General
What makes Saint Thomas special?
Saint Thomas and the Lutheran Church
Where to find us
What makes Saint Thomas special?
The Saint Thomas Lutheran Church, situated on the fringe of Edgemead, Cape Town, was founded on 5 August 1993. It is named after one of Jesus' disciples, called Thomas. Thomas wasn't a forerunner amongst the disciples. The more well-known disciples are John, Peter and James. Thomas features only four times in Scripture. In almost all of those passages, he has a question. He did not have "blind faith" as others seemed to have. As a result he has been dubbed the "doubter". But Jesus never rejected him. On the contrary. He had a special love for this disciple, who was deadly honest both towards himself (with the many questions he had) and to those around him. Thomas expressed openly what others kept hidden deep down in their hearts. He was a realist. If something didn't make sense, he said so. After Jesus' resurrection he got special attention, not because of his perfectness, but his sincerity in expressing his doubts. Thomas was loved by God.
The Saint Thomas congregation in Edgemead identifies with the disciple Thomas. As Thomas it is not a very prominent congregation. It is small. But it endeavours to be a congregation where people can express their thoughts freely, without fearing judgement or rejection. Furthermore, nobody is to feel the need to pretend anything, and nobody is to be forced into a mould which does not fit naturally or sits uncomfortably. It is a congregation where people know they are loved by God the way they are and where the "small" and "insignificant" are taken seriously.
Saint Thomas is further defined by its Core Values (click)
Saint Thomas and the Lutheran Church
Saint Thomas congregation forms part of the Lutheran Church. The word "Lutheran" is taken from the great 16th century reformer, Martin Luther (see "Martin Luther, His Life and Work" - Click) . Although Luther himself would have resisted any church being called by his name, the family of Lutheran Churches today is one of the largest Christian denomination worldwide. Numbers, however, are not important. Important is Jesus Christ, the Lord professed and proclaimed by the church. It is here where Luther played a profound role. Luther himself was in many ways like Saint Thomas. He had many questions. These questions motivated him to search the Scriptures. While searching the Scriptures he made a life-changing discovery: God loves us, not because we deserve it and not based on something we did, but because of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul calls it "grace", which means "undeserved love". He further discovered that faith is the hand (or the hands) that accept this love. Indeed faith is not a deed, something we do. It is an attitude towards God, imparted by the Holy Spirit, which makes us receptive for God's love. Saint Thomas Congregation is affiliated to the Free Evangelical-Lutheran Synod in South Africa (FELSISA). The FELSISA (www.felsisa.org.za) is a "confessional" Lutheran Church that endeavours to confess boldly and clearly the grace of God through Jesus Christ as revealed by the Holy Spirit. The FELSISA is an active member of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), an international body of confessional Lutheran Churches.Where to find us
Church
St. Thomas Church - Lutheran Confession (Click to Enlarge)
Corner Settlers Drive and Bains Way
Edgemead
7441
South Africa
Directions
Saint Thomas is situated next to the N1 freeway, approximately 20Km from the city centre.
Take Goodwood/Monte Vista exit (exit 15) and turn towards Monte Vista (Monte Vista Boulevard).
Turn left at the traffic light into Wingfield Place.
Wingfield Place continues as Montague Street, which in turn enters Edgmead Drive after at a small traffic circle.
At the next traffic light turn left into Settlers Drive.
You will see the church about 500 meters ahead.
GPS Directions: S 33º 52.824' E 18º 32.096.
Parsonage
Rev. Dieter Schnakenberg
10 Van Gogh Street
Panorama
7500
South Africa
Tel. & Fax.: 021 930 3734
Cell.:
Email: Email