Wesley Uniting Church, Melbourne

Highlights of our history

Henry Reed

Henry Reed was a businessman and Methodist lay preacher in Tasmania. He visited Melbourne in 1835, soon after Batman and Fawkner arrived, and conducted the first worship service in the new colony. The congregation was five people: Batman, Fawkner and three Sydney aborigines.

Joseph Orton

Joseph Orton was a Wesleyan minister who had been imprisoned in Jamaica in 1828, because he had strongly opposed slavery and offered education to African slaves.
He was District Chairperson in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) 1836-40. He visited Melbourne in 1836, and on April 24, he conducted the first service by an ordained minister in the colony.
He stressed that aboriginal people must be treated justly, and that substantial land must be reserved for their use.

The first church

By 1838, there was a Wesleyan society of about 30 people, meeting in a small brick church on the corner of Swanston St & Flinders Lane. They were led by lay preachers, including:
George Lilley, an Irish settler who ran a small shop,
Thomas Watson, a Waterloo veteran who ran a water-carting business, and
William Witton, the first class leader.

The second church

They soon outgrew the first chapel, and a second brick church, 47 ft x 57 ft, was built in 1841 on the corner of Collins St & Queen St.
The organ installed in 1842, is now in the present church.

Daniel Draper

Daniel Draper was superintendent in Melbourne, 1855 - 1865. Under his leadership, the present large gothic church in Londsdale St was build, in spite of much opposition.
Draper died in 1865, returning from Britain in 1865, the "London", a steamship, was disabled in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. As the ship slowly sank over two days, he conducted a prayer meeting to enable people to prepare for death.

The present church

Wesley Church in Lonsdale St was opened on August, 1858. Daniel Draper insisted on an elegant gothic design, which was contrary to Methodist practice at the time. The architect was Joseph Reed, who also designed many notable buildings in Melbourne, including the Town Hall, the Public Library and the Exhibition Buildings, as well as Collins St Baptist Church, Scots Church and the Independent Church (now St Michael's).

Moy Ling and the Gospel Hall

Moy Ling was a young Chinese interpreter converted to Christianity. With the support of Wesley Church he established a mission in Little Burke St in 1872, and opened a Gospel Hall in 1872. That Congregation has now outgrown its building and worships in Wesley Church. Moy Ling was ordained by the Methodist Conference in 1877, and continued to minister for over 30 years.

Mrs Varcoe, the first Biblewoman

Wesley Church was located near "Little Lon", the poorest part of Melbourne. In 1884, the Home Mission Society appointed Mrs Varcoe as a Biblewoman to work with people suffering serious poverty. Along with Christian counselling, she would provide money for rent, food and clothing. She founded Livingstone House, a home for homeless boys in Drummond St, Carlton. Sadly, we have been unable to find her first name.

By 1888, there were eight Biblewomen working in the inner city.

The Central Methodist Mission

In 1893, with Melbourne's worst slums crowding around the church, the Conference declared Wesley to be the Central Methodist Mission, and appointed Alexander Edgar as its first Superintendent. That Mission, now called Wesley Mission Melbourne, has grown into one of Melbourne's largest non-profit social welfare agencies. It now offers community services in many parts of Melbourne, with headquarters on this site.

Alexander Edgar

Alexander Edgar had been a strong advocate of both evangelism and social activism in all his placements. In 1893, he began the tradition of the "Pleasant Sunday afternoon", where speakers would be invited on major public issues. His advocacy of fair wages led to him being appointed chair of the first Victorian wages board. In his time it was said that "services at Wesley were ritualistic in the morning, socialistic in the afternoon and evangelistic at night". Alexander Edgar commonly held the evening services in the open air, or in a theatre. He commonly used magic lantern slides in these services.

The Princess Mary Club

The Princess Mary Club was built in 1926 to provide accommodation in the city for young women who would otherwise be unable to receive tertiary education. This continued until about 1970.

Irving Benson

Irving Benson was superintendent of Wesley Mission (1926-67). He continued the "Pleasant Sunday Afternoon" program, where major public figures spoke on current issues. This program was broadcast on radio for many years. Prime Minister Robert Menzies was a frequent speaker on this program. He was also a trustee of the National Gallery and the State Public Library. His conservative public views were often in conflict with those of the Methodist Church. He received an honorary D.D. from the University of Toronto in 1939, and was knighted in 1963. He retired in 1967 and died in 1980.

Arthur Preston

Arthur Preston was sixth superintendent of Wesley Mission (1968-81). Under his guidance, the Mission closed many of its institutions, including the Princess Mary Club, and replaced them with greatly expanded services in the community. He was also a campaigner for world peace, and strongly opposed Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War.

Church Union

The Uniting Church in Australia was formed in 1977, by union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches. Some years later stained glass windows were added to show John Calvin of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, and Isaac Watts of the Congregational tradition.

In the years following Union, there was a minister of the Congregation and a Superintendent of the Mision. The Ministers of the Congregation were:

• Barry Brown (1978-87), who brought an emphasis on the healing ministry.
• Robin Boyd (1988-95), who brought ecumenical experience of the church in North India and Ireland.
• Robert Gribben (1995-97), who emphasised the value of good liturgy conducted well, and
• Peter Gador-Whyte (1998-2001), who inspired the series of Stations of the Cross in the various churches of the city, to express the unity of the faith.

Over the same years, the Mission Superintendents were Arthur Preston (1968-81), Kevin Green (1982-2001), and Tim Langley (1998-2001).

Separation of Mission and Congregation

Following a period of controversy, largely over plans to establish a primary care health facility for drug-dependant people on the site, Wesley Church and Wesley Mission were separated into two distinct bodies.

Jason Kioa

Jason Kioa, who was born in Tonga, became minister at Wesley in 2002. He did much to enhance the multicultural emphases of the Congregation. He left in 2006 to become the Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

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