First ICEJ SA National Director and Chaplain for ICEJ in Jerusalem, who passed away on 24 Dec 2020

Faan’s Memorial Service. SUNDAY 24th JANUARY, 15h00. Please email office@icej.org.za if you would like the Zoom link

We mourn the passing of Faans Klopper last week on Thursday morning (24th December).

Stefanus Klopper was born in Diep River on 3 January 1925 to an Afrikaans-speaking family who were devout followers of the Lord. He sadly lost his dad at around age 3 and not long afterwards got very sick with whooping cough, which was compounded by a bad case of croup. The doctor told his mom that he would not survive the night. His mother knelt beside him and prayed “Lord not my will, but may Your will be done. If You are taking him, here he is, I hand him over”. The Lord heard her prayer and healed Faans and he woke up completely well the next morning.

His mother was very hospitable and hosted many Christian visitors at their home, including Mr Smith Wigglesworth, who ministered in Cape Town in 1937. Faans, age 12, had another bad bout of tonsilitis at the time and his mother asked Mr Wigglesworth to pray for him after supper. He remembers being instantly healed and never suffering from tonsilitis ever again!

He was a highly regarded structural steel engineer and designed various structures and church buildings. He would later use his creativity to paint pictures, especially in his later years.

Faans was initially part of the Apostoliese Geloof Sending (AFM) of the 1950s and married Elizabeth in 1952, a member of the congregation. They had four children, Andrew, Margaret, Rosemary and Janet and later 6 grandchildren.

They joined the Protestant Pentecostal Church (PPC) after they had broken away from the AFM and then went on to join the Harfield Road Assemblies of God church in Kenilworth where he served as an elder under John Bond during the 70s. Many AOG congregations were planted out from there, including the Constantia AOG which Faans assisted Pastor John Bond in establishing and the Meadowridge AOG which Faans pastored for a number of years. In 1976 they moved to Pretoria and pastored the Park Street AOG in Sunnyside till 1980. He was a passionate preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was involved in various ministries such as prison and student ministry.

Faans and Elizabeth took their first tour to Israel in 1971 and these continued till 1990.

South Africans played a significant role in the establishment of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem in 1980 and Faans was asked to represent the ICEJ in South Africa. He resigned from the AOG Church in Pretoria in order to focus on this work for Israel, which was so close to his heart. In 1990 Faans joined the ICEJ head office in Jerusalem as their Chaplain. A position he held for four and a half years.

Faans serving communion at one of the earlier ICEJ Feast of Tabernacle Celebrations in Jerusalem.

He worked together with key people in the Christian Zionist movement in the early days such as Basil Jacobs, a true pioneer in Biblical Zionism, who was also based in Cape Town, as well as Malcolm Hedding. (who took on the chairmanship of Christian Action for Israel after Basil’s untimely death in 1991 as well as the leadership of the ICEJ in Jerusalem after Johan Luckhoff retired, in 2001).

In 1997 a stroke left his beloved wife Elizabeth paralysed down her right side. He lovingly cared for her for 13 years until her death in 2012.

He continued to be closely involved with the South African branch of the ICEJ for many years and remained a strong prayer warrior and teacher of the Word of God until his death last Thursday morning from heart failure at age 95, just 10 days short of his 96th birthday. His last words were “Lord, Your will be done.”

He will be missed by the many who have been impacted by his life journey of deep faith and love for His Saviour. He was faithful to the very end of his long fruitful life in completing the task and calling that His Lord and Master had called him to do!    

Much blessings,

Vivienne Myburgh
National Director of the South African Branch
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
P.O. Box 1192 | Jerusalem, Israel 9101002
T: +27 21 879 1788 | C: +27 83 306 0009 | www.icej.org.za