Giving thanks for St Paul’s, Ferryden Park
The St Paul’s Lutheran Church at Ferryden Park has always been a place of welcome and fellowship for Indigenous people when they have been visiting Adelaide, particularly those who were here for medical reasons.
The congregation first began meeting in an Anglican Church in Woodville Gardens in the 1940s before moving to Ferryden Park in 1953 where the church was built. In 1955 three huts were donated and these were used for the Sunday School, along with football and netball teams, youth and a ladies fellowship group.
During the 1980s the church building was upgraded and it was during this time that the Aboriginal Lutheran Fellowship linked up with St Paul’s Ferryden Park to begin having combined services. In 1988 a new church building was commenced and commissioned in 1989. The congregation also held services for the Cambodian and Ethiopian communities.
In 2007 the old brick hall was demolished and the current straw brick hall was built and the manse was built by the District.
There have been many outreach activities at St Paul’s including services for various cultural communities, Fred’s Van which provided food to many in the community, kid’s clubs, bus to collect people for Sunday worship and specific ministries for indigenous people. Additionally, there have been numerous community groups who have utilised the various spaces at Ferryden Park.
The closing service was a time of celebration with over 80 people attending, with some travelling from regional South Australia. Bishop Andrew Brook preached with Pastor Leon Rosenberg doing the liturgy, Michelle Nagel, chairperson spoke of the history. The Aboriginal Lord’s Prayer was sung, with other prayers also in language.
God has been busy and active in all of these times, with the congregation often baptising and welcoming indigenous families into the Kingdom of God.
We give thanks to God for the numerous people who have been part of the life of St Paul’s over many years. They have been blessed and have been a blessing to others. They have been faithful servants to the Lord.
Whilst the congregation has closed, there are continuing conversations with people in Adelaide and especially those from the West Coast and Central Australia about how we can continue to support Aboriginal Ministry within Adelaide. The bus service is continuing with people now travelling to St Stephen’s Adelaide for worship. We are not giving up, instead we are looking for a different way of connecting with people and serving them. If you would like to be involved in these conversations or would like to learn more about this ministry please email administration.sa-nt@lca.org.au
In the meantime, Marilyn Wall is managing the hiring of the building to various groups, hoping to raise the profile of the facilities and raise funds for Aboriginal ministry. If you would like to financially contribute to Aboriginal Ministry the bank details are: ABMinSA REG BSB 704942 Account 1000 39626
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