A brief history
It did not begin with a flash of lightning or a thunderous voice saying ‘Go’ – but the Lord was behind the growth of Goodwood Baptist Church from its inception.  It is thirty-five years since a group of believers met in the area, began a bilingual Sunday school and constituted as a fellowship. Since then there have only been two pastors before our present one, Roland Eskinazi.  Peter Dewberry (now in the US) served faithfully from 1972 – 1982, followed by Bernard Cartledge (1982 – 1998).  We praise God for their ministries which laid a solid foundation on which to continue to build. The church’s constitution was adopted and approved on 6 March 1977.  The important distinctives in this document were its references to Elders (unusual for SA. Baptists at this time) and its allegiance to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.  After meeting for many years in a building in Anderson Street, the Lord enabled the church family to purchase the AGS church building on Milton Road.  Services there commenced in October 1994 and continue to the present day.

A current profile
The GBC family compromises people from a variety of backgrounds.  From the very outset, the focus of our services and ministry has been unashamedly God’s Word above all else.  Public worship is conducted simply with a clear focus on preparing God’s people to hear God’s Word. Like all churches within Sola 5 we seek to implement ministries that present the gospel clearly to all age-groups. On Sunday mornings our children and young people meet with us and then move to what is known as COOL (Christ our Only Lord) Club and Teen Bible Class.  We are grateful too for opportunities to reach non-Christian homes in the area through our youth work on a Friday (Crusaders and Khula!).
Currently there are five Home Fellowship Groups meeting on Wednesdays
in Goodwood, Tygerdal, Monte Vista, Welgelegen and Bothasig.  For enquirers and those confused about the gospel, there is a Christianity Explored course that is followed by a course Back to Basics which has been used of the Lord to bring some to saving faith.  At the time of writing we are greatly encouraged to see how the Lord has honoured the faithful sowing of His Word through a number of people currently attending Baptism and Membership Classes.  These classes would include instruction on the Doctrinal Distinctives of a Reformed Baptist Church as well as privileges and responsibilities associated with belonging to the family of God.

Church planting
Through a series of remarkable providences, Goodwood Baptist Church has been involved in encouraging and helping the Robertson Reformed Community Church, a church in the country areas to constitute. Sybrand de Swardt, our former pastoral intern, is shepherding
the flock there and we rejoice that they too have come into membership of the Sola 5 family (see article in Dec. 2006 edition of Sola 5 Chronicles.)
At the same time we are involved in assisting Wallacedene Baptist Fellowship. This work, in an informal settlement some 30 km from Goodwood is pastored by Otto Makalima who with his wife Matshepo are members of GBC. He is assisted by Mphumezi Hombana, another graduate of the Cape Town Baptist seminary. They report as follows:
“At least three hundred and fifty years have lapsed since the advent of the first missionary on the South African soil. Yet, the faith that has altered the course of history is still to be known among the indigenous inhabitants of this Land. That is, of course the experiential reformed evangelical faith, that once possessed the likes of Luther and Calvin.  However, this is not in any way a failure on the part of the missionary endeavour of the colonial era. On the contrary, their work has been the necessary phase so that all South Africans would now be readily receptive to the doctrines of grace that once captivated the Puritans of the 17th century."

Wallacedene Baptist Fellowship
With the undeserved grace and strength that proceeds from the Sovereign God we see ourselves involved in the planting of a church that is committed to the doctrines of grace.  Wallacedene, situated on the edge of the northern suburbs of Cape Town boasts a population of about 120 000 people.  Most of the population originate from the rural parts of the Eastern Cape, in the former Transkei.  Generally their wage is earned through working as domestic workers, construction workers, farm workers and factory workers, with a huge number of casual workers. In terms of literacy, there are only a small percentage who are literate, and the culture of thinking is still by and large pre-modern, in the sense that it is still strongly rooted in superstition.
Currently, the Fellowship meets in a local school on Sunday mornings and in homes during the week.  We do not as yet see many that are coming to faith or of those who are being baptized.  However, we are seeing spiritual growth and increased appreciation of expository preaching among those who are already with us.
Pray with us for more conversions and baptisms before we constitute; also for a clearer understanding of the church on the part of our members.

All of Grace Institute
As a result of our doctrinal commitments, we have thought it necessary to extend our ministry to the entire Xhosa speaking (though not exclusively) Christian community in the Western Cape. Hence, All of Grace Institute was established.
The mission of the Institute is to encourage perseverance in sound biblical doctrine. There is such a great influx of false teaching to which an average person is exposed, but sadly there is nothing in the Xhosa speaking community that is designed to counteract it.  Instead, more and more churches dance to its tune to the detriment of the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
Our vision is a God-centred generation of Christians. Apparently, it is inevitable that when commitment to a sound biblical faith goes, God-centeredness goes with it and man-centeredness sets in. The institute
is established with a hope that God would be pleased to incline his people’s hearts to him, once again, through us.
Among other things, the Institute aims at having quarterly conferences in which doctrinal subjects will be addresses by like-minded ministers. Here are our subjects for this year:
• Human Inability and God’s Absolute Sovereignty
• The Supremacy of the Bible in all Matters of Faith and Conduct
• Trinity: God’s Existence in Three Persons
• Imminence and Transcendence: God both Near and Distant.
The Institute also aims at correspondence courses on basic historic doctrines of the church, publication of a periodical also on doctrinal subjects; distribution of literature; and to work on educational campuses.  In all this we will greatly value prayer.

Jerusalem, Judea and all the world
GBC has the joy of partnering with several ‘full-time’ national and overseas missionaries in the work of the gospel:
Diane Guta has just returned from Bolivia (SIM), where she has faithfully
worked with underprivileged children in Cochabamba. Pray for her as she adjusts to life in South Africa again.
Hans-Walter and Sabine Ritter are resident in Germany where Hans is serving as National Director of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship).
Colin and Barbara Tomlinson who served with Middle East Christian Outreach in Turkey for many years are now resident in Cape Town where Colin heads up the MECO office.
Hylton Sumner who has ministered for many years among Baptist churches in the area of hospital chaplaincy has returned to his ‘roots’ as a missionary and is engaged in pastoral work in the Indian community, at La Mercy, KZN.
Doug Crutchley has been involved in a unique and challenging ministry in Cape Town and further afield (recently Namibia). Readers will be interested in its beginnings and progress:
Evangelism Outreach
In May 1996, as a result of observing a Hare Krishna devotee promoting his sect’s literature and his consequent and increasing conviction to point the lost to Christ, Doug began evangelism outreach in the streets of Cape Town.  At that time he was working for a bank situated in the heart of the city centre.  After purchasing a suitable carry-bag and a number of Ultimate Questions (John Blanchard’s excellent 32-page evangelistic booklet), every available lunch break was used to share the Good News.  Initially the outreach was limited to the city bowl, but it soon expanded into the suburbs.  He continued to share the gospel on a part-time basis for three years, gaining experience and insight into the enormous potential for one-to-one literature evangelism using Ultimate Questions.
In April 1999, he was able to begin full-time outreach.  Since then, new dimensions have been added to the ministry: discipling through literature; undertaking itinerant evangelism trips (to other parts of South Africa and, in June 2006, to Namibia); and, from May 2005, weekend outreach at Cape Town harbour.

Mission statement
To point individuals, couples and families – irrespective of culture, nationality, race, religion or social standing – to Christ, for salvation or, where saved, for encouragement in their walk with the Lord, using sound Christian literature.

Objectives of the ministry
• to identify with the Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of the public
• to offer the good news of salvation through literature
• to sow the seed of the gospel, primarily using Ultimate Questions
• to disciple individuals through follow-on material
• to endorse and promote the necessity of being actively involved in
a Bible-centred, Christ-focused local church.

Modus operandi
Evangelistic literature is offered indiscriminately, that is, to the whole cross-section of society. It is given out generously but not carelessly; each recipient knows what he or she is receiving and has indicated that the booklet is wanted. A perspective – distribution of literature for the 12-month period Dec 2005 to Nov 2006:
Ultimate Questions    16 351
Where is God when things go wrong?   575
Why believe the Bible?   418
Right with God   180
Other Christian books   71
Portions of Scripture (Gospels)   388
New Testaments   15
Bibles   139

Doug also refers to a Board of reference who take an active interest in the ministry: Rev Roland Eskinazi, Rev Martin Holdt, Rev Dr Syd Hudson-Reed, Dr Frank Opie, Mr Phil Shrimpton (UK), Rev Dr Bryan Williams.