Ballarat Central, VIC - Ebenezer St John's Presbyterian
Year Built: 1857
Denomination: Presbyterian
Saint: John
Address: 212 Armstrong Street, Ballarat Central, Victoria, 3350
Architect: Henry Richard Caselli
Traditional Owners: Wadawurrung, Dja Dja & Wurrung People
Last Updated: 28/07/2024
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History and Architecture:
The Ebenezer Presbyterian Church was born out of the early missionary work of the Presbyterian Church in the gold rush that followed the first “Gold Find” in 1851. On Sunday 16th February 1857, Rev James Ballantyne of the United Presbyterian Church conducted a temperance mission in Ballarat East.
In 1978 the congregation from St Johns Presbyterian Church merged with the Ebenezer congregation. The subsequent sale of the St Johns building provided funds that allowed for the completion of the “Link Building” that now joins the existing facilities and helps to provide much needed resources for the active congregation.
The Church was designed in the Anglo-Norman style by local architect Henry Richards Caselli.
A wall plaque reads, " To the Glory of God this plaque commemorates the foundation of the Ebenezer Congregation and the erection of their first wooden church on this site in 1857: the laying of the foundation stone for this bluestone Church on 10th December 1862. and the amalgamation of the Ebenezer and St John's Congregations on 4th October 1978".
Another foundation stone reads, " This Foundation stone was laid on the 1st April 1892 Feed my Lambs".
Clergy:
This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.
| Years | Name | Annotation | D.o.B | D.o.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1862 - 1869 | Rev D. Fraser | |||
| 1869 - 1887 | Rev J. Inglis | |||
| 1881 - 1891 | Rev J. H. McKay | |||
| 1892 - 1898 | Rev W. S. McQueen | |||
| 1898 - 1909 | Rev M. G. Hart | |||
| 1910 - | Rev W. Beck | |||
| - | Rev P. Shepherd | |||
| - | Rev A. L. Cloyd | 1942 | ||
| - | Rev J. Hurse | |||
| - | Rev W. E. Watkins | |||
| 1931 - 1944 | Rev J. A. Moscript | |||
| 1944 - 1968 | Rev W. Kelly | |||
| 1969 - | Rev C. Harrison | |||
| 2023 - | Rev Tony McIntosh |
Organ:
No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.
Source:
1. Church website.
2. A Short History of Ebenezer and St John's Presbterian Churches December 1982 courtesy Presbyterian Archives.