Church History
Due to the relocation of many people to Mitchell’s Plain it became a necessity to establish the Anglican Church here. This was a tremendous challenge as we all came from various parishes and backgrounds. God however works in mysterious ways and in Him He has proven we can truly be one. So through God’s Grace this Parish started as a chapelry under the auspices of Christ the Redeemer with Fr. Hipkin as Rector. Sunday services were held at Portland High School, then at Portland Community Centre in 1979 initially attended by about 50 worshippers.
Fr. Karl Groepe took charge of the Chapelry of Portland. The name of the Church was chosen by the Chapelry Council.
In the interim bible study and fellowship conducted by the late Fr. Bernard Hess, were held at various homes in Portland. This was a great help in getting to learn to know one another with our varied perceptions and unique forms of worship we are used to. Most of all it contributed much to us seeking God’s will for us in this somewhat desolate place. Sunday Mass was celebrated in the Merrydale Primary School, then Portland High and later the Portland Community Hall. Through the sheer dedication of our appointed rector Fr. Karl Groepe, Wardens, Terence Cozett, Andrew Tremble and Joe Caesar, Lay Minister Edgar Murphy, the volunteers went door to door to establish a number of Anglican in the area and with God’s help we finally accomplished the dedication of our House of Worship on 11 April 1981. The proceedings commenced with a grand processions from the Portland Community Hall to the church building. The mass was conducted by Bishop Patrick Matolengwe, and the joy of achievement was evident and tributes must be made to the few who originally worked so hard and contributed so much (many whom have long since left to live in other areas and others who have since passed on).
In the meantime, Fr Groepe left for Oxford University to further his studies and Fr Basil Adams became our new Rector. He soon began to build on the foundations that had already been laid. His quite inspiration and great gift for allowing us to serve despite who we were and irrespective of our shortcomings led to further growth. We have seen Lentegeur and Tafelsig branch off as chapelries and later parishes.
Because of the size of the parish, a number of assistant priests served their curacy here. For many years Christ the Mediator has also been a Training Parish for Deacons.
Over the years, a number of renovations were done to the buildings. A hall was built to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Charles Albertyn.
Our present day clergy are Revd. Canon Dean Apples, the Rector and Revd. Ashley Ceylon
God bless us as we continue to reach out to all His people and serve Him in the years ahead.