Welcome to the family, Worcester City Church!

By Joshua Generation Church 

Many years ago it was prophesied that Joshua Generation would be “a tree that is home to birds of many different kinds”. Over the years we have seen the fulfilment of this prophesy many times over as people from different cultures, countries and church backgrounds have been added to us by the Lord.

Recently the leaders and members of Worcester City Church (WCC) have felt the Lord call them to become a part of JoshGen and this past Sunday, 18 October, we held a celebration service welcoming WCC leaders and saints into the JoshGen family! They are the latest group of people to find a home among our branches; making this a significant moment for them, and for us, as we witness the hand of God moving.

Worcester City Church was planted in 2002 as Allenasies Kerk, under the covering of NCMI. Although situated in Worcester, many of the members hailed from De Doorns, a farming community about 30km from Worcester. A group had started meeting together in De Doorns in the mid 90’s, led by two grape farmers; Louis De Kok being one of them. Louis is still on the eldership team to this day and will remain on the team as they become one with us.

In August 2012, Clarence Rule was sent from New Generation Church in Somerset West to Worcester to lead the church. He relaunched the church in January 2013 under the name of Worcester City Church and has been leading ever since, with around 90 members calling WCC their home.

Clarence & Azalea Rule

More recently Joshua Generation Church started an outreach congregation in the city
under the leadership of Leonard Strydom. This was, in part due to circumstances
around COVID-19, which meant that a number of the students who were a part of our
Stellenbosch congregations were stuck in Worcester. These students became the
core of the congregation and began to invite friends and family; and the
congregation began to grow to about 30 saints.

JoshGen Worcester gathering previously as an outreach congregation

A few of the people who began to visit JoshGen in Worcester came from WCC, so Leonard and Clarence met for coffee to chat things through. Instead of feeling threatened by each other they chose to build a friendship and discuss some options for moving forward together in the same town.

Leonard invited Clarence to join in with a camp being held in Stellenbosch for the JoshGen elders that lead. This was a time where God moved powerfully and the benefits of strong relationships and apostolic input were very much realised. Clarence loved what he saw on this leadership time away, especially as he had been longing to be part of a team after being on his own for 8 years.

Following the camp, Clarence spent time in prayer and then discussed a potential merge with his leaders. There was a strong sense that God was working to bring them into something bigger. They received a number of prophetic words about this that confirmed what they were feeling. After talking things through with Andrew and other JoshGen leaders, they decided to come under the JoshGen leadership and join with us in advancing the Gospel together.

As a result, JoshGen Worcester are now meeting together at 53 Tulbagh Road, Worcester, where WCC used to gather. Len and Hettie Deyzel (currently living in Swellendam) will be relocating to help lead these precious saints forward into our values, and will be helped by a strong team of existing elders and deacons. We are so excited to build Gods Kingdom alongside these saints and are trusting that this new addition will become a base from which we can reach the entire region with the Gospel!

Len & Hettie Deyzel at the celebration service on Sunday 18 October

Join with us in praying for JoshGen Worcester. Pray that the transition will continue to go well and that many will be reached for Jesus. Pray for Len and Hettie as they relocate and for unity amongst the saints. Pray also for the eldership team as they move forward together.

We welcome Clarence, the elders, leaders and members of Worcester City church to the JoshGen family! We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in and through us as we labour together into the future.

Joshua Generation Church

Zandi Hulley

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