Methodist Church
The first Methodist services in Katanning were held at the old Government School (now part of the Historical Society Museum) from 1903 until the opening of the new church in 1905.
Opening of the Methodist Church
The former Methodist Church (pictured above) has some social and historical significance, as it is an early example of religion in the community and a reminder of the many Methodists who settled in Katanning. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Wesley Maley on Wednesday, 4 October, 1905.
The church was officially opened on Wednesday, 6 December, 1905 by Mrs Robinson with the dedication taking place on Sunday, 10 December, 1905 by Reverend T. A. James.
The architectural integrity of the building has been hindered somewhat by the blocking off of the original entry, the additions to the rear and the removal of nearly all the original internal fittings and fixtures. The building was re-opened in 2001.
The building is in Gothic style with a gabled roof, pier buttresses and lancet arched windows. The exterior walls are tuck-pointed, red brick, cement rendered on the lower half and the roof is of corrugated iron. There are two additions to the rear, dating from 1919 and c1930. The interior fixtures such as the pews, altar and pulpit, were removed when the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches amalgamated. (inHerit website)
The original interior wood carvings were done by local carpenter, E A Rogers, identified by his carved mouse insignia. The original church building was 41ft in length by 26 ft wide, and had coloured cathedral glass windows.
Methodist Church c1930
At the time it was opened services were also being conducted at Carrolup and Moojebing by Rev. Albert Moyle and plans were under way for services to be held at Broomehill and Langaweira (a farming property 25kms south-east of Katanning).
MANSE
A manse was constructed at 17 Carew Street and, from its opening on 17 February 1909, it continued to serve the ministers and their families for 50 years.
Opening of the Methodist Manse
Eventually, as was the overall trend, the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches amalgamated to form the Uniting Church and the congregation moved into the Presbyterian Church in 1972.
The building was used for a while as the Autumn Club a senior citizens’ club. It was also used again for a short while as the Wesleyan Church and is now vested in the Katanning Historical Society.
CLASSROOM BUILDING
Katanning Methodist Church.
FOUNDATION STONE CEREMONY.
Great Southern Herald
6 December 1919 – P3
To meet the growing demands of the Church and Sunday School the trustees of the Methodist Church are erecting class rooms and a vestry at the rear of the present building and, on Saturday afternoon last, a large number of persons assembled to witness the laying of the foundation stone by Mr. E. Gilbert.
The first part of the ceremony took place in the church, the congregation joining in the singing of the hymn “This Stone to Thee in Faith We Lay.” After the devotional exercises the congregation gathered round the site of the new building, where a suitably inscribed stone, the gift of Mr. C. J. Gunter, was waiting to be placed in position.
The Rev. Harry Moore briefly traced ‘the growth of the church, and the need for the extra accommodation, and then requested Mr. Gilbert to perform the ceremony of laying the stone. A copy of the local papers, together with a preachers’ plan and some coins, was placed in a bottle and put in a cavity at the rear of the stone. After the declaration, “I declare this stone well and truly laid to the Glory of God,” an appeal was made by the treasurer, Mr. Bird, for donations towards the building. A most gratifying response was made and, at the close of afternoon tea, the treasurer announced that the sum of £150 had been subscribed.
The new building, which is to be a substantial one, is being erected by Mr. E. Rogers, and provision is made for a comfortable vestry with fireplace, an adult Bible Class Room, a large kindergarten room 26 x 10, and a kitchen.
Twenty One Years in Katanning
21st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.
A SUCCESSFUL BANQUET.
Great Southern Herald
9 October, 1926
Exactly twenty-one years ago last Monday the foundation stone of the Katanning Methodist Church was laid by Mrs. Wesley Maley, and with a view to commemorating the “coming of age” of the church building a banquet, which took place in the Town Hall, was arranged.
Close on 100 persons, including representatives of the sister churches and public bodies, attended the function, the chair being occupied by the Rev. J, Albert Andrews. At about 6.46 p.m., a blessing having been asked, all present sat down to a sumptuous repast, which was served to the guests in a most appetising manner by the ever-ready Ladies’ Guild, assisted by members of the Girls’ Club, who waited at the tastefully decorated tables.
During the soiree of the dinner, the Rev. Andrews read a list of greetings received from those who for business and other reasons were unable to be present. Among these were letters and wires from the following: – Revs. C. E. Butler, Harry Moore, David Dundas, W. R. Lang, H. Robins, T. Pollard James, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Mills and the Chairman of the District, the Rev. Percy Watsford.
The toast of “His Majesty the King” having been honoured with sincere enthusiasm, Mr. W. P. Bird rose to propose the toast of “Our Pioneers.” Methodism, he said, always had and always would be a pioneering religion, and during the past twenty-one years the people of the Katanning district had been given ample proof that such was the case. He referred to the times when the Rev. J. Weir had to travel either by sulky or on horseback from Albany to Wagin.
The church had been greatly assisted in its pioneering work in this district by local preachers, the foremost of whom was perhaps Mr. W. E. Richmond. Others mentioned for their sterling services in the early days were Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Wise, Mrs. Houston, Miss Richmond. Miss Hickey, Mr. Gratwick, Mr. Hoglin, Mr. Richmond, Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Wanke. Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Mills, Mr. and Mrs. John Pemble, Mr. and Mrs. E. Gilbert, and Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Warren. Through the efforts of these great workers the local church had been placed in its present strong position.
Mr. Bird announced that the trustees had under consideration a proposal to acquire a valuable property in the town with a view to erecting a new and more commodious church building, the necessity of which, he asserted, was apparent at practically any Sunday evening service.
In the course of his remarks in reply to the toast of “Our Pioneers.” which was drunk in a most hearty fashion, Mr. W. E. Richmond reminded bis listeners that it was the main plank of the Methodist faith to go into the back spaces to teach the Word of God. In 1901, when he came to Katanning, there was no Methodist church, but two years later the Rev. J. Weir was sent from Albany, the first service being held in the old Government school on the 12th July, 1903. Stipends in those days were not to be compared to the salaries paid to ministers at the present time, while collections at the widely scattered centres did not represent a very substantial sum.
The Rev. W. R. Lang was the first to introduce the idea of building a church at Katanning. and through the generosity of the late Messrs. John and Herbert Robinson in donating a site, the local followers were enabled to go ahead, the foundation stone being laid by Mrs. Wesley Maley on October 4. 1905.
In 1907, the Rev. J. Robins, the first married minister was sent. The manse in those days being the building at present occupied by Mrs. Houston.
Mr. Richmond went on to speak of the progress of the district. He felt that the Methodist Church had kept with the times and had fulfilled the cause for which it had come into being. his concluding remarks being “something has been attempted and something has been done through the Grace of God.”
As one of the trustees, Mr. J. F. Wanke said he knew the difficulties that had been confronted and overcome. They had cause to be grateful for the success that had attended their efforts in the past, and he urged all churchmen to unite In the great work and look forward with hope to the future.
The honour of proposing the toast of “The Methodist Church” fell to Mr. F. G. Joy, who prefaced his remarks by quoting, from a cyclopaedia, the following short paragraph dealing with John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist faith: –
“John Wesley was the founder of a great religious communion of the people called Methodists, and the son of a clergyman of the Anglican Church. Taking orders himself in 1735, be went to Georgia as a missionary and allied himself with the Moravians, but later he abandoned all ecclesiastical traditions, and established on a wonderfully devised basis, the connexion called by his name. His own open-air preaching was powerful in the extreme, his energy and depth of purpose inspiring, and his organising ability exceptional. He accomplished a great work of revivication, taking the world as his parish, and profound as was his conviction of his high calling as an evangelist, John Wesley builded better than he knew in rearing the denominational edifice which is the monument of his faith and strength.”
In referring to the above, Mr. Joy pointed out that charity should be practiced outside just as much, if not more, than inside the home without this spirit the church could not prosper.
An apology for the non-attendance of the Rev. P. Watsford was tendered by the Rev. J. Albert Andrews when he rose to reply to the toast. He felt sure that the peoples of all nations had reason to be grateful for the day when John Wesley made his mighty contribution to the Empire. He prayed for union with the sister churches and trusted that the bleeding of God would be on the church and used for the salvation of the people.
The toast of “Sister Churches” was proposed by Mr. H. A. Stevens, who referred to the fact that all were working with the one object in view and in the closest harmony. Such a state of affairs could not help but reflect back on the civic life of the town and district generally, and to the churches he attributed in no mean measure the happy and prosperous state of Katanning to-day.
The Rev. J. R. Thrum (Presbyterian), expressed gratification at being asked to respond to such a toast. He claimed an intimate knowledge of the church affairs of Katanning in the early days and dropped rather a bombshell when he announced that even as far back as 1895 the Rev. Mausen conducted Methodist services at centres, including Katanning, lying between Beverley and Albany.
He commended the person responsible for including the toast of “Sister Churches,” and stated that such a way of expressing the relationship between the various sects was true to the fundamental principles of Christianity.
A full endorsement of the foregoing remarks was made by Rev. F. Potter (Baptist). He was not surprised to hear from Mr. W. P. Bird that the trustees had great plans for the future, and he voiced a profound hope that their highest ambitions would be realised, contending that any religious institution which sought to make and maintain better men was blessed by God and bore the goodwill of all other followers of the Great Faith.
The toast of “Our Town” was proposed and dealt with in a very able manner by Mr. C. J. Gunter, and replied to by Messrs. F. Bowden, representing the Road Board, and Jos. Ladyman.
Reference was made to the wonderful part the ladies had played in the advancement of the Katanning branch of the Methodist Church by Mr. Garman when he rose to propose the toast of “Our Ladles,” which was replied to in a very brief but earnest manner by Mrs. E. Gilbert.
The last toast of the evening, “The Press,” was dealt with by Rev. Andrews, and replied to by Messrs. G. Doak (“Southern Districts Advocate“) and C. Lavater (“Great Southern Herald“).
During intervals between the speech’s, songs were rendered by Messrs. H. D. Archer and J. Holmes and appreciated by all present. Before dispersing, a beautiful birthday cake standing three tiers high was cut by Mrs. J. Wanke, senr., and handed round to the guests. The singing of the Doxology brought a very happy and memorable gathering to a close.
PAST NEWS REPORTS
THE METHODIST CHURCH.
Great Southern Herald
9 May, 1903
The Rev. J. Weir, who was recently appointed to the superintendency of the Great Southern Methodist Mission and who has with him the Rev. F. J. Morrell, arrived in Katanning on Tuesday last. It was felt at the Conference of the Methodist Church, held in Perth last March, that a ”Forward Movement” along the Great Southern line was an urgent necessity if Methodism in the West were to be true to her traditions, besides which letters were constantly being received from the settlers in the southern parts urging the Church to look after them.
In pursuit of this duty Messrs Weir and Morrell were set apart for this work. The district to be covered by this Mission extends from Beverley on the one hand to Broome Hill on the other and is intended to serve all the outlying districts on either side of the line. It is hoped that in the near future that it will be practicable to place a minister at Beverley, Narrogin, Wagin and Katanning with one of the two latter towns as the settled residence of the superintendent, the Rev. J. Weir.
Mr Weir, who has had considerable experience in the pioneering work involved in a Mission of this character, was stationed at Kalgoorlie in 1896-97, in Perth in 1898, in North Melbourne, Victoria, in 1899 and 1900, and returned, to Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie during 1901 and 1902.
He has been much encouraged by the rapid developments of this Great Southern district and the heartiness of welcome accorded him by the various communities amongst whom he has travelled.
His purpose, he expressly states, is simply to look after his own people and to work fraternally with the sister churches. This is as it should be, and we fully concur with the fraternal nature of the sentiments expressed. The rapid settlement taking place along this Great Southern line justifies the principle for which, the Methodist Church has become famous – that of adapting herself to the needs of the community in which she is placed, and of following the settler with ministrations to the most remotely placed part.
There is a very big sphere here for her operations, a sphere which we think will be vigorous worked under the energetic superintendency of the Rev. J. Weir.
We learn that he proposes to rent some suitable building in this town and in Wagin, and at once establish regular services throughout the district. In the interest of the district we give him a hearty welcome. The more northern part of Mission has, to some extent, been already settled. The arrangements for regular services have been placed in the hands, of the Rev. H. J. Morrell who will regularly visit and conduct services at Pingelly, Narrogin, Cuballing, Wolwolling, Williams, Wickepin, Mourambine and Daylerking.
Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, at a recent function in the Old Land, said that a good churchman seemed to mean one who detested non-conformity, and to be a good non-conformist meant one who reciprocated the aversion from the Church, while the good Roman Catholic heartily disliked them all.”
We are glad to think that in this district the clerical gentlemen have no time for such smallness and, with Mr Weir, are so far befit on the forwarding the best interests of the community. The Churches have almost all contributed to posterity, men whose labours and self-sacrifice for their fellow’s demand respect, from Father Damien to the late Hugh Price Hughes, and the toilers both with muscle and with brain cannot afford to ignore the institution which with all her faults (such as any humanly controlled institution must have), yet in some sort “Points to Heaven” and leads the way.
About the Methodist Movement
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity which derive their doctrine of practice and belief from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John’s brother Charles Wesley were also significant early leaders in the movement. It originated as a revival movement within the 18th-century Church of England and became a separate denomination after Wesley’s death. The movement spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond because of vigorous missionary work, today claiming approximately 80 million adherents worldwide. Continue reading
John Wesley
(17 June] 1703 – 2 March 1791)
was an English cleric, theologian and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day. Continue reading