Robin Starr from Wauchope Uniting Church writes:
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What do you do when you turn 40 years old? You celebrate! That’s just what the Uniting Church in Australia will be doing, all across Australia this week, having turned 40 years of age this week.
Wauchope and District, which includes the congregation at Comboyne, are holding a special service of worship on Sunday June 25 at 9am, with Rev John Thornton as a guest preacher.
Rev Thornton is our Mid North Coast Presbytery Chairperson. The Service will be followed by morning tea, leading to an early lunch to which we invite the community to join with us.
Thinking back, the first Wauchope Uniting Church Minister of the word was inducted at the inaugural Service of Worship held in the Wauchope High School Auditorium and attended by many dignitaries of the day.
There was a very large community gathering to welcome this first wholly Australian grown Church. Rev Eric Main transferred from the High Street Presbyterian Church on its closure to become our first Minister at Wauchope.
Other Ministers who served our Church faithfully have been Rev Victor Nightingale who sadly died whilst in Office. The late Rev David Taylor was with us for 10 years and he was followed by the Rev Bill Paul and Rev John Queripel who each held a 10 year tenure.
Rev Rosalind Bond came to us as an International Interim Minister for one year, helping us grow to be a self-sufficient Church family able to praise and worship the Lord.
We were fortunate to receive the joint capabilities of Rev Dr John Squires and Rev Elizabeth Raine in a shared ministry with the Mid North Coast Presbytery, who were with us for six years.
As this time, we are managing worship and outreach ourselves with the support of guest preachers, continuing the wonderful weekly meals program, the Youth Group and KUCA Club, all taking place each Friday.
We join with our Comboyne family once a month to worship together.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Gordon Toms, our church treasurer for 40 years, and Russell Graves, a lay preacher for 70 years, a wonderful man of God.
Time marches on, people come and go, but the love of the Lord is steadfast and His grace and mercy sustain us in good and bad times.
There is a publication available for $20 entitled “Faith in the Future” the Wauchope Methodist and Uniting Church, a history from the early days.