The Baptist Recorder Same Denominational Association Each Church Has Its Steps Should Be Taken
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Number 114 July 2011 TheThe BaptistBaptist RecorderRecorder The Journal of the Baptist Historical Society of New South Wales Next meeting: AGM and Constitution discussion. TALENT & TREASURE A STORY TO CELEBRATE Speaker: Barbara Coe will help us fill in THE CENTENARY OF some blanks on Early EASTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH Sydney Baptist Roger F. Peffer & Rev Stephen J. Cooper Churches now van- ished. During 2010 the Eastwood full set of church minutes to- Baptist Church celebrated gether with the first financial events that happened one hun- records and these, together When: dred years ago – specifically, with assistance from the archi- Thursday 4 August, the first Baptist services of vist for the Baptist Historical 2011 worship in Eastwood and the Society of NSW has enabled a formation of the Eastwood comprehensive picture to be Where: Baptist Church. created as to how the church Faculty Lounge, came into existence. Tonight, Morling College, The first event took place on we want to give you an insight 120 Herring Rd, May 15, 1910 and the second into this area. Macquarie Park on 20 September 1910. Additionally, what is it that Time: makes every Baptist church 7.30-9.00 pm What led to the first service? somewhat different from every Who was involved? other Baptist church? Re- Why was the then semi-rural gardless of whether they fol- IN THIS EDITION district of Eastwood selected? low the same pattern of wor- Eastwood Centenary ship, hold the same general tenets of faith or belong to the AGM Agenda Fortunately, the church has a Proposed Constitution of the In this paper we use the word ‘centenary’ as meaning - Society (a.) Relating to, or consisting of, a hundred. (a.) Occurring once in every hundred years; centennial. (n.) A commemoration or celebration of an event which occurred a hundred Society Accounts years before. Coming Events The Treasurer Membership Fees: Due before Baptist Historical Society of NSW SUBSCRIPTION Forward your Ordinary $20 AGM in May remittance to: 31 Oakleigh Avenue, Thornleigh, Concession $15 RENEWALS each year NSW 2120 Churches/Institutions $25 Page 2 The Baptist Recorder same denominational association each church has its steps should be taken. own individual attributes. We endeavour to give some answers to this question “Approach was made to the Home Mission Com- – in other words discover the DNA for Eastwood mittee when the Parramatta church suggested start- Baptist Church ing at Eastwood as a branch of Parramatta. This In endeavoring to give some answers to this question did not meet with approval in view of the increas- we liken it to DNA molecules - the main role of ing importance of Eastwood; it was thought better which is the long term storage of information. Of- that Eastwood should become a centre radiating to ten compared to a set of blueprints or a recipe, we Dundas, Marsfield, Epping and Ryde. A further will try to unravel the DNA for Eastwood Baptist meeting was held in Mr Ruggles‟ house attended Church. by the Revs. A.J. Waldock, C J Tinsley, J Worboys What is DNA? and others. More meetings followed and the Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, is an acid that con- Home Mission Committee decided upon starting a tains the genetic instructions used in the develop- Baptist cause at Eastwood.” ment and functioning of all known living organisms The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term George Ruggles, a commercial traveller, and his storage of information. DNA is often compared to a wife settled into a home in Clanalpine Street – co- set of blueprints, since it contains the instructions incidentally the same street as the church‟s manse. needed to construct other components of cells, such The whereabouts of this property are not known as proteins and molecules. The DNA segments that because street numbers were not in common usage carry this genetic information are called genes, but until the 1920‟s, but from the age of housing it is other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or considered likely that the property was situated be- are involved in regulating the use of this genetic in- tween Trelawney Street and Shaftsbury Road. formation.1 BEGINNINGS - A DENOMINATIONAL Our story begins with the Rev G H Morling who, in CHURCH PLANT the 1950‟s, compiled the comments of Rev. A.J. Waldock about the commencement of various NSW Minutes of the Baptist Union‟s Home Mission churches. About Eastwood he wrote: Committee give some insight into how the work at Eastwood began. “The main northern railway line crosses the Par- ramatta River at a distance of eleven miles from Syd- Early in 1910 it was reported to the Committee by ney, and at once the land begins to rise until at Rev C J Tinsley that the (extension) sub-committee Hornsby it is 600 feet above sea level. Business had motored around the Eastwood district. (This in men who desired an elevated position for a residence an era when motoring would have been very rare!) find the numerous suburbs healthy and beautiful. The Committee recommended that the Dundas Eastwood is thirteen miles from Sydney and is 223 property should be purchased for £275 providing ft. above sea-level. the local Baptists would shoulder the bulk of re- sponsibility and that Marsfield, Dundas and East- “In January 1908, Mr & Mrs G W Ruggles settled at wood should be grouped and a man placed in Eastwood. They were fresh from the warm, full-tide charge. At that same meeting the Committee was life of the Stanmore Church and felt their deprivation re-appointed with the addition of the Superinten- sorely. About two miles distant, at Dundas, was a dent (Rev A J Waldock), Mr Doney and Mr Rug- small Baptist church where Sunday afternoon ser- gles and report to a later meeting. vices were then being conducted by the Rev J Wor- boys of Parramatta. Upon the accession of other At the next meeting of the Home Mission Commit- Baptists to Eastwood amid the increasing population, tee the Rev. C J Tinsley again reported on behalf of the opportunity for aggressive Christian work be- the committee and the following resolutions were came pressing and a meeting of resident Baptists was carried (moved by C J Tinsley) held in the home of Mr Ruggles to consider what Number 114 Page 3 July 2011 That the Committee agrees to com- Mission Committee referred this back to the sub- mence work at Eastwood and to committee with power to act form a Home Mission Station com- prising Eastwood, Dundas and Mars- We know that services commenced at Eastwood on field and ultimately Ryde, the whole May 15 1910 – Pentecost Sunday in that year, a to come under the charge of the HM most appropriate day for the birth of a church. Committee on the usual terms. There were 9 present at the morning service and 11 That the Committee approves the pur- in the evening with the offerings for the day being chase of the Dundas property at a 13/10d, Rev A J Waldock being the preacher. cost of £275 and agrees to pay the sum of £10 per annum towards the From the June Minutes of the Home Mission we annual instalments. read as follows: "In submitting his report on East- That Mr Foucar be asked to supply the wood and Dundas the Superintendent stated that it work for a period of six months at a was his own and not the sub-committee‟s. salary of £6.10.0 per month He felt that an opportunity for developing a flour- That the foregoing resolutions be contin- ishing cause at Eastwood presented itself while at gent upon the purchase of the Dun- Dundas things were not nearly as promising. Mr das property and that the matter be Spurway had withdrawn the property from sale, referred back to the sub-committee while the rent asked was 6/6 per week which, with to make the necessary financial ar- local expenses, would bring the weekly liabilities rangements. up to about 9/-, which was considered excessive, seeing that the average income for the last two years only amounted to 5/- per week. The Superin- tendent could not therefore recommend the taking Thought to be Louis Ferdinand over of Dundas and advised all attention being Foucar given to Eastwood, recommending that Mr Foucar Pastor, May-December 1910 be appointed for six months and also be asked to further supply for the month of June. It was re- solved that the report be adopted and the Parramatta Church advised to keep on as hitherto with Dundas” [It should be noted that the Parramatta Church had the oversight of the work at Dundas. Mr James Spurway lived in the house on the corner of Rutledge Street and Marsden Road, and owned the site on which the Dundas Baptist chapel was built in 1894 at a cost of £190]. On May 4 1910 the Home Mission reported that a letter had been received from Mr Foucar agreeing At the same meeting the matter of purchase of a to take charge of the Eastwood work under certain site at Eastwood was discussed and we read that “a conditions – unfortunately we do not know what letter was received from Mr Doney regarding his those conditions were. offer of land in which he reminded the Committee of the conditions of his offer and that unless these However, the Superintendent stated in relation to were observed by 18 June the land would be finally the purchase of the Dundas property that no Union withdrawn”. It was stated that one reason for the funds were available from which to borrow the delay in accepting the land was that the local people money needed, but that a solicitor in Parramatta thought it was in an unsuitable position.