Rev Paul Rode

The Rev Paul Rode, minister of the Porter Street Baptist Church, East London, for 30 years (1904 – 1934) passed on to higher service on 18th July 1948.

Paul Rode was born in 1866 in Schleswig, North Germany, as the son of Pastor Christoph Rode, one of the pioneer Baptist ministers in Germany. In his early twenties he felt the call to go into full-time service, and in 1891 proceeded to the Baptist Ministerial Training School at Hamburg Horn. After he had completed his studies in 1895 he accepted the call of the Church at Leipzig. During his time at Leipzig he married the daughter of his former professor at Hamburg. Agnes Fetzer, his young wife, became his true helpmeet and stood loyally at his side in all troubles and difficulties but also in all joys and blessings.

He came to South Africa in 1904 and pastored the Porter Street Baptist Church at East London, where the congregation flourished and became a centre of Christian thought and activity.

Pastor Rode was a teacher and his sermons had an outstanding lesson that was made plain and driven home, not only by explanation but also by illustration. He had a great fund of anecdotes to illustrate his reaching. His sermons however, all had one central theme and that was Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Paul Rode retired in 1934 but occasionally preached at Keiskammahoek and in the Bethany Church (King Williams Town) and at Berlin.

Written by: Syd Hudson-Reed