Congregational Church, Mayne Street, Gulgong
behind the Robert Simcoe & Co. Store
Source: State Library of NSW
In 1866 meetings were held, which led to the formation of a Congregational Union for New South Wales ... This Union adopted for its fundamental principle that of the Congregational Union of England and Wales.—“ That the Union of Congregational Churches is founded on a full recognition of their own distinctive principle,—namely, the scriptural right of every separate Church to maintain perfect independence in the government and administration of its own particular affairs, and therefore that the Union shall not in any case assume legislative authority, or become a Court of Appeal.”
The Union holds its meetings twice every year—April and October; the October meeting being held always in Sydney.
CHURCHES DATE OF FOUNDATION. PASTOR.
Bathurst 1871 S. J. Green
Gulgong 1871 J. Trevor
NEWS ITEMS
1871 - TENDERS
Tenders will be received up to 12 o'clock of the 26th instant, for the Building of a Congregational Church at Gulgong. The structure to be of wood. Plans and specifications may be seen at the residence of Rev. T. JOHNSON, 226, Albion-street, Surry Hills, to whom tenders are to be sent.
The lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted.
1871 - Congregational Church
On Sunday 11th February, The Rev John Grahame of Sydney will hold the opening services of the new
Congregational Church in Queen Street near Woods & Co. The church is a neat commodious building, made to order in Sydney and fitted together in Gulgong. Its iron roof is ventilated at the ridge. There are a number of large windows. The pastor, the Rev J. Trevor has been resident in Gulgong for some months. The erection of this handsome church ought to lead to other denominations taking steps to improve their houses of worship.
Source: Gulgong Guardian, Issue No 51, 3 February 1872
1873 - MARRIAGES
On the 26th November, at the Congregational Church, Gulgong, by the Rev. J. Trevor, JOHN WILLIAM of Canadian, near Gulgong, eldest son of JOHN DAWMAN, Colchester, Essex, England, to MARGARET ANN, second daughter of WILLIAM WILLIAMS, of Sydney, New South Wales.
1874 - [EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE]
On Tuesday evening last the Revs. Messrs. Greenwood and Woolnough, a deputation from the Educational League, held a meeting in the Congregational Church, Gulgong, for the purpose of forming a branch on this gold-field. Mr. John M'Laughlin presided, and there was a good attendance. The chairman and both the rev. gentleman addressed the meeting, but it is unnecessary to report their speeches at length, for the same arguments which have been employed at numerous other meetings and published were necessarily used here. Mr. Woolnough emphatically contradicted a rumour to the effect that he and his colleague were lecturing for hire. They accept no remuneration, not even from the League, but pay their own expenses and work for love, because they are sincerely impressed with the truth of the principles they advocate. Votes of thanks were accorded to the deputation and the chairman, and responded to. A committee of management was appointed, with Mr. M'Laughlin as secretary, and a numerous list of names were enrolled.
Dear Sirs,— A correspondent in your issue of the 13th May, is rather anxious to uphold the lives and character of the priesthood as men who have dedicated themselves to the service of the Most High, who forego the pleasures of married life, who sacrifice the name of father, and who vow never to press to their heart that being a wife.
Now, I am not going to run down all priests as bad, yet there are priests who are not serving God as they should do; and that there are priests who, if they "forego the comforts of married life," are base enough to press to their vile hearts the wives and daughters of other men; and with your permission, Sirs, I will zrelate a case in point:—
There lately lived at this place, (Home Rule), a young girl, of sweet seventeen, rather good looking, who had returned home one day from her confessional duties, and told her mother, that the priest had committed a most diabolical outrage on her, that he had taken liberties of the worst kind, in fact, so bad, that she refused to tell the matter to any but her own sex. When the girl told her mother what the priest had done, the mother would not listen to her story, and swore to take her life if she circulated any such report about this holy man of God. I may here mention that this priest is held in high esteem by the daughters of Mother Church.
Well, Sirs, this poor girl confided her secrets to a Protestant friend, but the cat soon came out of the bag, which made the girl's life at home worse than a dog; so much so, that she left her roof. She was married by the Rev. —— and now enjoys the comforts of a good home, and has become a member of the Congregational Church of Gulgong. Her parents and all former friends treat her as an outcast, and outside the pale of salvation.
The husband of this young woman was also a Roman Catholic, but has joined the same church with his wife, and says that he gets more consolation in one sermon from Mr. —— than all the "rubbish" he ever heard from the priests. Since this man has become a convert, he has told some awful tales about the priests and their little games with nuns, and others on the continent; in fact, only the other day he wrote a long letter to our local gun, exposing the doings of the priesthood in France and other places, but the editor is too illiberal to open his columns for the exposure of anything done within the pale of Mother Church.
I did hear the Protestant Standard is to be favoured with a copy of the letter, if so, your readers will get a treat. Should this priest be intended for promotion, which we hear is not unlikely, would it not be well to reunite the text, "a Bishop who should be blameless, the husband of one wife, &c."
I remain, yours, FACTS.
Home Rule, May 20th, 1876.
1881 - PRESENTATION TO A CLERGYMAN.
On Thursday last the Reverend J. Trevor, pastor of the Congregational Church at Gulgong, was the recipient of an illuminated address and purse of sovereigns, presented to him by the members of his congregation. The reverend gentleman suitably acknowledged the gift.
