THE DEATH OF A FOOT SOLDIER, CHRIST SOLDIER AND A TRUE HEAVENLY WARRIOR A Statement from the Provincial Executive Committee Revd. Douglas Msuthu was a humble man, a man of few words, a man with a genuine smile. He grew up being a herd man, born in Tsomo at Mahodini village, on the 10th January 1944. He was raised in the church and he liked imitating preachers and from his youthful days he wished to become a preacher when old. He has done his Primary education at Tsojane Primary School up to grade 7, where he had to quite in 1959 due to family difficulties, to look after the families herd. But because of his thirst for education and vision of becoming someone one day, he attended school occasionally and that allowed him to take shifts with his two other brothers in looking after their cattle. In 1963 he commenced his new occupation with Eskom in Verneeriging and during that time his passion and wish of becoming a Lay Minister grew even more. It was during this time that he started attending night school to further his education and quench the thirst he always had. Father Qolane noted the passion and talent that Revd. Msuthu had and encouraged him to register with Rosettenville College to do Ministry and he also recommended him to the then Bishop. Father Msuthu did not do well in his first year, but he aced his modules in the second year including those he carried over. It took Father Msuthu six years of studying and the then Bishop recommended that he be ordained as a permanent Deacon. Father Msuthu was then placed at Masiza and Sebokeng Municipal Hostels, which had congregants who used halls for their services and through hard work a Parish was finally formed. It is then that Father Msuthu taught the congregants the 1975 Prayer Book, where he put more emphasis on martins, a huge church choir was then formed including church organisations were established. Father Msuthu then considered to look for an erf where a Church structure can be erected, he was assisted by a certain ANC member to acquire the erf. The Bishop requested that formal plans for the Church Building be drawn and submitted to the Municipality for approval and during that same period congregants donated iron sheets and a shack that was used as a Church building. All members of the Church were so encouraged to see to it that they do have a Church building, called St. Bernard Mizeki. Father Douglas Msuthu joined the Men’s Guild in Sebokeng in 1966, during that time the Guild was under a lot of stress and strain in Germiston under Revd. Mhutshwana. But the Guild faced serious challenges when the Diocese of Johannesburg had to be split into three, namely: Johannesburg, Highveld and Christ The King. When the Diocesan Guild was established in the Diocese of Christ The King, Father Msuthu was co-opted as the President though he was a Deacon and the Guild was able to make strides seeing itself growing in numbers. Father Msuthu encouraged other Priests to also form part of the Guild and Father Gijimani Radebe was elected the Guild’s President and Father Msuthu was then elected the Guild’s Chaplain in the Diocese of Christ The King. In 2014 at the 17th Provincial St. Bernard Mizeki Men’s Guild Conference that was hosted in Port Elizabeth, Father Msuthu was the first ever recipient of “The Best Performing Indodana”. Father Msuthu upon receiving the award, had this to say, “I owe the award to the Diocese of Christ The King and its Diocesan Executive. The work we doing for the community and the Church has encouraged the recommendation. Also being humble and being able to work with the people of God is a greater achievement. My scripture is John 15:1-10, I am the True Vine”. May his soul rest in peace
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 08:53:20 +0000
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