The Friend's Story

Friends Christian Fellowship started in August 2001 in the house of Bruce and Cora Jackman. After many years in food retailing with companies such as Checkers, Makro, and in Hong Kong with The Dairy Farm Company, God called Bruce into the pulpit ministry. While studying at the Assemblies of God Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (USA) God specifically directed Bruce and Cora to come to Somerset West to pioneer a church.

We have met in a home, an office park, in a warehouse and now meet in Somerset West Primary School, in Somerset West.

Some years ago while working in Hong Kong, I had a serious discussion with God. I had to work through something important that worried me. I noticed a custom that was new to me. When people met for the first time, they always exchanged business cards. Whether you were neighbours in an apartment building, a new colleague at work, or visiting a church for the first time, it was a common practice to exchange business cards. Considering we had over 31 nationalities in our church, it had some practical benefits. It helped to see how some of the Asians spelled their names. It gave a contact number should you wish to make contact again.

But I also noticed something very disconcerting. People received a business card, looked at the job title on the card and they would discard any card reflecting a job title lower than CEO, Managing Director, Director or General Manager. In a country where who you know is considered of ultimate importance, people judged the benefit of a new relationship by what the person did, rather than who they were. After exchanging cards, it was not uncommon to see people tossing the card into the trash bin because anybody of a lower business status was not considered worthy of knowing.

As I exchanged cards, I realized they kept my card because of what I did, rather than who I was. It grieved me. So I began a serious discussion with God on the matter. I sensed I should design a card describing who I was, which I could give to anybody I met other than for contacts who were strictly business. I asked God for a title.

Some weeks later as I continued chatting to God about the matter, I read a passage from 1 John, Chapter 4. It arrested me! I noticed a title. A Godly title. A title that said who we were as a family. As people looked at it, it begged a question as to its meaning and significance. The title was Friends. It was simple yet powerfully emotive. In a country with a huge work ethic and where money was a god, few real friendships existed. The card would make the impact I had prayed for

Not only did God give my family a title that encouraged the building of loving, caring relationships, and which honoured Jesus, but - little did we know at the time - it would become the overriding focus of a church we were yet to plant.

Years later, as we planted our first church in Somerset West, that title featured prominently. We knew we would call the church Friends … something or other. Eventually, with wise input from others, we decided on Friends Christian Fellowship. The use of this name forever set in motion our prophetic destiny, and began to influence everything we would do. Love became the priority.