Church says farewell to the Crootes

  
  The Croote family (Alex, Esther, Katia, Mikal, Luka, Iman and Taya) departed South Africa on 22 May to embark on a new adventure in Australia. Alex and Esther moved to Port Elizabeth from Pretoria in 1997, and before long were leading the church as volunteers until full time leaders were appointed.

They are relationship people and soon established strong family principles on which to ground the fellowship. They have been seen as the father and mother of the church for years, helping many to grow in their relationships with God and other people.

A highlight at the church farewell function for the Crootes was a “ceremony” to bless each of them with an African name describing their characters. Photos from that evening can be viewed here, and their African names given them can be seen here.

The Croote family will be missed by their brothers and sisters in Port Elizabeth, but we know that God will use them to minister to the people of Perth.

The sentiments expressed by Amanda van der Westhuizen in this letter about the Croote family are shared by many of our members.