Mossel Bay, Herbertsdale, Lutheran Church

Abstract

Herbertsdale, Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Church of Herbertsdale used to be a mission church, belonging to the Berliner Missionary Society (BMS). According to documents from the society, mission work in Herbertsdale already started in 1863 by the South African Missionary Society but the mission was taken over by the BMS in 1872. Later the mission was taken over by the Lutheran church. On the rear of the church stands a tower which is surmounted by a niche in which an historical bell is hanging. The bell is extremely difficult to reach and it took several visits and many photographs before we were able to read the inscriptions on it and to measure its physical dimensions. The bell hangs in a niche. The canon consists of 6 carefully carved angel heads. Below the crown is a broad decorative band. Below it a moulding ring and a band of drops pointing downwards. The text on the waist of the bell reads, Lucae 14 v 17. Kommt, den es ist Alles bereit (decoration with palms). Just below the second decorative band is given the text, Gabe von Christen in Pyritz an die Gemeinde zu Herbersdale (sic) which is again supported by a decoration with palms. Below this text stands a reference to the foundry given by, Gegossen von C. F. Voss & Sohn in Stettin in 1875 No. 1608. Above the sound bow are four moulding wires, the top two close together. On the lip one finds a decorative freeze made up of leaf like figures, pointing upwards. From the above we can safely conclude that the bell has been made in the foundry of Carl Voss from Stettin, formerly a city in Germany but now in Poland with the name Szczecin. Moreover, like the original bell in the church in Riversdale, the bell has been a gift of the Pyritzer Missionsfreunde in Germany. The latter bell ended up in Albertinia, probably around 1908 when Riversdale got the Korfhage bell.