Kuruman Moffat Mission Library

The Moffat Mission was founded by the London Missionary Society in 1816 at Kuruman, and it moved to its present site in the early 1820’s with the arrival of Robert and Mary Moffat.  As the first project, Robert Moffat led the building of a school room (the first in the interior of South Africa).  The Mission became famous for its educational work among the Baswana people, for its impressive stone and thatch church, for the translation of the Bible into Setswana and for the actual printing of the Bible and other educational material later. Today, the Spirit of God continues to renew and uplift people in varied ways – educational ministries, community outreach, ecumenical endeavors, and hosting of worship services. 

In the 1980’s, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, a strong Global Ministries partner in many areas of ministry, approached the Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches of South Africa to participate in an ecumenical venture, and today’s Kuruman Moffat Mission was born.  The historical sites receive many visitors and the Mission’s work includes a theological seminary, leadership training courses, a library, and a resource center.  It is a center of gathering and reflection for church and community, a space of dialogue during problematic times, and a witness to ecumenical commitment and ministry which now spans three centuries.

The library is both a place where the theological students from the Kuruman House of Ministerial Formation study and do research, as well as an archive and resource center for Kuruman and surrounding communities. Oftentimes, students from nearby primary and secondary schools come to do research and discover more about their heritage. For example, two high school students came to learn more about who were those individuals responsible for the translating the Bible into Setswana, one of the major languages spoken in South Africa.

It is hoped that in the future the library might have adequate computers, so that people from the community as well as students might be better able to access resource material (particularly electronic resource material- e-books, journals, public records, etc.). With electronic resources being relatively inexpensive and easily accessible, computers become one of the most cost effective ways of expanding the library for the benefit of the community.

The library has particular limitations in its collections of books relating to the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures, Pastoral Counseling, Practical Theology and contemporary theological books. There is also a shortage of books in the official languages of South Africa – with the exception of English.

• Text books for students preparing for ministry including a study Bible and a copy of the Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms – $85 per student
• Filing Cabinet for the library to facilitate research for students and community members -$210
• Two Computers for the library for the use of students and community members. Each computer costs $800 and a printer is also needed at a cost of $200
• Additional funds are also needed to help expand both the theological library as well as books on issues facing the community.