MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Kingsgate operates under the covering of the United Apostolic Faith Church or UAFC.  This movement was birthed in Great Britain in 1926 with its headquarters in London.  From there Pastor James Brooke came to South Africa in 1938 to take up where his father had started in 1922.  To date the work of the UAFC is growing in 17 countries in Sub-Sahara Africa.

In October 1973 the Executive Council of the UAFC decided to send Arthur Henry Vos to Somerset West with the intention of planting a UAFC church there.  Arthur arrived in the Cape with a song and a dream in his heart.  As a teen in Vereeniging the song ‘Sammy going South’ became a hit and it had a great impact on him. From that time on, he would often walk down the long driveway of his home and gaze south, while singing the song. He began feeling the tug of moving south and dreaming about it.

Pastor Leonard Brooke, who was the UAFC General Overseer at the time, had accompanied Arthur there.  As plans for a church in Somerset West fell through, Arthur was faced with the opportunity to plant a church in Cape Town.  With ‘Sammy going South’ and a sense of destiny, they went to Cape Town to look for what opportunity the Lord would open for them.

With much prayer and seeking God’s will, they came across the Milnerton Girl Guide Hall and decided to plant there, as there was no Pentecostal church in Milnerton at the time. And right there, Milnerton Pentecostal Services came into being.  The church grew rapidly as did the UAFC,  both with new converts and other small churches seeking affiliation. Seven new congregations were planted in the first seven years.

In July 1981 Arthur married Lesley Linden, who had been the first person he baptized as well as one of the first members in Milnerton. They had two daughters, Luanne and Ashleigh.  In 1987 Arthur was ordained as an Apostle in acknowledgement of his apostolic work among many of the UAFC congregations. At 39, he was the youngest Apostle and served on the church Executive Council for 35 years in that capacity.

By 1984 the Girl Guide Hall had become too small for the gatherings and the church relocated to the Tygerhof Primary School, where it gathered for eight years. In 1991 the decision was unanimously made to build in Table View, as a good portion of the cost had been saved over the years. Mr Nick Smit, a member, was the project co-ordinator. The church, which became known as Table View Pentecostal Fellowship was officially opened on 31st May 1992 by Pastor Leonard Brooke.

In 2002/2003 the Vos family lived in Gauteng for 18 months, while Arthur oversaw the English speaking churches. On their return in July 2003, the Lord clearly indicated the change of name to Kingsgate, which it is still called today.  Over the years the church has been through many seasons, including incredible revival. Arthur continued serving in his capacity as Senior Pastor and Apostle until his 50th anniversary in the full-time ministry, at which time his and Lesley’s retirement was wonderfully celebrated. Pastor Mark Clifford is now the Senior Pastor of Kingsgate, carrying on the legacy as the church continues to grow and prosper.