Melt and Anida have been married for 36 years, and have five children, two sons in law and a three-year-old grandson.
They moved to Yellowknife from Cape Town, South Africa in November 2018 to pastor Yellowknife Vineyard Church. In 2024 Melt accepted a call to New Joy Vineyard in BC, and pastored both Yellowknife and New Joy churches that year, moving 2600km’s between the two. In March of 2025, once the leadership transition at YKVC was completed, Melt and Anida were able to relocate fully to Surrey BC.
Melt served as the RTL for the Prairies and Northern Region for AVC CA from 2020-2023, before laying that down in order to facilitate the transition from Yellowknife to New Joy in 2024. He currently serves on the NLT and the succession team tasked with seeking an incoming ND.
Both Melt and Anida were raised in Cape Town and had a radical conversion in their mid-twenties. Melt served in AVC SA from 2007-2018, pastoring the City Vineyard and then Kenilworth Vineyard churches. Prior to 2007 Melt had pastored a New Wine Anglican church. Anida is a chef, product developer and food lecturer / consultant by training. In Canada, Anida has worked as the Food Arts and Culinary teacher at St. Patrick’s RC school in Yellowknife and as a substitute teacher in various other schools.
Melt has served stints as principle of the Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa and as Director of the NGO Development Associates International prior to accepting the call to YKVC. He has an MTh in Systematic Theology and Mission from Stellenbosch University, SA and a DMin from Fuller Seminary, Pasadena. His Doctoral Project was on Sustainable Succession and Transition for AVC Canada.
Melt’s desire for church is to teach and embody grace and to build diverse ‘beloved communities’ as a local church. Yellowknife is a remarkably diverse city, and the church has at times reflected that diversity with up to 30 nationalities represented in a family sized congregation.
New Joy is a Church with around 10 nationalities present in a small church of 100 people. New Joy has moved from a fairly rigid and performance driven foundation to embracing Vineyard values and DNA. Melt and Anida’s desire is to continue to facilitate the freedom and joy that comes with being released by the Holy Spirit from rigid box ticking spirituality. Anida’s gift of hospitality comes alive when around creating recipes, food and serving people.
