Church History

 A Brief History

The history of All Saints Uniting Church dates back to 1838, two years after the colonization of South Australia in 1836.

At that time, the church as we know it today did not exist, although records show that early Methodist immigrants to the colony who settled in Plympton were Wesleyan Methodists who in 1843 began meetings in one another’s homes for Christian Fellowship.

In March, 1847 the Government of the Province of South Australia made a grant to the Wesleyan Methodist Church of twenty pounds towards the building of a chapel and school house at Plympton and thus the journey for All Saints began.

In 1847 a small chapel was built, although primitive in construction, provided a rustic chapel or preaching place for the Wesleyans, they being the only religious body who would think of venturing so far into the country (three miles from the city!!).

The church was in many ways the centre of social life in Plympton, serving both as a church and public meeting place.

As the district grew, so did the need for a larger building to accommodate a growing population and congregation.   This growth witnessed many building changes and increases in numbers and in November 1947, the church celebrated it’s centenary of 100 years service to the community.

A prominent landmark in the district, the church has been a house of worship for generations of faithful families.   However by March 1969, changes to surrounding roads and infrastructure influenced more changes, resulting in the closure of the Camden Methodist Church, and the amalgamation of the Camden and Plympton Methodist Church to form the All Saints Methodist Church.

In 1981, the church celebrated 125 years of continuous service to the community in the same church building erected in 1856, and in 1997, All Saints celebrated 150 years of religious service to the community.

The rest of course is history with All Saints now a part of the Uniting Church Family with a continuing committment to maintaining a vibrant role within the community, just as the forefathers and founders planned and now look forward to the future and celebrating 200 years of achievements.

 

A complete history of the All Saints Uniting Church journey is available in a hanbook titled “Plympton Uniting Church, 1847-1997, Caring and Sharing, from the City to Sea” (limited copies available)

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