Baptist
Heritage Commission
Heritage Program at the BWA Congress
Jan 5-9, 2000 Melbourne Australia
The Origins of Baptists in
Australia
Baptists in the Australian
Capital Territory
(Canberra)
There are now several Baptist
churches in Canberra, but the first was a joint effort by Baptists throughout
the country at the time when the Territory and the National Capital were being
established. It is called “Canberra Baptist Church” For a full account of its
history and development, see its web
site. The current senior minister is Dr Thorwald Lorenzen, formerly of the
Baptist Seminary Rushlikon and chair of the BWA Human Rights Commission.
Another interesting church is the
Baptist National War Memorial Chapel, Dickson Centre, Canberra. This unusual
building was opened in 1964. (photo - hope we can get one!)
DICKSON
CENTRE -
A.C.T.
Brief facts about the building in
which our Church meets and the beginning of the Baptist Memorial Church
The Baptist Memorial Church
at Dickson began as a fellowship on 1 July 1961 in a sewing room at the North
Ainslie Primary School where already a Sunday School had commenced in March
1961.
The Rev Allen Brooke, C.B.E.,
was the first minister, leading an enthusiastic group with plans to build on a
site allocated in Ainslie. The Rev Allen Brooke was at the time the Chaplain
General to the Australian Military Forces. On 15 October 1961 the Ainslie
Baptist Church was founded with eighteen members.
When the plans were brought
before the National Capital Development Commission, officials considered the
style and scale of the building deserved a bigger and more central site than
the one originally allocated.
The members of the Ainslie
Baptist Church agreed to the change of location to the Dickson Centre in
December 1963. It was also agreed that the Church would be known as the Baptist
Memorial Church, taking part of its name from a Book of Remembrance situated in
a casket in the entrance of the Church. This book contains the names of 6,000
Australian Baptists who served their country in the Armed services dating back
to the Sudan Campaign.
The Building was commenced
in April 1964 and, on 28 November 1964, was opened and dedicated by the then President
of the Baptist Union of Australia, the Rev G H Morling, O.B.E., M.A.
Other features of interest
are an International Plaque unveiled on 20 October 1963 linking Canberra
Baptists with their 26 million fellows throughout the world.
A 2.74m x 2.13m Bas-Relief
on the Baptistry wall depicts ‘The Last Supper” with traditional symbols from
early Christianity. This Bas-Relief and the hand written Book of Remembrance
were the work of June Feltham, B.E.M., at the time an artist at Army
Headquarters. The book alone took 600 hours to complete.
The cross above the
Baptistry was incorporated in the present building as a link with the original
building.
The coloured glass windows are
modelled on the windows in Coventry Cathedral, England. The colours depict the
ages of man, commencing with the delicate pinks and blues for babies and
childhood, moving through greens for youth, on to the purples and blue and
finally the gold and yellow for old age.
In 1967 the Rev. Allen
Brooke became ill and from 1968 could not continue his ministry. He died on 25
September, 1968.
From February 1968 until
the Rev L Gower became the second minister of this Church on 1 March, 1970, the
pastoral work was shared by the Canberra Baptist Ministers and several interim
pastors from interstate. Since then the Church has been served by;
Rev L Gower 1970 - 1976
Rev R Henson 1977-1984
Rev L Thow 1985 -
(pamphlet published by the church)