Pilgrim Uniting Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pilgrim Uniting Church
34°55′37″S 138°36′03″E / 34.926891°S 138.600926°E / -34.926891; 138.600926
Location	Flinders Street, Adelaide, South Australia
Country	Australia
Denomination	Uniting (since 1977)
Previous denomination	Congregational (1865 – 1977)
History
Former name(s)	Stow Memorial Church Union Church in the City
Status	Church
Founded	7 February 1865 (1865-02-07)
Dedication	Rev. Thomas Quinton Stow
Dedicated	12 April 1867
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Robert George Thomas
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Specifications
Capacity	1,500
Materials	Glen Osmond stone
Administration
Synod	South Australia

Pilgrim Uniting Church is a Uniting church in Adelaide, South Australia. You can find it on Flinders Street.

The church believes in social justice. This means working for fairness and equality for everyone. This idea guides much of the church's work. Pilgrim Church also has music programs for the public. It is home to the largest organ in Adelaide.

Church History

Early Beginnings: Pirie Street Wesleyan Church

The church community started at the Gawler Place Wesleyan Chapel. The first minister at the Pirie Street location was Daniel Draper. The first church service there happened on October 19, 1852.

William Bowen Chinner was the organist and choirmaster at Pirie Street for many years. He worked there from 1869 until about 1899. Later, his nephew, Norman Chinner, took on the same roles starting in 1939.

Stow Memorial Church: A New Start

The very first Congregational chapel in South Australia was a temporary building. It was located on North Terrace. George Strickland Kingston designed a new building for the church. This building was in Freeman Street, which is now Gawler Place. Later, the church community moved to the Flinders Street site.

The Stow Memorial Church is at 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide. It was named after Reverend Thomas Quinton Stow. He led the first church service in a tent in Adelaide in October 1837. The first stone for the church was laid on February 7, 1865. The first worship service in the new building was on April 12, 1867. The first minister was Cadwallader William Evan. James Shakespeare was the organist for 45 years.

Becoming Pilgrim Church

On June 1, 1969, the Pirie Street Methodist and Stow Memorial churches joined together. They formed a new church called the Union Church in the City. In November 1975, the church changed its name again to Pilgrim Church. The community officially joined the Uniting Church when it began in 1977.

Church Buildings

Pirie Street Building

The first stone for the Pirie Street Wesleyan Chapel was laid on July 15, 1850. Henry Stuckey designed this church. After Stuckey passed away in 1851, Edmund Wright finished the building.

After the two churches merged, the Adelaide City Council bought the Pirie Street building. It was torn down in 1976. Edmund Wright also designed the Methodist Meeting Hall. This hall was built in 1862. It is the only part left of the Pirie Street property. Today, it is part of the Adelaide Town Hall complex.

Flinders Street Building

The first stone for Stow Memorial Church was laid on February 7, 1865. It is located at 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide. Robert George Thomas designed the church in the Gothic Revival style. He was one of the first people to arrive in South Australia in 1836.

Stow Hall was built next to the church in 1872. It is at 16 Flinders Street. This hall has been a popular place for amateur theatre shows.

Organs

The large organ in the Flinders Street church was first put in the Pirie Street building in 1855. The organ from Flinders Street was sold to St John's Lutheran Church in Malvern. Over the years, many improvements have been made to the Flinders Street organ. This has made it the biggest organ in South Australia.

Important People

Many notable people have been connected to Pilgrim Uniting Church and its earlier churches.

From Pirie Street Methodist Church

• Henry Adams
• John and Mary Colton
• John Langdon Bonython
• Daniel Draper
• Benjamin Gould
• Frank Hambly
• John Hill
• Henry Howard (Minister from 1902 to 1921)
• James Wedlock

From Stow Memorial Church

• Mostyn Evan
• William Roby Fletcher, a minister who started in 1876
• Matthew Goode
• William Muirden
• William Parkin
• Arthur William Piper
• James Zimri Sellar
• Thomas Hyland Smeaton
• Alfred Depledge Sykes, a minister from 1904 to 1906 and 1907 to 1913
• Charles Todd
• George Wright (1917–1975), a judge, was the son of a minister at this church.

From Pilgrim Uniting Church

• Judith Blake
• Thea Gaia
• Basil Hetzel
• Penny Wong

Laneway Name Change

In August 2022, the City of Adelaide changed the name of the laneway next to the church. It used to be called Pilgrim Lane. Now it is called Paul Kelly Lane. This is named after Paul Kelly. He is a famous musician who grew up in Norwood. This was the fourth time the council renamed a laneway to honor musicians from the city.

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