The Reformed Church Windhoek (Dutch: Gereformeerde kerk Windhoek or GK Windhoek) is the oldest of the three Dutch Reformed churches in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.
Initially holding services in various local homes and halls, the GK Windhoek finally built its own church building in 1952. An angular, flat-roofed building with some upper wall tiles painted in contrasting colors to the rest of the exterior, it was nicknamed the "raisin bread church."
On September 10, 1977, the GK Windhoek moved into its spacious, new building. The brown brick church overlooks the capital is located on the corner of Luther and Liliencron Streets in the suburb of Eros. The architect was Tinus du Plessis, and Michiel Prinsloo, then the oldest surviving member of the Dorsland Trek by which Boers first settled the area, unlocked the front door at the opening ceremony. A "treasure chest" of marble was placed in the foyer for tithes. Cost overruns led the church to buy a smaller organ than the one commissioned for the building. Construction finished on November 2, 2002 when the corbel was installed.
Philippus Jacobus Wilhelmus Schutte van der Westhuizen, 1988 – January 9, 2000 (died in office)
Hendrik Reinecke, 1991–1999
Dr. Johannes Petrus Bingle, 2000–2010
Dr. Pieter (Piet) Fanoy, 2010–2016
Henning Vorster Venter, July 24, 2016–present
Bibliography
(af) Harris, C.T., Noëth, J.G. (Hannes Noeth, Sarkady, N.G., Schutte, F.M. en Van Tonder, J.M. 2010. Van seringboom tot kerkgebou: die argitektoniese erfenis van die Gereformeerde Kerke. ("From lilac to church: the architectural heritage of the Reformed Church) Potchefstroom: Administratiewe Buro. ("Administrative Office")
(en) Potgieter, D.J. (hoofred.) Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Nasionale Opvoedkundige Uitgewery Ltd., 1973.
(en) Raper, P.E. 1987. Dictionary of South African Place Names. Johannesburg: Lowry Publishers.
(af) Schalekamp, Mr. M.E. (voorsitter: redaksiekommissie) (chairman: editorial board). 2001. Die Almanak van die Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika vir die jaar 2002. Potchefstroom: Administratiewe Buro.
(af) Van der Walt, Dr. S.J. (voorsitter: deputate almanak) (chairman. 1997. Die Almanak van die Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika vir die jaar 1998. (Almanac of the Reformed Churches of South Africa. * 1998)Potchefstroom: Administratiewe Buro.
(af) Venter, Mr. A.A. (hoofred.) (Ammi Venter) 1957. Almanak van die Gereformeerde Kerk in Suid-Afrika vir die jaar 1958. Potchefstroom: Administratiewe Buro.
(af) Venter, Mr. A.A. (hoofred.) 1958. Almanak van die Gereformeerde Kerk in Suid-Afrika vir die jaar 1959. Potchefstroom: Administratiewe Buro.
(af) Vogel, Willem (red.). 2014. Die Almanak van die Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika vir die jaar 2015. Potchefstroom: Administratiewe Buro.
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