Our Story

Middelburg Christian Fellowship (also known as MCF Church) was started in 1984. It all began when a group of like-minded friends came to realize that there were numerous people in the Middelburg area, who were seeking a Christian family for mutual encouragement and support, in their walk with Jesus Christ. This body of passionate and enthusiastic believers with a deep love for God had a longing to see people in the Middelburg community (and beyond) understand and embrace God’s love for them, through His Son Jesus Christ.

It started as a fellowship group under the leadership of Graeme Lennox that spontaneously gathered in a private home in Dennesig. Soon God began to add people who came from all different walks of life. Word rapidly spread of this new vibrant group of Christian believers, and soon the home where they met was too small for contain the number of people gathering there. Within months we came to realise that this was no longer just a casual fellowship group, but a local church community in the making with ‘stability and permanence’ in mind. A clear vision emerged: to become the salt and the light by presenting the clear message of the good news of Jesus Christ in, and beyond the Middelburg community. God put in our hearts a desire to establish a church that would provide spiritual stability and permanence in Middelburg as well as a church family that would be welcoming to all; to believers and those seeking a relationship with God.

The church then moved into shop 14 in the Piccadilly Arcade, and again a year later to a larger shop in the same arcade. Graeme Lennox and his wife Belinda, having pioneered the church, officially became the first pastoral couple. 25 years later they still serve, leading the team of elders who lead the congregation of Middelburg Christian Fellowship to this day.

At the end of 1989 the church moved into the first phase of its very own building; built on the portion of ground that extends between Koppie Street and End Street along the Merriespruit. The church now had a place of its own that was strategically positioned between the Middelburg town and the then separate and troubled township of Mhluzi.

We see this now to be a sovereign act of God, as we found ourselves playing a significant role in bringing people together from vastly different and divided communities, during the troubled times that led up to the 1994 election. What a privilege it was to see so many of our members passionately in love with Jesus Christ, giving themselves tirelessly in the work of reconciliation and for the healing of our broken communities; members who did so with an uncompromising faith in Jesus Christ, as man’s only hope of salvation.

Today, 25 years after its humble beginning in 1984, the Middelburg Christian Fellowship church family is still solid and growing - continuing to reach out into our local community, as well as to communities outside our borders; providing relief into Zimbabwe, and establishing numerous sustainable churches in Angola, Malawi as well as in Ukraine.

Today we stand strong in the belief that there is still much to be done in the future, and we join hand with many other churches in Middelburg to play our part in being the salt and light to all the people who live in Middelburg. We are without a doubt, very passionate about our city!

As we move into the future there is however going to be one difference: As from the 25th October 2009 Middelburg Christian Fellowship will be known by a new name. Our new name will be SOLID GROUND CHURCH. We have seen the need to do this because it accurately represents who we are as a church. We are more than a fellowship: We are, and remain a church committed to ‘stability and permanence,’ particularly in these turbulent and ever-changing times in which we all live. The things that were perceived to be a sure foundation in peoples' lives in the past are proving to be no more than sinking sand. We, by the grace of God want to present hope and assurance in Christ Jesus in a world that is so unstable and fickle. The name Solid Ground speaks of the solid characteristic of God’s faithfulness over a 25-year history that we intend to take into the future. It speaks to us of an anchor planted in solid ground in the midst an uncertain world.

Our heart for the future is best described by the words of a famous hymn written by Edward Mote in 1832 where the chorus goes:

On Christ the solid Rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

We invite everybody to visit us at our campus situated at 2 End Street Middelburg

We have a fully-stocked book store, and a professional climbing wall. In the near future we plan to open our coffee shop as well as a children’s play park.