When Andrew Dodd became Pastor of
Hamilton Baptist Church in 2003, he immediately saw the potential of the park. The carol singing event he created and organized for the next 14 years, Carols in Gregson Park, would engage the whole community – a vibrant, colourful celebration with appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Protective
branches of an ancient fig frames the area being prepared for
Carols in Gregson
Park, 20 December 2014
Photograph
by Andrew Roberts (LivingStone Images)
The Church’s beginnings are shrouded
in something of a mystery, with shades of dissent.
We have to go to the Church of
Christ, Merewether, to find the pioneers who planted the seeds of Hamilton
Baptist Church.
At first it seemed to be a story of
growth and development. Hamilton had a population of more than 10,000 in the
early 1920s, and some Merewether members from Hamilton thought it was time that
suburb had its own church. The first Church of Christ service for Hamilton
members was held in the home of Mr R T Creek[1]
at 1 Pokolbin Road, Broadmeadow, on 16 September, 1923.
Before long, this enthusiastic group
had purchased land in Gordon Avenue, and with the dedication of volunteers, a
new building took shape. It was opened on 22 December, 1924. The building has
not survived: Klosters envelops the site today, north east of the intersection
of Tudor Street and Gordon Avenue.
Just two years later, in 1926, the
Hamilton Church of Christ was divided. The Minister Reverend A G Martin and the
majority of the congregation left their denomination and sought Baptist
affiliation. This was granted by the Baptist Union of NSW. At first they held
services in the Masonic Hall, Beaumont Street, and later, the Mechanics’
Institute, in Tudor Street.
The reason for the division of the
original Hamilton Church of Christ congregation is glossed over in the reports
and official history of Hamilton Baptist Church[2]
but it is believed to be doctrinal. Both Church of Christ and Baptists practice
adult baptism by total immersion, and it is thought that a difference of
opinion arose over its meaning.
Whatever the reason, it must have
been a decision reached reluctantly and only after much discussion and soul
searching. It would not have been easy for those separating to leave behind
their new building, after all the fund raising and hard work that had gone into
that first Hamilton church. Yet one change often generates others, and this may
have been what happened.
Then, perhaps because they’d built a
church once, this group must have felt they could do it again. Land was purchased
at 108 Lindsay Street, opposite Gregson Park, and in 1929, work commenced on
the building.
Volunteers
made up the workforce building the Baptist Church,
108 Lindsay Street, Hamilton,
1929
‘Having a bit of a spell’ is
written on the back
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
Hard working and determined,
Hamilton Baptists achieved their goal.
Hamilton
Baptist Church, c.1930s
Membership
began around 50 at its inception, and grew to a consistent 100
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
Like any individual or organization
wanting real estate, the Hamilton Baptist Church obtained a mortgage. A
‘Blessing Box’ was considered a successful initiative – members participating
gave a halfpenny a day towards reducing the building debt, making a pleasing
dent in it.[3]
A church is a community whose
members are connected through shared values and beliefs. As I read through the
historical records, year by year from 1934, what emerged was a picture of a
community continually reinforcing those bonds of belief through a multiplicity
of activities and sub-groups.
Sunday School was a core activity –
in 1939, there were 98 children attending classes, with 15 teachers – and
exams!
Sunday
School anniversary picnic – the boys wear ties c.1930
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
Over the years, there was an
ever-changing procession of groups – the Christian Endeavour youth leadership
group, men’s groups, Bible study groups, Boys and Girls Brigades, a Ladies
Guild, a choir, a cricket club - but the aim did not. It was to meet the
spiritual and social needs of all the members, creating a cohesive community.
And so there were picnics, hikes,
BBQs, social gatherings, fellowship teas, sports days, Christmas parties, film
evenings, and talent quests. Before the era of television, these social
activities were entertainment. A self-contained world within ‘the world’ was
created, so members could conduct and experience much of their social lives
within the church.
What is this
activity? Serving afternoon tea outdoors, and looking
at those frocks, it has
to be the 1930s
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
Hamilton
Baptist Cricket Club (n.d.)
Standing
(L-R) Ron Pavey, Burnie Scott, Stan Geiese, Dick Ratcliffe, Tom Oates,
Neill
Anderson, Dick Laidler
Seated
(L-R) Alan Davies, Neill Dunn, Alec McMurray, Bill Oates, Bruce Davies
The evangelical impulse of the
church found expression in open air rallies, crusades, and campaigns. Funds
were raised to assist missionaries serving overseas.
The
Northern District Gospel Open Air Campaigners c1930s
The
unidentified men in this photograph may be visiting campaigners
alongside local Church members
alongside local Church members
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
On Christmas Eve 1955, at the annual
service of films and carols in Gregson Park, Mr Arthur Stace was the guest speaker.
A reformed alcoholic, Mr Stace was inspired to write the word ‘Eternity’ in his
perfect copperplate writing on Sydney footpaths over half a million times
between 1932 and 1967. Mr Stace was reported to have given ‘a very fine
testimony’ of his conversion to Christianity. [5]
The
Eternity symbol has become an Australian icon
Part of
the Stan Levitt Collection, courtesy of the National Museum of Australia
In the years following World War II,
Australia experienced a severe housing shortage. The Church leadership was
concerned about how best to provide accommodation for their Pastor, eventually
buying a brick cottage five doors along from the Church in Lindsay Street, Hamilton.
Through the 1950s and 1960s the
Church continued to improve its facilities. In 1956, the church front was
altered with the addition of a new vestry and porch.
In 1969 a cottage and land at 101A
Cleary Street, adjoining the back of the church, was purchased. The cottage was
used for Sunday School classes. As the need for separate Sunday School premises
waned over the ensuing years, the cottage became a rental property, generating
income for the Church.
Hamilton
Baptist Church congregation and Pastor D Woodward, early 1970s
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
The establishment of the Hamilton
Baptist Community Pre-School Kindergarten in the Lindsay Street premises during
the tenure of Pastor D Woodward in the 1970s provided a valuable service not
only for Church families but also for the broader community. Now, the service
continues under the auspices of the independent not-for-profit Hamilton
Community Pre-School.
By the early 1980s, the church
leadership realized something had to be done to regenerate the church and
attract more young people. Thus it was that 23 year old Richard Morrison was
appointed as Pastor of Hamilton Baptist Church.
‘They knew that change was needed,’
Richard explains, ‘but perhaps they didn’t appreciate how much.’
Richard would face many challenges
as he sought to bring about cultural change within the Church without
alienating the older members.
One of the concessions Richard asked
for when he was being interviewed was that he would he would not wear a tie at
every service – or meeting, as he says. After the interviewing committee was
reassured that he would definitely wear a tie to funerals, that concession was
granted.
Most of the group activities that
had flourished in the decades before had fallen away, although there was a very
small Sunday school, and a Boys Brigade.
The pulpit from which the Pastor
conducted the service and delivered a sermon each Sunday was originally a
large, imposing structure. By this time, there were three pulpits in place,
each successive one smaller than its predecessor, reflecting a gradual move
towards a more informal and egalitarian relationship between pastor and people.
Installation
of pews and a high pulpit gave the Hamilton Baptist Church
a formal
aspect, 1930s
Photograph provided by Cynthia and Lynne Dalton,
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
In 1995, all three pulpits were removed,
along with the choir platform, most of the timber pews and the baptistry. Part
of the baptistry remains hidden under the floorboards.
Where are the ceremonies of total
immersion conducted now, I wonder?
Richard, who remained actively involved in the Church for many years, answers: ‘The beach.’
Merewether Ocean Baths and private
pools are also used.
And what is left inside the church?
Mainly, open space. A few pews along
the walls. Stacks of chairs. At one end, a kitchenette and a church office. In
this setting, no newcomer need feel intimidated, or that they don’t know what
to do. Chairs can be configured to suit the event. From time to time, local community groups hire the facilities for music or drama.
People often say, ‘It’s homely.’
In 2001 the Church decided to sell
the manse. This not only consolidated the Church’s financial position, but it
also gave its Pastor freedom and independence to choose where to live.
In 2003, Andrew Dodd succeeded
Richard Morrison as Pastor. Andrew had come to know the Church while
undertaking his pastoral training there in 1984-1986. He’d seen the Church as
it was early in Richard’s 20-year ministry, and the significant changes that
had been achieved as it transitioned into a contemporary church.
‘I benefited from the work that
Richard did,’ says Andrew.
In 2006, the Church was refurbished.
The general upgrade to the building included a new kitchenette and church
office.
Hamilton
Baptist Church congregation gathered for a group photograph
after the
refurbishment, 2006
Photograph
by Glyn Thomas, from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
Not long after the refurbishment
was completed, in early June 2007, the Hunter region was battered by torrential
rain and strong winds and declared a disaster area. Flooding was widespread and
the MV Pasha Bulker famously ran
aground on the reef at Nobby’s Beach.[6]
As Pastor Andrew Dodd wrote:
‘In true baptist fashion Hamilton
Baptist Church was 'immersed in water' in last week’s deluge. Nearly 40cms of
water left its trail of destruction through the church.’ [7]
Not only was the smart new
refurbishment badly damaged, but the church was unfit for use in the short
term. The Church had to look for another venue for the congregation – half of
whom were under the age of eleven. In a spirit of cooperation typical of what
was happening in the broader community at this time, the recently vacated
Salvation Army church in Cleary Street [8]
was offered.
That congregation had merged with
two others, and all three were for a time meeting on neutral ground at the
Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) in Steel Street. Andrew led his congregation
‘on a journey,’ symbolic, he said, of ‘finding hope in the midst of hardship
and ruin.’ The group first viewed the damage in their own building, then crossed
the street to the SDA building to briefly join ‘the Salvos’ and collect the
keys to Cleary Street, and finally, walked to their new temporary home.
A Church building is only one part
of its life. When I ask Andrew how Hamilton Baptist Church has changed in
recent times, he speaks enthusiastically of the Church being ‘engaged in the
local and wider community.’ There have been chaplains in two local public schools; scripture teaching in a number of local schools; a
drop-in centre in a local social housing area along with OzHarvest food drops to people's doors. Cafe Estate is a unique collaborative effort with the Baptist Church running a breakfast program and friendship on the premises of and with the full involvement of an independent church - LiveFree Project - with CatholicCare funding and involvement from other agencies such as Mission Australia and an eclectic team of volunteers.
There's also the HopeStreet food van for the homeless; support of Mum’s Cottage (mothers companioning mothers); and fundraising for community development projects in Nepal with a sister church and NGO in the town of Nepalgunj. Over time, these activities have and will change in response to need and circumstances.
These days, flexible seating enables
the congregation to gather in a semi-circle, the Pastor in their midst. Instead
of a pulpit, a lectern stands discreetly to the side.
A
contemporary arrangement – Hamilton Baptist Church, 2014
Photograph
by Andrew Roberts (LivingStone Images)
Andrew
Dodd celebrating his 50th parkrun on 26 October, 2013
The 25 Minute Pacing Group includes ‘The
Doddfather’ Andrew Dodd,
‘The Godfather of the Region of Runners’ (‘Gentleman
Jim Beisty’), and
‘The Grandfather of Running in Newcastle’ (Alan McCloskey)
Taken by
Newy parkrun volunteer photographer Jo Kent Biggs
Update
Some details in this post were updated in August, 2021.
After a year of dialogue Hamilton Baptist Church merged with Edgeworth Community Baptist Church. In December 2016, the Edgeworth congregation relocated to Hamilton though in many ways it was a whole new venture for both congregations which had experienced recent gradual decline in numbers. The merger itself was not only successful but many additional folk (yes there were also sadly some losses in the merge) have since joined the congregation without any sense of factions or origins. One feature of the new church is that the church is LGBT+ welcoming, affirming and celebrating which has greatly enhanced the life and ministry of the church. Whether Hamilton Baptist is able to remain in the denomination because of this development is yet to be seen. So a church birthed in denomination controversy may well experience it again - though one thing for sure is that the congregation will remain together!
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Pastor Andrew Dodd for providing access to historical documents and photographs, and the above update. Thanks also to Richard Morrison for sharing his recollections as a former pastor.
The Church’s website can be found at : https://www.hamiltonbaptist.com.au
Arthur
Creek (1910-2005) left written and oral accounts of
the history of Hamilton
Baptist Church. He was
one of many volunteers
who helped build the Church at 108 Lindsay Street,
Hamilton
Photograph
from the collection of Hamilton Baptist Church
[1] Mr R T Creek’s son Arthur Creek was a long standing
member of Hamilton Baptist Church and left brief written and oral accounts of
its history. The written account has been used as one of the resources for this
story.
[2] Souvenir Golden Jubilee Anniversary Celebrations
1926-1976 Hamilton Baptist Church Lindsay Street. Brochure held by Pastor
Andrew Dodd, Hamilton Baptist Church.
[3] Secretary’s
Annual Report, Hamilton Baptist Church 1934
[4] Secretary’s
Annual Report, Hamilton Baptist Church 1950
[5] Secretary’s Annual
Report, Hamilton Baptist Church 1956
[6] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2007_Hunter_Region_and_Central_Coast_storms
[7] Andrew Dodd, Press
release for the Hamilton Baptist Church, 14 June 2007.
[8] The
Salvation Army Church in Cleary Street has since been demolished to make way for
the Salvation Army Regional Headquarters.
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