By Sylvia Luke
For more than 150 years the Macarthur community has held a continual church service at the current Uniting Church.
That will come to an end in June when a final service is held at the church in Victoria’s Western District.
We’ve held first communions, baptisms, weddings and funerals and welcomed and farewelled many clergy over the years.
There were Sunday School concerts, harvest festivals and the Christmas festivities.
Like many rural settings, the settlement of returned soldiers during the 1950s increased their populations and schools and churches were full to overflowing.
Macarthur was no different. Families were born and children raised. Over the years the families (Catholic, Anglican and Uniting faiths) have outgrown the area and moved away, and employment has changed, so that today our community is very different.
When the Catholic and Anglican churches closed, we came together in worship at the Uniting Church and since 2015 have held ecumenical Catholic, Anglican and Uniting services.
Collectively we worshipped together, led by each denomination’s leaders.
Instead of five worshippers in each church, we had 15 meeting together under one roof. Â It has been a great and successful achievement in walking together in faith, love and caring for each other and, above all, tolerance and mutual acceptance of sameness and differences in the presentation of faith.
With ageing members, ill health, fewer ministers/priests (Uniting, Anglican and Catholic) and lay preachers able to lead service, the decision has been made to close.
Our final service in the Macarthur Uniting Church will be held on Sunday, June 21 at 2pm.
More information about the final service is available on 0419 541099 or by email at sylvialuke767@gmail.com
Sylvia Luke is Macarthur Uniting Church’s Secretary