Imvani (G14)

Name: Imvani

Since Evangelist Klibbe depended upon farming for his livelihood, when he landed in Cape Town in 1889, he bought a small-holding at Bellville, but later moved and purchased a farm at Worcester. Because he could only speak German, Evangelist Klibbe's testimony was limited to the sparse population of German immigrants in both Cape Town and Worcester. Unfortunately, Evangelist Klibbe missionary work at this stage bore no fruit. His thoughts therefore turned to those areas in South Africa where there were actual German settlements. When he heard of the settlement in Berlin about 60 km from East London, a town established by German immigrants disbanded from the British-German Army in 1857, he was persuaded to once again uproot and move to East London.
The first congregation in East London: 1892

In East London, Evangelist Klibbe found many German-speaking people who willingly listened to his testimony. In the year 1892 an embryo congregation emerged to become the first New Apostolic congregation in South Africa. So that these and all subsequent members could be sealed – nominated by Apostle Niemeyer in Australia – Carl Klibbe was called to the Apostle ministry by the Apostle College in Europe in a letter dated 8 July 1893. Within a few years the congregation had grown to a figure of 70 members who, from their own means, built a modest chapel in Southernwood, a suburb of East London.
In 1901, a shoemaker by the name of Georg Heinrich Wilhelm Schlaphoff, and his family, also emigrants from Germany, visited the congregation. He was deeply impressed and before long he and his family were adopted. They were sealed by Apostle Klibbe on Pentecost 1902. In the wake of the poverty wrought by the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) raging at the time, Brother Schlaphoff's shoemaking business was reduced to ruin, plunging him into severe financial difficulties. Despite these severe times, on Christmas morning of 1902, Apostle Klibbe ordained him into the Deacon-Evangelist ministry and commisioned him to move to Cape Town, the capital city at the time, to make another attempt to establish the work of God there.

After Evangelist Schlaphoff had left East London, the congregation there declined steadily. Financial difficulties were rife. Many of the original members left the Church and before long the congregation was forced to sell the little chapel they had built with so much dedication. Apostle Klibbe had also suffered severe financial loss. As a result, he, too, was forced to leave East London. He bought a farm in iMvani, a small railway siding about 160 km from East London where, with his experience in farming, he hoped to better his financial position and also establish a congregation among the German immigrant farmers there as well as at the nearby town of Queenstown. Regardless of these difficult circumstances, Apostle Klibbe had laid the foundation for future growth and the Lord was to bless the Work in the years to come and give a guiding hand in the times of crisis that lay ahead.

http://www.nac-sea.org.za/history.html


A Bitter Struggle – Collapse at iMvani
On his arrival back at iMvani, Apostle Klibbe found devastating natural circumstances on his farm. He realised then that the South African farm could not be managed the same as an Australian farm. Crops had failed and deaths of livestock had accumulated to a dangerous level. There was no alternative but to sell the farm. He was left penniless. Priest Kreunen offered him and his family accommodation in his home in Queenstown which the Apostle accepted.

Soon financial stress was also felt in Queenstown. Motivated by this as well as the still fervent desire to spread the Lord's Work, Apostle Klibbe asked the younger brother, Jacobus Kreunen, to move to Indwe, about 100 km away. Here only one family was initially drawn to his testimony: the family Jordaan. But it was here that Brother Jacobus Kreunen found his future wife, and he married Johanna Jordaan in 1910. They had all but settled when Apostle Klibbe felt the urge to move to Johannesburg where he heard the testifying work was making headway.


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