In the Beginning
The earliest record of a Baptist church meeting in Mooroolbark can be found in “The Southern Baptist” 1st January 1898, where it states that Mr. H.H. Jeffs, the pastor of Lilydale Baptist Church, had opened a new outpost at Mooroolbark which “promises to be a great success.” But as no further news of that work can be found, we can assume it did not continue.
The earliest work of our present church began in January 1947 with a non-denominational Sunday School held in the home of a young couple, Sid and Faith Jordan, with their five month old daughter, in Taylor Road, Mooroolbark. Sid was a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Balwyn Baptist, where they attended each Sunday.
Nine children came to the new little Sunday School. They used material supplied by the Bush Sunday School Movement, butchers paper, a jar of coloured pencils and a garden seat brought in from the garden each Sunday!
When the Jordans later moved to live in Hull Road in 1950 the work was continued by Mr. and Mrs. Widdows who – in 1952 – helped found the Anglican Church in Mooroolbark, St. Francis in the Fields.Not long after the Sunday School began, weeknightly house meetings commenced, led by retired minister (and part-time pastor of Lilydale Baptist) Rev. Hubert Smith.
In 1948 there were a number of estates being opened in the Mooroolbark area and the Lilydale church was challenged to look at the opportunities that were arising. On 21st May 1948, following a visit by Mr. B. Montgomery, Chairman, and Rev. J. Manning, Superintendent of the Victorian Baptist Home Mission Society, together with Revs J.E. Newnham and H.S. Smith, two blocks of land were purchased in Manchester Road, with a frontage of 120 feet and a depth of 160 feet, for 240 pounds. On 13th June 1948 the first Baptist church service was held in the public hall in Charles Street – almost opposite the library. The preacher was Rev. H. S. Smith, part-time pastor of the Lilydale church. These meetings continued on alternate Sunday afternoons (the Presbyterian Church meeting every other Sunday afternoon) until 1952 when the Manchester Road church was opened. Those who were there can remember cleaning the hall after the previous Saturday night’s use, often requiring the removal of balloons, streamers and beer bottles, and then dragging the long, heavy benches into place across the dance floor! At this time a District Church was formed by Rev. Baker, covering the circuit of Mooroolbark, Lilydale and Picnic Hills (Wandin). The District Church was responsible for the calling, paying and housing of the ministers and the members participated actively in all aspects of the work, including helping to conduct services at each of the three churches. With Mr. Jordan as secretary, they met regularly for business at either Mooroolbark or Lilydale. Often these afternoon meetings were followed by a shared meal and then a visiting preacher led them in a Saturday evening service. The District Church continued until 1960, at a time when Mooroolbark had outgrown its parenting church, Lilydale Baptist!
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