Living Faith Central Geelong
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
Development of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
After the first Presbyterian Church service was held by an ordained minister at Dr Thomson’s station in 1837, there came a push for establishing the Presbyterian Church in Geelong. Services continued to be held in Dr Thomson’s shed, including services conducted by the Rev. James Forbes. He was also partially responsible for the arrival of the Rev. Andrew Love and his family on 9th April 1840, having written to the General Assembly of Scotland seeking a suitable preacher for the Geelong Area.
Building works commenced in early March 1841 on the high ground at the top of Yarra Street on the east side. The contractors for the work were R. Somerville and R.H. Marr.
The Building of the Church
The foundation stone was laid on Monday 22 March by Dr Alexander Thomson. Beneath the stone were placed newspapers, coins and the following statement:
In the name of the Blessed and Glorious Trinity the foundation stone of this edifice (the first place of worship erected in the district), to be known by the name of the Presbyterian Church of Geelong, in connection with the Synod of Australia, was laid 22nd March, 1841. The Reverend John Tait, Moderator. The Reverend Andrew Love, Minister of Geelong. Trustees: Alexander Thomson, David Fisher, Jonathan Clerke, George Mercer, Hugh Murray.
According to W.R. Brownhill, there was a long delay in the completion of the construction, due partly to the fact that a fault developed and a portion of the walls had to be re-built.
After the completion of the church building in Yarra Street, Geelong, in 1842, it was initially known as “the Presbyterian Church” and soon after as Scot’s Church. It was on Sunday 11 July 1842 when the church building was opened with a morning service by Rev. A. Love and an afternoon service by the Wesleyan preacher, Rev. F. Tuckfield. The opening of the church (later, in 1858, named St. Andrew’s Presbyterian) marked the opening of the first permanent church building in the Geelong district. Rev.Love became a well-known and respected minister of the Presbyterian denomination. After his death in 1869, Presbyterian ministry was continued at the Church for many years.
The property now known as St John’s Lutheran Church, 165 Yarra St is included on the register of the National Estate and Victorian Heritage Register, The Statement of Significance reads:-“The former St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Yarra Street, Geelong, was designed by the architect/surveyor Alexander Skene and erected in 1841/42. The building was simple, Georgian in style and rectangular in plan, with a small entry porch at the Yarra Street end. Polished freestone sills were used at the doors and windows but the walls were constructed of locally manufactured bricks. Other materials, including some of the roofing shingles and plaster for the ceiling, were imported from Hobart. The original structure survives but is now behind a two storey rendered Classical style front that was added in 1912-13 to the design of notable Geelong architects Laird and Buchan. This followed the purchase of the Church by the local Geelong Scottish Society, the” Comunn Na Feinne”. The structure was remodeled as a hall for meetings and the various entertainments. Despite internal alterations and the external rendering of the 1841-42 building it retains the utmost historical significance and together with its 1912-13 additions is important in being:
1.The first Presbyterian Church in Geelong and the oldest surviving Presbyterian Church in the State.
2.The oldest surviving masonry structure in the Geelong region.
3. The oldest church building outside of Melbourne still being used as a church”.
Statutory Obligations of Heritage Listings
Because the property known as St. John’s Lutheran Church, 165 Yarra Street, Geelong, Victoria, is included on the Victorian Heritage Register and as a heritage overlay on the City of Greater Geelong Planning Scheme, there is an obligation to refer works for heritage and planning permits.
St Andrews Closure
In 1911 it was resolved that Presbyterianism in Geelong was unsatisfactory because of the close proximity of the Presbyterian churches within the city area. This led to the closure and sale of St. Andrew’s Church in Yarra Street in 1911-12, after a new church had been built in Sydney Avenue, East Geelong.
Comunn na Feine Society
The Scottish Society known as the “Comunn-na- Feine” was instituted in Geelong in 1856 for the cultivation of the Gaelic language and Highland nationality, philanthropy, archaeology, &c. In 1912, the Comunn- na- Feine Society moved to its new headquarters to the former St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Yarra Street. The building was used for meetings and various forms of entertainment, including musical and elocutionary competitions. Marjorie Lawrence, then a promising young singer and in the years afterwards a world-renowned principal in opera and other musical works, made her first Geelong public appearances at the Comunn-na-Feine competition. She won several singing events, including the aria from grand opera. Marjorie Lawrence won her first singing competition in this building.
Alterations & Additions by the Comunn- na- Feine Society
After the removal of the original front porch, a two storey pavilion addition at the front was characterised by a central projecting single storey portico supported by round paired Doric columns. An elaborate pressed metal ceiling in the original Church hall appears to have been introduced over the early lath and plaster ceiling as part of these alterations. A kitchen was added to the north and an ante room to the south along the east end of the hall, completed by January 1914.
Further additions and alterations were carried out in 1922. These changes included the addition of a stage to the east of the original hall, and additional toilets to the south of the stage area. During the period between the two world wars, the Society began to struggle in maintaining satisfactory membership levels and public interest in events. Further disinterest brought about the end of the Commun-na-Feine Society after the end of World War Two in 1945.
Lutherans in Geelong
Lutheran services were held at various locations in Geelong commencing in 1902 conducted by Pastor Heyer mostly at the home of Mrs Hartwick. Later Pastor LG Schulze held them at a home in McKillop St. During the period 1908 to 1912 services were transferred from McKillop St to the Sailors Rest building. At the start the First World War, services were held in members’ homes. Following the war the church moved to the Central Hall in Ryrie St. On 18 February 1923 at a meeting at the Grovedale Trinity Church, it was decided to form a branch congregation in Geelong. Peaceful dismissal was granted by the Grovedale Trinity Church to members of the branch congregation on 19 March 1925. It was at this time when a new self-governing Lutheran Church began in Geelong, known as St. John’s Lutheran Church. On 4th June 1925, the first two elders were appointed: W. Hoffmann and E. Koenig. Between 1925 and 1946, St. John’s Church held services and annual meetings at the Central Hall.
The first Lutheran Church service in the Yarra Street church (formerly St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and the Comunn-na- Feine hall) was held on 25 August 1946, in the presence of a large congregation. In the following year a youth convention was held in the Church, and the place was dedicated for Lutheran worship on 4th of April 1948.In 1949, the Trinity congregation at Grovedale was dissolved and most of the members transferred to the Yarra Street church. The growth of St. John’s Church was certainly substantial during these early years, and by 1962 the first 47 students commenced at St. John’s Lutheran Church School at the corner of Aberdeen and Pakington Streets, Newtown.
St. John’s Lutheran Church today.
Painting displayed in Geelong Art Gallery of St Andrews Manse & School at left of picture looking West in McKillop St with church building on the right.
Changes to St. John’s Lutheran Church
It was in 1946, after the first Lutheran Church service in the former Comunn na Feine hall when noteable alterations were carried out, to provide the necessary facilities for worship. An internal wall was introduced along the eastern end of the hall (closing in the stage) and a pointed arched niche was constructed in which was placed a timber altar in 1947. The timber pews were also introduced about this time, as were the pulpit and altar.
Later Changes and Additions Church Building In 1950, a Kilner organ was purchased and introduced into the church at a cost of £1344.10/-[i] Seven years later in 1957, the timber balcony was added along the west end of the Church, increasing the accommodation capacity. In December 1972, the existing Alfred Fuller pipe organ was dedicated at St. John’s. The tracker-action organ of two manuals, 20 stops, three couplers and 1200 pipes had originally been built in 1886 by Alfred Fuller in the Methodist Church, North Melbourne.
In 1985, internal alterations were carried out to the foyer of the front two storey pavilion. These alterations included the introduction of a concrete slab floor and the removal of some internal walls to create larger openings.
Chronological Overview
1839- Documents prepared for the Presbyterian Church – Colony of New South Wales for construction of a Church in Geelong.
1841 – Church built for Presbyterians known as St. Andrews. Foundation stone for the building laid by pioneer Geelong resident Dr Alexander Thompson. Church designed by Alexander Skene, the first architect/surveyor in Geelong.
1842 – Church building completed by 3rd July. First Minister Rev Andrew Love. St Andrews Presbyterian Church later moved to Sydney Parade, East Geelong. Memorial to Andrew Love still stands at the East Geelong site.
1912-13 Church purchased by the Commun na Feinne Society and converted into a hall. Plans prepared by Laird and Buchan architects for a two storey extension to the front and side kitchen. Ceilings in Church added and walls plastered. Many dances and concerts held in the hall. Notable is the fact that Marjorie Lawrence, celebrated operatic mezzo-soprano won her first competition here.
1922 – Rear hall (stage) constructed to a design by Laird and Buchan architects.
1946 – Lutheran Church purchased the building in May for the sum of $6,300 and returned the use back to a Church. The first Lutheran worship service was held 25th August 1946.
1947 – The building was dedicated as a place of worship on 4th April 1948.
1950 – The property known as Tyne Cottage was purchased for $7600.
1953 – Manse constructed following sale of Trinity Grovedale Church. 416 baptised members.
1957 – Balcony added to the Church to increase internal accommodation room.
1972 – Alfred Fuller organ purchased from the Anglican Church, Kensington for $1200. Organ originally built 1886 by Alfred Fuller for the Methodist Church, Kensington.
1985 – Front foyer added to its present shape.
1989 – Education wing constructed. Dedicated on 30th July 1989.
Living Faith Grovedale
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Grovedale
The St Paul’s Lutheran congregation was founded on 24 June 1854 by Rev. Mattias Goethe (founder of the Lutheran Synod of Victoria) when divine services were commenced in the original school building. He would travel from Melbourne each week to conduct services, which was an arduous task hampered often by muddy conditions and mere tracks to follow in some areas.
A manse was built in 1855 and Pastor J.G. Haussmann became the first in-residence Pastor.
The Original Trinity Church
On 26 December 1859, Pastor Haussmann dedicated the first Lutheran Church in Grovedale as Trinity Church. This original stone structure church was situated on 2 acres of land granted by the government, but has since been demolished.
Doctrinal Divisions in the Church & The Congregation Speaks Clearly
In 1861, Pastor Haussmann resigned over disputes with doctrine interpretations and training of Pastors, in contempt actually, with Pastor Fritzche’s South Australian Synod faction.
Rev. Goethe called Pastor Herman Herlitz from Germany to fill the vacancy; however, the congregation did not accept Pastor Herlitz when he arrived in Australia because of objections they had to the teaching and adherence to opposing doctrinal views from the Seminary from which he was trained. Instead, they retained, and later successfully called, a yet-to-be ordained/graduate missionary, Peter Jacobsen, who was assigned as interim pastor until Herlitz took up duties.
Pastor Herlitz and some Victorian Synod followers returned to the school and worshipped from there. Negotiations to retain unity in the now two congregations (Trinity and St Paul’s) was a failure, and in 1849, Trinity congregation dissolved and its members joined St John’s in Geelong.
Christ Church on the Hill
On 11 October 1870, the St Paul’s congregation unanimously voted to erect a church ‘on the hill’ (now Surf Coast Highway, Grovedale) and by 13 December, the foundation stone was laid. The building was completed in just 15 weeks at a cost of £850. Christ Church was dedicated debt-free on the 26 March 1871 by Pastor G. Heyer, who succeeded Pastor Herlitz. It is unknown when and how the name St Paul’s came about. Heyers Road, Grovedale was named in his honour.
St Pauls congregation purchased the adjoining Bay View Hotel in 1857 for £400 and converted it for use as a manse. At the time of purchase, it was occupied by the same Mr Tufts who designed St Davids church at Freshwater Creek, St Pauls (Christ Church), Trinity Lutheran Church, Grovedale State School and the local Methodist church.
Around 1870, following the resumption of land to accommodate the railway opening through to Winchelsea, the congregation went from 170 members to 79, fluctuating to 124 by 1905.
With the onset of WW1 and hostility towards German settlers, the congregation ceased their annual picnics and the name Germantown was changed to Grovedale.
Sunday School had been a weekly church feature since 1865, so on 9 October 1911, Pastor Heyer donated land to erect a hall for Sunday School and other church purposes. The total cost of the hall and furnishings was £267. An extension was added in 1946.
The original steeple bell tower was demolished in 1973 due to deterioration. The steeple was replaced in 1975, albeit shorter than the 52’ original but sporting modern building techniques including steel framework, aluminium skin and a chromium-plated cross.
On 28 April 1975, the St Paul’s Lutheran Kindergarten started in the church hall. This Kindergarten is still in operation and feeds students to Geelong Lutheran College, St John’s Newtown and Armstrong Creek campuses. Mrs Annie Kurvink was appointed the first Directress and Mrs Val Eichler was her assistant.
In 1977 on a block of land purchased from the Stein family, a fibro-cement house was built, named Stein House and adapted for Sunday School use. It was removed to make way for the current Kindergarten building in 1980. In 1981, the City of Barwon used the hall as a temporary pre-school centre, and by 1983 it evolved into Grovedale East Kindergarten.
Over time, the church underwent considerable restoration to floors, pews, balcony and stairs. A Pastor’s office, Secretary’s office and toilets were installed in 1994. In 1998, the roof was repaired with broken or cracked tiles replaced for a cost of $6,000.
Various stained-glass windows were replaced and covered with Perspex to protect against vandalism, and the large stained-glass window on the main façade was removed and replaced with a design featuring the trinity.
St Paul’s Lutheran Church provides a point-of-reference as the ‘church on the hill’ for locals and travellers alike.
Role of Pastor’s at St Paul’s Lutheran Church
Pastor M. Goethe 1853-1855
Pastor J.G. Haussmann 1855-1861
Pastor H. Herlitz 1862-1866
Pastor G. Heyer 1868-1920
Pastor R.L. Rohde 1921-1924
Pastor J.T.P. Sabel 1924-1926
Vacancy 1926-1929
Pastor H.W. Proeve 1929-1937
Pastor B. Fischer 1937-1938
Pastor H. Minke 1938-1946
Pastor J.M. Larson 1946-1960
Pastor S.M. Simfendorfer 1960-1968
Pastor T.R. Jaensch 1969-1979
Pastor T. Harms (Vacancy) 1980-1980
Pastor R. Fechner 1981-1990
Pastor W. Boehm 1991-2002
Pastor R. Lungwitz 2002-2010
Pastor T. Pietsch 2011-2015
Pastor C. Simpkin 2015-2023
Role of Pastor’s at Trinity Congregation
Pastor P. Jacobsen 1862-1877
Pastor J.E.G. Bode 1877-1882
Pastor E. Darsow 1883-1893
Pastor L.G. Schulze 1893-1913
Pastor R.M. Graebner 1913-1914
Pastor T. Harms 1915-1924
Pastor H. Hoffmann 1926-1943
Pastor F.H. Schulze 1943-1949
Living Faith Freshwater Creek
St. David’s Lutheran Church, Freshwater Creek
Around 1859, a number of Lutherans settled in the Freshwater Creek district. They were known as ‘Old Lutherans’ because of their firm doctrinal beliefs, indeed, prior to settling in Australia from Prussia, they personally knew Pastor Fritzsche, now of the South Australian Synod. Probably influential in their decision not to join the Grovedale congregation was a combination of their personal affiliation with Fritzsch and their adherence to strict doctrinal teachings from their motherland.
As members of the South Australian Synod, members of the Freshwater Creek congregation requested Pastor Fritzsch to call an ‘orthodox’ Lutheran Pastor on their behalf.
Orthodox Pastor, C.W. Shurmann of Hochkirch (now Tarrington), travelling up to 150 miles on a weekly basis, served the congregation until 1862, when the Freshwater Creek members united with Trinity to form a Parish, and into which, Pastor Jacobsen was called and accepted as their Pastor.
Waldkirch (Church in the Woods) Freshwater Creek
On 9 October 1859, Waldkirch Evangelical Lutheran Church (Church in the Woods), a simple wattle and daub structure, was erected and dedicated by Pastor Shurmann, with about 200 people in attendance.
In 1868, the current stone church, loosely in Romanesque Revival style by Architect R.S. Tufts, and made of cut local stone, assisted by a German stone mason brought out from Germany solely for the task, was completed.
Architectural characteristics indicate a provincial German character with a blend of medieval detailing on the buttresses and Renaissance treatment of the arched windows. During the 1950s Waldkirch was re-named St David’s and stands today not only as a preaching place of the Grovedale congregation, but also as a testament to the hardy early settlers in the area.
The original steep tower was blown down in a storm in 1959, but the sphere atop the current shorter tower was salvaged from the storm damaged tower. The foundation stone of 1866 was replaced in 1969 with a marble slab bearing the inscription from Revelation 2:9:
‘Be Thou Faithful Unto Death and I Will Give You a Crown of Life’
Services were conducted in German well into the twentieth century, using a German Bible brought out from Germany by F. Seiffert. The remains of many Lutherans and some early settlers lie in the cemetery adjoining the church.
The first recorded burial is that of Louisa Seiffert, who died of pneumonia in 1860. Many of the headstones are scripted in German, commonly with: ‘Heir Ruhet in Got’ (Here rests in God).
Unfortunately, not all graves are marked and some records may have been burned when the manse at Germantown was razed by fire.
In 1996, the Department of Health approved the cemetery as a private burial ground, with a note, ‘the cemetery is well run’. This approval was rare in Victoria and, in-part, was an acknowledgement of centrality of church to the Lutheran ethos, and a separation in death would seem cruel. The bureaucracy was swayed by the devoutness and adherence to strict doctrine within the Lutheran social construct.
St Paul’s Lutheran Church Grovedale
and St David’s Freshwater Creek
A Brief History & Timeline
Incorporating words by Historian June Winter, G.F. Rossack, Robert Barras and Jonathon Hepner’s 150th Anniversary Commemoration booklet, 24 June 2004 and St Davids Pioneer Memorial Dedication Ceremony, 2 November 2008. Synopsis by Mike Seaman, 2025.
The history of St Paul’s Lutheran Church Grovedale and St David’s at Freshwater Creek is one of shared geography but differing doctrinal beliefs, all set in a foreign landscape settled by devout, yet persecuted, Lutherans from Prussia and Silesia. Though distinct in their identity, their evolvement is intrinsically shared and celebrated.
Early German Settlers
Dr Alexander Thomson (1800-1866), became Geelong’s first Mayor in 1851, and further as Mayor from 1855-57. He played an important part in the development of early Geelong, notably bringing out ten Lutheran families from Prussia and Silesia, comprising 37 people, who were fleeing from religious and political persecution. They arrived in Australia on board the ‘Emmy’ on 19 December 1849 and settled about 7km south of Geelong, in a settlement later known as Germantown (this name changed to Grovedale on 3 December 1915 during WW1). Alternative names were Gardenhill, Fairview, Cornwall and Bridges.
From 1849 to 1854 the families grew from 10 to 20, with divine services being held in the settlers’ homes. In 1854 they bought a piece of land in what is now Church Street, and established a cemetery, which exists to this day.
Also, on this land in 1854, they built a mud-wall hut with thatched roof, thus establishing the first Lutheran Day School in Victoria. By 1856, it accommodated 50 pupils under the first teacher, Mr. J. Stranger from 1854-58.
In 1864, the school was supplanted by the Grovedale State School in Bailey Street, on land donated by former teacher, Mr Robert Renzow, who served the Lutheran community as organist, choirmaster, and notably as treasurer for 61 years and trustee for 55 years.