Baptist Union of Southern Africa 444887 225243277 2008-07-12T17:32:59Z Johnpacklambert 2308770 /* External links */ {{Expand|date=March 2007}} {{Unreferenced|date=April 2007}} {{Baptist}} The '''Baptist Union of Southern Africa (BUSA)''' is a union of [[Baptist]] churches from all [[South Africa]]n ethnic and cultural groups. Baptist families were among a group of some 4500 British emigrants that left [[England]] for South Africa in [[1820]]. Upon their arrival in South Africa, William Miller (1779-1856) was appointed their religious leader. It was through his founding work that the first Baptist chapel was built in [[Grahamstown, South Africa|Grahamstown]] in [[1823]]. The first ordained Baptist preacher to travel to South Africa was William Davies, who was sent by the Baptist Missionary Society in England. He arrived in [[1832]] and ministered in Grahamstown for a short period. Work in Kariega, about 16 miles from Grahamstown, began in [[1834]]. A German settlement around 1860 brought the first German Baptist work led by Carsten Langheim. A German pastor, Carl H. Gutsche, baptized J. D. Odendall, who founded the first Dutch-speaking Baptist church in South Africa in [[1886]]. The ''Baptist Union'' was founded in [[1877]] by four English-speaking churches and one German-speaking church. The ''South African Baptist Missionary Society'' was formed in [[1892]]. Black Baptist churches united to form the ''Bantu Baptist Church'' in [[1927]], under the auspices of the ''South African Baptist Missionary Society''. The organization of the BUSA is made up of seven regional associations: Border Baptist Association, Baptist Northern Association, Eastern Province Baptist Association, Free State Baptist Association, Natal Baptist Association, Northern Cape Baptist Association, and Western Province Baptist Association. The ''Baptist Union'' supports two educational institutions, the [[Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa|''Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa'']] (org. 1951) in Randburg, South Africa, and the ''Cape Town Baptist Seminary'' (org. 1974) in [[Cape Town, South Africa]]. A national assembly is held annually. Over 600 congregations currently (2004) fellowship in the ''Baptist Union''. ==Prominent South African Baptists== *[[Rev. Thomas Aitken]] *[[Mrs. Inez Ethel S. Arnot]] *[[Mr. A.T. Babbs]] *[[Rev. Louis (M.L.) Baier]] ==References== *Wardin, Albert W., Jr. ''Baptists Around the World''. ==External links== *[http://www.baptistunion.org.za Official Website] *[http://www.ctbs.org.za Cape Town Baptist Seminary] *[http://www.btc.co.za Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa] [[Category:Baptist denominations]] [[Category:Christianity in South Africa]] [[Category:Organisations based in South Africa]] [[Category:Christianity in Africa]] [[Category:Religious organizations established in 1877]]