St Matthew’s Church faces gloomy end

IF the small congregation of St Matthew’s Anglican Church at Walvis Bay cannot come up with at least N$60 000, their church – the second oldest building in the harbour town – is doomed to fall apart.

The exterior of the 84-year-old church on the corner of Sam Nujoma Avenue and 7th Street is in ramshackle condition, with roof sheets torn off, brickwork crumbling and large portions of its wood and plaster-coated chicken-wire frame disintegrating and left at the mercy of the elements. The congregation, no more than a handful, is also dwindling, and according to parish warden Clare Owen, unless there is some outside intervention, there is no hope that the congregation will be able to raise enough money to restore the building.”All of our parishioners are elderly, and it’s a lot of work to go through to get this old church back in shape – and a lot of money.All our young people have left us for greener pastures,” she told The Namibian.The church houses what is believed to be one of the oldest “modern” artefacts in Namibia: a church bell cast in England in 1623.The 600-kg bell fell into the hands of thieves a few years ago before being recovered by the Police.It cracked after being dropped, and no longer rings.Now it is stored in the church hall.The church was originally built with wood and placed on stilts to preserve its frame, but was later covered in chicken mesh and coated with plaster for reinforcement.Owen says the parish hopes to restore the church to its original state – with the bell put back on a stand – and so preserve one of Walvis Bay’s historic landmarks.The acting Director of the National Heritage Council (NHC), Erica Ndalikokule, told The Namibian that the church had not been registered as a national heritage site.She said because it was one of the oldest buildings in Walvis Bay, it could be a good candidate for such registration.According to her, the NHC’s hands are cut off too when it comes to funding, and there is just not enough money to take care of all the applications from all over Namibia.”To be certified as a heritage site, the church management could approach possible donors, and with motivation from us, it will be easier to collect the necessary funds,” she said.The Walvis Bay Municipality’s Manager for Economic Development and Tourism, Gert Kruger, acknowledged that the church was one of the oldest buildings in town, and advised the parishioners to put an application for assistance on paper, so that the council could consider the matter.The congregation, no more than a handful, is also dwindling, and according to parish warden Clare Owen, unless there is some outside intervention, there is no hope that the congregation will be able to raise enough money to restore the building.”All of our parishioners are elderly, and it’s a lot of work to go through to get this old church back in shape – and a lot of money.All our young people have left us for greener pastures,” she told The Namibian.The church houses what is believed to be one of the oldest “modern” artefacts in Namibia: a church bell cast in England in 1623.The 600-kg bell fell into the hands of thieves a few years ago before being recovered by the Police.It cracked after being dropped, and no longer rings.Now it is stored in the church hall.The church was originally built with wood and placed on stilts to preserve its frame, but was later covered in chicken mesh and coated with plaster for reinforcement.Owen says the parish hopes to restore the church to its original state – with the bell put back on a stand – and so preserve one of Walvis Bay’s historic landmarks.The acting Director of the National Heritage Council (NHC), Erica Ndalikokule, told The Namibian that the church had not been registered as a national heritage site.She said because it was one of the oldest buildings in Walvis Bay, it could be a good candidate for such registration.According to her, the NHC’s hands are cut off too when it comes to funding, and there is just not enough money to take care of all the applications from all over Namibia.”To be certified as a heritage site, the church management could approach possible donors, and with motivation from us, it will be easier to collect the necessary funds,” she said.The Walvis Bay Municipality’s Manager for Economic Development and Tourism, Gert Kruger, acknowledged that the church was one of the oldest buildings in town, and advised the parishioners to put an application for assistance on paper, so that the council could consider the matter.