Pastor Deon Booysen has been named evangelical bishop of the West Coast area.
This was made official at an inauguration ceremony organised by the Evangelical Fellowship of Christian Churches of South Africa (EFCCSA), which took place on Sunday 3 July at the Rapha Pentecostal Church in Elsies River, Cape Town.
Speaking of Booysen’s credentials, the EFCCSA’s Rev Ivor Erasmus said: “Our candidate for the West Coast area, Pastor Booysen, has been involved in ministry from age of 19, passing through the hands of the Right Reverend Michael Sodigal, by whom he was moulded, lectured and led – in his own words, his ‘spiritual father’.”
He said Booysen, who holds a diploma in theology, spent many years working with the late Sodigal at the Mutual Evangelical Fellowship In Westridge, Mitchells Plain. He founded churches in Delft, Darling, Piketberg and on the West Coast.
The EFCCSA, Erasmus pointed out, was started by Sodigal in 1990. “Under him the organisation grew to 32 churches across the country. Sadly, he passed away on 4 February 2020.”
He said being a bishop of any region required setting the bar high in terms of leadership, in which other pastors in the region are led, so – much goes into selecting the right person for the job.
Among the guests at Booysen’s inauguration ceremony were United Reformed, Moravian, Methodist and Baptist church ministers. “Our special guest was Rev Chris Nissen [human rights commissioner and pastor] of the Presbyterian church. The word of God was ministered by retired Baptist general secretary Reverend Angelo Scheepers. We were honoured to have him preach.”
The EFCCSA thanks everyone for their support over the years.
