From The Australian Christian Commonwealth – July 21, 1916… A poem from the Rev. O. Lake (seemingly inspired by Acts 26:12-13 and his own conversion) “To my distracted life there came a calm Like that upon the sea at Christ’s rebuke; I seemed to breathe the sunshine, all the world Was changed to share the rapturous […]
14Jul
Looking Back… 100 years ago
July 14, 2016 by
From The Australian Christian Commonwealth – July 14, 1916… A report from the Conference Executive on Evangelism “The Conference Executive, at is meeting on Friday evening last, decided upon an AUGUST EVANGELISTIC MISSION, along the following lines :- (1) That during the month of August all our Sunday evening services be made distinctly Gospel services, […]
07Jul
Looking back – 100 years ago
July 7, 2016 by
From The Australian Christian Commonwealth – July 7, 1916… Letters from the Front “Smith Street in Egypt.” by Chaplain Rev. T. C. Rentoul Captain Gault and I are in neighbouring training battalions in this great canvas city. We unite as far as possible in our work, and our combined efforts are being blessed. In order […]
29Jun
Looking Back – 100 years ago
June 29, 2016 by
From The Australian Christian Commonwealth – front page, June 30 1916… (so the language is not what we would use today) “The Bible leads its student into God’s great out-of-doors. It enables him to find the symbols of spiritual truths in things material. The works of God and the word of god are interpretative of […]
16Mar
History writing workshop
March 16, 2016 by
Sunday, 10 April 2016, 2 to 4.30 pm at Church of The Trinity 318 Goodwood Road, Clarence Park (car parking on site) This interactive workshop is designed for all those contemplating or already working on recording the history of their local church or other organisation. If you don’t know where to start, have questions about […]
25Mar
INCORPORATION : A USEFUL STRATEGY
March 25, 2014 by
INTRODUCTION South Australia led the nation in enacting an Associations Incorporation Act which enabled not-for-profit organisations to gain the benefits of becoming a ‘body corporate” with the liability of the members of the Board being limited to the assets held by the organization. Prior to that time the options available to charitable, religious and educational bodies […]
25Mar
ST ANDREW’S UNITING CHURCH, STRATHALBYN
March 25, 2014 by
Most of the first European settlers who arrived in Strathalbyn in 1840 were very staunch Scottish Presbyterians. For several years they held worship services in private homes but – despite the demands of building houses, clearing land, putting up fences, etc. – they determined to erect a church. In 1844 the first church-school, claimed to […]
19Mar
The Honourable William Parkin (1801-1889) – A Congregational Benefactor
March 19, 2014 by
William Parkin William Parkin established the Parkin Trust in 1872 and the Parkin Congregational Mission of South Australia in 1882. Parkin was born at Glastonbury, Somerset, England on 24th August 1801. By the early 1830s he had settled at Plympton on the outskirts of Plymouth, Devon and on 16th May 1832 married Sarah Mary Carill. […]
19Mar
A prophet of Federation
March 19, 2014 by
In 1898 the people of the six separate Australian colonies voted to establish a federated ‘Commonwealth of Australia’ whose centenary we celebrate this year. In the campaign preceding that vote, the South Australian Council of Churches petitioned its member churches actively promoting a ‘yes’ vote. The letter bearing that recommendation was drafted by a Congregational […]
19Mar
Almost a Pilgrimage
March 19, 2014 by
A Visit to some of the early sites of Methodism on the Gawler Plains. On September 1, 2001, I joined 40 other people who had braved inclement weather to visit some of S.A. Methodism’s historic sites on the Gawler Plains (the tract of land between the Little Para and Gawler rivers). Burton Cemetery Burton Church […]