Bernhard Böhmer, Pretoria
Roland Christoph Johannes was born on 4 December 1979 as the first child of Christoph and Edeltraut Johannes in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The family initially lived in Wartburg, where he was baptised by Pastor Peter Ahlers on 16 December 1979 in the Congregation of Christ, Kirchdorf.
Sacred choral music recordings, daily devotions accompanied by hymns, weekly liturgical divine and teaching services, the annual FELSISA Brass and Song festivals and the choir weeks of the South African Heinrich Schütz Society provided a formative environment. As offspring of a family committed to both missionary work and church music, the history of the church and mission, current church politics, the church music scene and, stated simply, the matters of the church in all aspects were to remain close to his heart throughout his life.
His artistic talent was already evident in early childhood; he loved to make pencil sketches of churches, bells, altars, crucifixes and organs, which were also later to remain important to him. One of his favourite pastimes as a child was playing ‘church’. He enlisted siblings, relatives, friends and teddy bears to provide the necessary congregation. As the oldest in the group, he enjoyed taking for himself the privilege of being bell ringer, organist and pastor in one person, which the younger ones had to be content with.
Owing to his father changing jobs, Roland initially spent about four years in Matatiele, a town close to the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, with his parents and sister Brigitte, three years his junior. During this time his brother Rainer was born. Roland received piano lessons and accompanied his class in their singing in his second year of school. As his piano teacher was also an organist, she introduced him to playing the organ.
At the age of 8, the family moved to Vryheid for 3 years. Roland’s love of music grew, especially his interest in playing the organ. He soon began to accompany the church services of the Vryheid congregation on the organ.
In 1991 Roland returned to his old home in Wartburg, where he spent the rest of his school years. He served with dedication as a valued organist in Kirchdorf. He was confirmed by Pastor Siegfried Köhne on 24 October 1993, receiving John 8:31-32 as his confirmation verse: ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’
In addition to instrumental music, Roland was also an enthusiastic singer and he joined the inter-regional KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir. This choir also performed internationally and brought Roland into contact with the European music scene. These experiences were to have a profound impact on him, further developing his singing skills.
After completing school he left home and began studying law at the University of Pretoria in 1998, electing, however, to study theology instead two years later. He was involved in the youth group at St Paul’s Arcadia, actively encouraging other young people, although at times his commitment also caused him emotional strain. As an enthusiastic sports fan he was particularly passionate about rugby and cricket, which offered some a certain degree of compensation. He served on the youth committee as a spiritual leader in 2000 and 2001 and planned the weekly youth Bible studies with Pastor Matthias Albers. His musical skills continued to blossom via organ lessons and he served as organist at St Paul’s. As a singer, he took part in the congregation’s choir, the Ars Nova chamber choir and the annual choir weeks organised by the South African Heinrich Schütz Society, for which he was able to inspire and win over many others from the youth group. Indeed, he succeeded in fostering a lifelong love of sacred baroque music in many of the people whose lived he touched.
After his undergraduate studies at the University of Pretoria, Roland Johannes went to Germany to continue his theological studies in Oberursel and Tübingen. Germany offered him a wide range of musical opportunities, from the brass band of the St John’s congregation in Oberursel (SELK) to the Vocalensemble Rastatt, which he particularly appreciated, and other top choirs in the country, in which he participated both as a singer and as a continuo player on the positive organ. In 2010 he was responsible for the overall direction of the SELK Southern District’s Brass Festival.
He met Anna-Theresa Bartelt in Oberursel and they married on 17 September 2010. They were blessed with four children: Noah (2011), Lea (2014), Ruben (2020) and Simeon (2022), who continued to bring him much joy and to whom he devoted himself lovingly.
He successfully completed his theological studies in 2013, after which the family moved to South Africa. After completing his vicariate in the Peter-Pauls congregation in Lüneburg, he was ordained there on 29 November 2014. This was followed by a call to the Our Saviour congregation in Wartburg. He proved to be a faithful pastor, providing active care and support not only to his congregational members, but also to many people beyond. Conscientiously he carried out his ministry in accordance with the Lutheran Confessions. His fellow pastors also appreciated his commitment at synodical level.
As an experienced organ advisor, he was committed to renewing the ageing organs, mostly with electric action, in several FELSISA congregations and beyond. In collaboration with organ builder Jan Elsenaar these were replaced by organs with mechanical action, either as newly-built organs or as conversions of existing, high-quality organs. The correct disposition of the organs, which, as advisor, he helped to determine, was always important to him.
In 2019, the family returned to Germany from South Africa. Pastor Johannes moved from the FELSISA to the SELK and was seconded by the church council to the vacant second pastoral position of the Martini congregation in Radevormwald. After completing the probationary period, he accepted the congregation’s call. He was installed on 19 September 2021 and served as scripturally-bound pastor and counsellor according to the Lutheran Confessions. Here, too, he promoted church music and was co-organiser of top-class performances in the ‘Music at Martini’ series, in which he also took part.
After the first pastor of the Martini congregation accepted another call in mid-2023, full responsibility for the pastoral care of the large congregation fell onto Pastor Johannes. There was no prospect that the second pastoral position would be filled anytime soon. Conflicting theological views between the congregation and himself became apparent, which, as pastor, weighed heavily on him. The situation was aggravated by the continuing theological conflict on church level surrounding certain teachings in the SELK. At the same time he was troubled by other cares and worries, and he hoped for a transfer. Pastor Johannes spiralled into an ever deeper depression, which he courageously attempted to resist. He kept his conflicts to himself, though, in way that hardly anyone was aware of the precarious nature of his inner distress. As a result of the persistent bouts of depression, he ended his earthly life tragically on 21 October 2024 at the age of 44.
A large mourning service was held on 29 October in the church of the Martini congregation in Radevormwald with people from far and wide expressing their condolences. In a service on 9 November 2024 the urn was brought to its rest in the cemetery of the Peter-Pauls Congregation, Lüneburg, in his home country of South Africa.
He is dearly missed by his wife Anna, his four children, his parents, his siblings and their families, and many friends, relatives and acquaintances all over the world, on whom he had a profound effect through his life and nature over the years. We thank our heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for his life and his great service to the communion of saints. May he rest in the peace of the children of God until the resurrection of the dead on the Last Day, and may the eternal light shine upon him.
Anna and the children are currently still living in the parsonage in Radevormwald due to a rental agreement. However, they will soon have to find a new home. A well-located house is already available, but it first needs to be extensively renovated. As it is unfortunately very expensive, every donation is really appreciated.
