How about a haven of weekly worship? Town Well Uniting Church welcomes everyone each Sunday at 5 pm. It is located at 514-516 Melton Highway Sydenham.
Town Well Uniting Church is part of the Uniting Church in Australia. The Uniting Church formed in 1977. It was a union of the Methodist Presbyterian and Congregational churches.
Methodists were among the first European colonists in 1835. They arrived in the lands of the Kulin nations. Henry Reed was a lay preacher. He conducted prayers in the Methodist tradition. This happened from the first days of the colony that became Melbourne.
Rev Joseph Orton was the first ordained Methodist minister. He preached in Melbourne in April 1836. Orton stressed justice for Aboriginal people. He said substantial land must be reserved for them.
Daniel Draper came to Victoria in 1855. He was Chairman of Victoria for the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Draper was passionate about building churches. He pushed for an elegant gothic design for Wesley Church.
In 1838 a Wesleyan society met in a small brick church. It was on the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane. Lay preachers led them. They included George Lilley Thomas Watson and William Witton.
They soon outgrew the first chapel. A second brick church was built in 1841. It stood on the corner of Collins Street and Queen Street. The organ was installed in 1842. It is now in Wesley Church.
Wesley Church in Lonsdale Street opened in August 1858. Joseph Reed designed it. He also designed Melbourne Town Hall.
Moy Ling was a young Chinese interpreter. He converted to Christianity. He established a mission in Little Bourke Street in 1872. It was with the support of Wesley Church. Moy Ling was ordained in 1877. He ministered for over 30 years.
Mrs Emma Jane Varcoe was the first Biblewoman. She worked with people suffering poverty. This was near Little Lon the poorest part of Melbourne. She provided money for rent food and clothing. She founded Livingstone House for homeless boys.
In 1893 Wesley became the Central Methodist Mission. Alexander Edgar was its first Superintendent. Wesley Mission Melbourne grew into a large social welfare agency. It is now part of Uniting VicTas.
Alexander Edgar established a Sunday afternoon program. Speakers discussed major social issues. Edgar’s advocacy led him to chair the first Victorian wages board.
The Princess Mary Club was built in 1926. It provided accommodation for young women. This continued until about 1970.
Amid the Mission’s complexities Wesley Church and Wesley Mission separated in 2001. They became two distinct bodies.
Wesley Church was built in nine months. The architect Joseph Reed designed it. The church is in the English Gothic style. It takes the shape of a cross.
The church is 50.3 metres long from north to south. It is 23.5 metres wide at the transepts. The spire rises 53.3 meters above ground level.
Paintings by Rupert Bunny are inside Wesley Church. They are The Prodigal Son and Abraham’s Sacrifice. Bunny gave them to the church in 1934.
The organ was the first pipe organ in the colony. It arrived in Melbourne in 1842. It was moved to Wesley Church in 1858. Services were broadcast weekly from Wesley Church from 1924 to 1968.
Town Well Uniting Church carries on this legacy. It offers weekly services. It continues the tradition of community and faith. It stands as a beacon of hope. It provides a welcoming space for all.