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From the destruction new hope and new life have emerged. It provides a symbol of Christian faith in the One who shared our common life and who died and rose again for our sakes. |
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THE HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S ANGLICAN CHURCH UPPER BEACONSFIELD 1883 - 1986 By John Milligan With a foreword by Bishop John W. Wilson This book is dedicated to Roy Harris who initiated and inspired the work and to my beloved wife Terry who persuaded me to undertake it with her help. They both had Irish Brady forebears. Foreword Shortly after I became Regional Bishop, the beautiful new St. John's Church at Upper Beaconsfield was consecrated on 6th October, 1985. The vicar, the Rev'd Roger Rich, was soon to leave for another parish. His ministry had spanned the Ash Wednesday bush fires and the building of the new church. Under him the parish had included both Pakenham and Upper Beaconsfield. Now the vestry of St. James', Pakenham, believed that the growth of the church there really required a full time minister for that area alone. But could St. John's, Upper Beaconsfield, support a parish priest of their own? It required a big leap in finances and a great step of faith for them to do so. And it has been one of the joys of my time as bishop to see the way in which the people of St. Johns have continued to meet the challenges before them, "looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). The fires destroyed many of the church's records. It would be a further loss if the history of St. John's was forgotten, with its ties to pioneers and builders and lovers of the district. We therefore owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. John Milligan for his perseverance in the search for sources of information and in the preparation of this history. It is to be regretted that Archbishop Sir Frank Woods did not live long enough to write a Foreword to it, as he had hoped to do. He and Lady Woods worshipped at St. John's over many years when using their holiday cottage. St. John's participated profoundly in the sufferings resulting from the fires of Ash Wednesday 1983, through the death of some of its members and the loss of buildings. From the destruction new hope and new life have emerged. It provides a symbol of Christian faith in the One who shared our common life and who dies and rose again for our sakes. The Rt. Rev'd Dr. John W. Wilson Bishop of the Southern Region Diocese of Melbourne, April 1983 Next |
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St. John's 1923 |
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St. John's before Ash Wednesday fires |
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All that was left of St. John's after Ash Wednesday. |
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The building of the current St. John's after the fires. |
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St. John's today |
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History of St. John's Church |
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© 2006 St John's Anglican Church, Upper Beaconsfield, Vic. All rights reserved |