Black History Month Series
Except maybe for the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church in Temba which seem to be in ideal spaces within the landscape of Temba, many other churches in the community are confronted with challenges of moral decadence at their door steps. Almost seven of the traditional churches in the Temba community are surrounded by taverns and are often hampered by blatant “incidences of illegal public drinking sprees” by revelers with absolute disdain.
Build in 1955 with rocks collected from the old Temba Primary School (which was built in 1947), the Dutch Reformed Church (popularly known as “Kereke ya Mokoko”) was amongst, if not the first heritage churches to be constructed in Temba. As you enter what should have been called Church Square is the Old Baptist Chapel which was built around the early 1960`s. The Reformed Church opposite the AfriSpot Mall was officially opened in 1964. Whilst the unveiling inscription of the Methodist Church indicates that the church was officially opened in 1972. The Methodist Church is currently looking at moving from this space and finding another home elsewhere in the community, to escape the immoral onslaught that has invaded the square.
Both the new Baptist and Anglican Churches are also neighbours to the Fivas tavern. The heritage building of the Old Anglican Church was also erected in the 1960`s, before it was demolished (how sad) after the building of the new and modern building of the current St John Anglican Church.
It is actually ironic that what was intended to be a church square, is today being infested by taverns and a place of moral decay. And yet over the years since the founding of Temba in 1942, these heritage spaces of spiritual expression, have played a central role as community centers that codify the ethical and moral rectitude of the community. These spaces of worship and spiritual rejuvenation have been the oasis of hope and faith in the early years when the first settlers felt like children of a lesser God.
Led by distinguished spiritual leaders, these spaces that are physical manifestation of our spiritual connection to God have been at the forefront of many ceremonies and communions in the life of the community: from rites of baptismal to rites of confirmations, from confessions to redemption ceremonies, from weddings to celebrations of new birth, from funerals ceremonies to unveiling of memorial tombstones. And yet in recent years, a section of the community is involved in the desecration of the spiritual memory of these places of God and have crucified their symbolic standing and significance as the spiritual compass of the community.
With the advent of Ash Wednesday on 6 March 2019 to mark the beginning of the 40 days before the Easter weekend, maybe it is opportune time for the community to reflect on the moral onslaught on our collective spiritual heritage. And commemorate the next Ash Wednesday as a holy day of prayer, fasting, and repentance amongst Anglicans, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Old Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Zionists, Apostolic and many other inter-faith denominations. And invest in efforts to reclaim these spiritual spaces, as sacred spaces that represents all that is good in our common humanity.
