A Special Kind of Service

Welcome to the prettiest church in Africa!

This weekend I went down to Kwa Zulu Natal to visit my d.i.l. Debbie and my three grandchildren. The men had gone to the Mighty Men’s Conference (you can read about MMC08 here); we women and children spent three days of quality time together in the Drakensberg area.

On Sunday morning we attended a worship service at their church. This takes place at a holiday resort in the Champagne Valley of the Drakensberg. The building in which we attend church doubles up as a venue for functions as well. It is situated on a tranquil dam surrounded with mountains.

The church view with the majestic Drakensberg mountains rising up behind it

As we sat and waited for the service to begin, I noticed that many school boys were walking across the bridge to church . This is quite normal as the Drakensberg Boys Choir school boys often attend these services albeit only a few at a time. In order to clarify let me explain what the Drakensberg Boys Choir is.

The Drakensberg Boys’ Choir, South Africa’s singing Ambassadors, have a school set on a 100 acre estate in the central Drakensberg, was founded in 1967 and claims to be the only choir school in Africa. It is most beloved in South Africa and indeed the world.

The church is accessed by crossing the dam on a long wooden bridge

Since 1971 the Drakensberg Boys Choir has toured extensively, establishing an enviable reputation before audiences as far afield as the United States, Europe, Israel, Egypt and the Far East, and winning acclaim as the most outstanding group at World choir festivals.

The choir received a special award at Disney's Magic Kingdom in recognition of the pleasure they bought to American audiences, and at the request of the Vatican, sang at a Papal audience in the presence of 25 000 people.

The church has it own resident Speckled Pigeon

The boys’ choir had as its original vision to create a multi-racial, multi-cultural choir school to rival that of the Vienna Boys’, and that they have achieved. This possibly has much to do with the fresh mountain air the boys breathe based in the beautiful Champagne valley of the Drakensberg, and the enviable teacher-student ratio in a school that accommodates little over 100 boys. The boys are all aged between 9 and 15 and from various cultural backgrounds.

The mission of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School is to prepare boys for life and leadership through excellence in music, academics, sport and social enrichment in a Christian environment.

The view from inside the church

At the start of Sunday's service, the Drakensberg Boys Choir rendered a beautiful prayer in Zulu (one of the eleven official languages in South Africa). Next the worship leader led the congregation in worship. I, who love music and serve on the worship team in my own church, delighted in the different voices around me.

After the pastor had welcomed us to the prettiest church in Africa, he delivered a powerful message on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s no use knowing all the right things to do and say as a Christian if your relationship with the Saviour is lukewarm or non-existent. None of this has to do with what church you belong to; this service contained people from every nominal church in South Africa. The main thing is to draw close to Jesus and you will begin to walk in obedience to, and victory with Him.

A church elder ministers to the new converts after the service

The Drakensberg Boys' Choir singing a Zulu prayer

When the pastor made an altar call asking if there was anybody would like to commit their lives to the Lord, the whole school stood up and went forward. What an amazing sight. To see young men making the most important decision of their lives while they’re still fresh and unsullied brought a lump to my throat. I rejoice when I see young people choosing to serve God and I rejoice that it is so many LESS for Satan. Amen!

If you're ever in South Africa and in the Drakensberg area, be sure to visit the Drakensberg Boys' Choir. For further information click here


Note: I downloaded the last two photos from the Drakensberg Boys' Choir website.


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