A Portland minister, who joined the clergy in her 50s, is now hanging up her collar and retiring from more than 40 years of community work.
Debra Fransman, from the Calvyn Protestant Church of South Africa Mitchell’s Plain, in Portland, was born in Steenberg, and at the age of 18, she moved to Westridge where she worked as a teacher at Parkhurst Primary School.
After teaching the foundation phase for almost 20 years, she took a severance package and started up the Little Sunbeams for Jesus preschool in Colorado Park.
“While being a teacher, I saw a few gaps in the education system and wanted to help children overcome those hurdles and be prepared for reading and writing,” she says.
But after about seven years of running the preschool, she joined a seminary to become a minister while teaching at Meadowridge Primary School in Lentegeur to maintain and income.
“I had always wanted to do missionary work, but my dad was not in favour.”
She was the eldest of eight children, and the only girl, and the church was a key part of her life from a young age, she says. “I was always involved in the life of the church. I was born into the Calvynist Protestant Church in Retreat. It was where I was baptised as a baby and confirmed at age 16.”
In February 2011, at the age of 52, she was ordained to serve at the Calvynist Protestant Church in Portland.
Her role as a full-time minister has meant caring for the well-being of the congregation, administering church business and handling baptisms, holy communions, confirmations, weddings and funerals. It has also involved community work and being of service to parishioners and those in and around Mitchell’s Plain.
Reverend Fransman says that on trips to Philippi and surrounding areas to deliver food she would help the children there with their school work.
“Mitchell’s Plain has many challenges like unemployment, substance abuse, domestic violence, crime, poverty and senior citizens looking after children that are not theirs,” she says. “These challenges may bring you tears, but when you realise God is with you no matter what – you face the storm.
In retirement, she plans to join the parish as a parishioner and continue being of service.
“I have a passion to always work with women, young people and the elderly,” she says. “I’ve gained respect and loads of love and great support from this congregation and would like to give back and share in that joy when handing a child a bowl of food.”
She delivered her last service on Sunday September 1 – two-days after her 65th birthday. As from December, she will be living in De Goede Hoop, in Kraaifontein, but plans to return to Mitchell’s Plain for special occasions and whenever needed.
