The Hope Centre is complete. Thank you, all of you who made it possible with your gifts. It is also close to paid for. The 2019 students moved in at the end of January. I said when we started that I hoped many would come from far and wide to join in the rejoicing as this new student centre is dedicated. The dedication took place on 18 May 2019 in Cape Town. Hope’s mother and brother and sister attended. There was an all day seminar the day before for international guests and others. Some fascinating papers were presented discussing GWC’s role in Africa. The talks are available to listen.
GWC’s students come from all over South Africa and the continent of Africa. Most need accommodation in Cape Town. It was this simple fact that originally pushed the college to becoming residential, and now we have this wonderful student centre.
Soon after the college arrived in Muizenberg we purchased a derelict hotel, known to locals as “The Saloon”. We bought it from a Muslim who had planned to develop it as a madrassar. GWC saw it from the start as a future student residence.
It has been a long road to where we now are. This is far and away the biggest project the College has ever undertaken. The price tag was R35 million (AUD$35m).
The icing on the cake is the dining hall on top. In May and June I had the pleasure of taking my breakfast with the students with the sun streaming in, with views of False Bay to the south and the mountains to the north. It really is stunning.
Our prayer for the Hope Centre is that it will provide a home for generations of men and women preparing for ministries of the word of God in Africa. Already you can sense the eagerness of the first generation.
