in care?’ is Vicki Hargreave’s and Denelle Williams’ one of administration. 
This is the ministry that quietly a
nd efficiently does the banking and book-keeping, and fundraising. The Property Team have scrubbed and polished, and planted and watered, researched and fixed and painted and plastered and consulted, and have managed to make sure that every single one of the ministries, not just of the 9:30 congregation, but of the 16:00 congregation too, is adequately, safely and beautifully ‘housed’.
16:00 isi Xhosa Service
Our 16:00 isiXhosa service is a little smaller, but just as vibrant.
AgainiIt is our three Society Stewards who make sure this service continues to be a blessing
Michael Petersen
oversees a number of ministries. Firstly he looks after our large group of local preachers, particularly helping those who are learning to local preachers. He represents the Young Man’s Guild* at the monthly Society Stewards meeting, reporting on their visits and activities. He makes sure that all who need funeral visitation or services, confirmation, baptism and wedding preparation are channeled in the right direction, and encourages the wonderful choir* who are under the baton of John Tshibilikwana.
Mabel Mnyamama
represents the activities of the Women’s Manyano*, the Young Women’s Manyano* and the Sunday School* to the monthly Society Stewards meeting.
Xolani Nyongo
represents the activities of the Wesley Guild* and the finance team to the monthly Society Stewards meeting
* all of these organisations meet weekly at SPMC
