Jubilee
Community Service in Cape Town

Jubilee is a vibrant church with a vision to make a difference in Cape Town, South Africa. His love and leadership is the reason and foundation of our church life together. We are a church made up of people from all kinds of different backgrounds, races, nations and ages who have discovered and accepted the transforming grace and kindness of Jesus Christ.

We meet together on Sundays and in small mid-week meetings in homes around the city. We aim to create the context for relationships across age, race and socio-economic boundaries. Since the birth of the new South Africa in 1994, the country is often affectionately referred to as the Rainbow Nation in celebration of the rich diversity of cultures, languages and races that make up this nation. Over the centuries Cape Town has become a real melting pot of cultures, and Jubilee Community Church reflects and celebrates this diversity as a local church community. There was an awareness that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for today, and that we didn’t have to work in our own strength to preach the gospel when God has given us the power of His Holy Spirit to enable us to do this. People came from all walks of life to meet with God, and the group grew quickly, necessitating a move to the Aliwal Road Primary School hall in Wynberg towards the end of A stately old house, called Fairlawn, was acquired in Wynberg for the church offices, and this served also as a home for Graham Ingram, the lead elder of the church during the first eight years. It was not always an easy road to tread in a deeply polarised society. Among other things, members of the church participated in various projects (such as housing, carpet-weaving, and health clinics) in some of Cape Town’s informal settlements, as well as preaching the gospel and building relationships. Eventually the authorities allocated land for this purpose and the present Tambo Village began to take shape. Transport was provided for members of that community to join the church at Sunday meetings, and this led later to the planting of Khanyisa church in Gugulethu. In 1990 Simon Pettit was invited to become lead elder, and Simon and Lindsey and their three children immigrated from the United Kingdom. This marked a significant milestone in the growing relationship with the Newfrontiers family of churches, since the Pettits had been leading a related church in Uckfield, East Sussex. They had a close friendship with Terry Virgo, who provided leadership for the Newfrontiers family of churches, and Terry had already since 1984 been a regular visitor to the Vineyard Fellowship in Cape Town, preaching and giving leadership input on his annual visits. The church increasingly recognized how highly it valued Terry’s input, and there was a growing sense of being on a mission together with Newfrontiers churches on various continents. During the 1990s Simon Pettit began to play a key role in growing the network of Newfrontiers churches in West and East Africa, as well as in Southern Africa. This was part of an increasing desire to be more involved with communities on the Cape Flats. This building was totally refurbished over a period of 18 months as Jubilee Centre, with ample facilities for Sunday meetings, children’s ministries, social projects, offices, and later even a health centre to serve the wider community. In fact, the property provided ample scope for further expansion. As Simon Pettit devoted increasing attention to the wider extension work of Newfrontiers both nationally and internationally, he was travelling fairly extensively. As a local church we have sought to build good relationships with other churches in Cape Town and willingly acknowledge that we are but part of God’s church in this city. These have included our link with the Newfrontiers family of churches, with churches in many countries on five continents. More recently we have helped establish Advance, partnering with churches and leaders to further the spread of the Gospel across South Africa and beyond. The glory goes to Him for all that has been accomplished!