Scots' Church, Melbourne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Scots' Church, Melbourne | |
|---|---|
 The Scots' Church, Melbourne
|
|
| Information | |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church of Australia |
| Senior Pastor(s) | Rev Douglas Robertson |
| Contact particulars | |
| Location | Collins Street, Melbourne |
| Website | Scotschurch.com |
The Scots' Church, a Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia, was the first Presbyterian Church to be built in the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria). It is located in Collins Street and is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The Rev James Forbes was recruited to come to Australia as a Presbyterian Minister by the Rev John Dunmore Lang, arriving in Melbourne from Sydney by boat on 20 January 1838. In February 1838, less than three years after the founding of Melbourne, the Church of Scotland was allotted a two-acre site on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets.
[edit] The original building
Forbes held his first Presbyterian service on Sunday 3 February 1838 in the Pioneers Church on the south side of Bourke Street near William Street. The Church of England soon made exclusive claims to this communal building and so Forbes held services in Craig and Broadfoot's store in Collins Street until a temporary timber building called Scots Church was opened on the south side of Collins Street near William Street (about where the Olderfleet Buildings now stand) in July 1838. It was essentially a large room with a fireplace.
The temporary building also served as the Scots' Church School which relocated to new brick premises in September 1839 on the part of the 2 acre site granted by the Government on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets which was later the George's department store.
[edit] The first Scots' Church
The first purpose built church building was opened on 3 October 1841. It was designed to seat 500 and the contract sum was £2,485 without plastering, gallery, vestry or fittings. The building was opened with temporary seating. Plastering was carried out the following year, proper pews, gallery and vestry were added in 1849 and a spire some years later.
The congregation also built a manse (minister's house) on the site where the Assembly Hall now stands, which was sold to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria for 5,000 pounds in about 1913.
This first church building was demolished partly because of concerns that the tower and spire would collapse after it developed huge cracks and became crooked,[citation needed] but also to make way for a larger building to accommodate the growing congregation as the population of Melbourne expanded.
[edit] Current Building
Construction of the current building took place between 1871 and 1874, during the ministry of Rev Irving Hetherington and his assistant Rev Peter Menzies, and was opened on 29 November 1874 with seating for 1000. It was designed by Joseph Reed of the firm Reed and Barnes, and built by David Mitchell, the father of Dame Nellie Melba. Reed and Barnes also designed the Trades Hall, the Royal Exhibition Building, the Wesley Church in Lonsdale Street, the original Presbyterian Ladies' College in East Melbourne, and Collins Street Independent Church, now St. Michael’s Uniting Church, on the opposite corner of Russell Street.
Scots' is in the Neo-Gothic style and built of Barrabol freestone, with dressings in Kakanul stone from New Zealand [1]. During the last decades of the nineteenth century the spire of Scots' Church was the tallest structure in Melbourne. The interior features the large Last Supper stained glass window, basalt asile columns, timber beamed roof and an elevated floor for a good view of the pulpit [2].
[edit] Colours of The Victorian Scottish Regiment
Laid up in Church are two sets of Regimental Colours of the Australian 5th Battalion, The Victorian Scottish Regiment, which include the honour LANDING at ANZAC.
[edit] Organ
The first pipe organ at Scots' was built in 1883 by Hill and Son. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1910 by Geo Fincham and Sons and rebuilt again in 1959. The organ was removed for storage in 1999. The present organ was built in 1998 by Orgelbau, Schwarzach, Austria.
[edit] Choir
The Choir of Scots' Church has been under the Director of Music Douglas Lawrence since 1984. He had started the Choir of Ormond College (University of Melbourne) in 1982 and raised the standard at Scot’s considerably. The Choir released their first recording in 1987: Joy my Heart Outpoured. Scots' Choir consists of four principals, eight choral scholars and other members. Dame Nellie Melba reputedly started and finished her singing career in the choir at Scot's Church, and her funeral was taken from Scots' in February 1931.
[edit] Ministers
The first minister of Scots' Church was Rev James Forbes, who, as well as being involved in the foundation of Scots' Church, was instrumental in the establishment of John Knox Free Presbyterian Church on Swanston Street (now housing a Church of Christ congregation), Scotch College, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute.
Scots' Church is currently served by a senior minister, Rev Douglas Robertson, and a minister to the central business district, Rev Richard O'Brien. The evening congregation ("seventeenthirty") is served by Rev John Diacos, with a focus on evangelism to University students and young city workers. Rev Geoffrey Blackburn serves as the pastoral care minister.
Historically, most of the senior ministers at Scots' Church have been trained or served in the Church of Scotland, including Rev Robertson, who first worked at Scots' as an assistant minister between 1991 and 1994. He returned to Scotland to take up the position of Parish Minister in Appin And Lismore, North Argyll, but was then called by the congregation of Scots' Church to come back to Melbourne and serve as senior minister from February 2001.
As in any church with a Presbyterian structure, the ministers of Scots' govern and care for the congregation with a body of Church Elders called the Session.
[edit] Services
Services are held on every Sunday of the year. A traditional service is held at 11:00am and a contemporary service at 17:30 (5:30pm) in the upper church hall at 99 Russell St. Communion is held on the first Sunday of each season (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer) and on Easter Sunday. A lunchtime service for innercity workers is held at 1pm every Wednesday. From time to time prominent members of the community are invited preach at this service. In 2006 one such speaker was Australian golfer Aaron Baddeley.
An Indonesian language service is held every Sunday at 5:15pm. On April 1, 2007, the congregation known as the Indonesian Christian Church officially joined Scots'.
[edit] External links
- Scots' Church home page
- The Choir of Scots' Church at Move Records
- Catholic bishop preaches at Scots'
[edit] Photos
- Design for the new Presbyterian Church, Collins Street, 1872 from wood engraving. From the State Library of Victoria
- Scots' Church in 1877 by Nicholas J. Caire. From the National Library of Australia
- Scots' in situ, Collins Street 1880s. From the National Library of Victoria
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from east
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from east II
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from west
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from west at night
