Congregational Church - Site

Statement of Significance

The Congregational Church site marks the place of the first place of worship in Nungarin, and also the place of the first educational instruction. The site therefore has heritage significance for the town and the district.

History

The original church was a small weatherboard structure which was opened by Reverend R.G.Potts at a special service on Sunday 19th January 1913.
The Congregational Mission Hall, as it was known, was immediately offered to the Education Department for use as a school. The offer was timely, as in the same month, a petition calling for the provision of a school had been circulated to parents.
In June 1913, the first Nungarin school was opened in the Congregational building. The first teacher was Miss Clarice Muriel Creagh, daughter of a local farming family, who later became Mrs Gus Herbert.
The old building functioned as the worship centre for the Congregational Church until the new building was constructed in 1958. This second church was opened in April by the Chairman of the Congregational Union, Mr Lang.
In 1966 the original weatherboard building was demolished and new Sunday School rooms erected on the site.
The new brick building eventually suffered structural decline, and the closing service was held on Sunday 6th March 1988.
The church was demolished, and it was planned that the materials would be used to build a chapel at the Uniting Church Daybreak Camp at Baker's Hill.
The Sunday School was used as meeting rooms for Nungarin Rural Youth until that group went into recess.
Some years later, the Sunday School building was donated to the Anglican communion, and jinkered to its present site at Lot 68 First Avenue, adjacent to the Anglican Church. The building has been renovated and is used as a church meeting room, and as the offices for Wheatbelt Agcare, a Christian counselling service.
The old Congregational Church site is now vacant.

Condition

Site only

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.