February 2004

The History of the Baptist Church

Speaker: Ray Moore

Since Ray retired he’s had two main interests in life: history and family history. China was his country of birth and from where he’d recently returned from a 2 week trip - he was still smiling.

About two years ago Ray was in a Church business meeting when the centenary was mentioned and he put his hand up to write a history of the Baptist Church. He soon discovered that there were no archives as such but lots of archival items, and that’s where the interest lay.

He discovered a document outlining the first 80 years, which was called ‘History of the Baptist Church 1904-1908’, but early minute books state November, 1903 as the date of the first services. Nonetheless, the document had a lot of good material in it.

Minute books were a great primary source for information and included Deacon and Church meeting minutes. There were some minute books missing - the Baptist Church was not as hierarchical as the Church of England or Catholic Church, and so their democratic approach meant that with the turnover of office bearers, there was no central storage. Ray has made archival cupboards in order to preserve future history.

Ray entitled his book An Ordinary Church in the Country. He felt this was appropriate as it encapsulated the sense of modesty and pride that was the Baptist Church in Traralgon. The cover was watermarked with a picture of the congregation and a picture on an easel that stated "God wields his brush to change the ordinary into the extraordinary".

The history of Traralgon was the setting for the book and from there it detailed the people of the Church, such as Mr Doran who had a horse and buggy and would collect children for Sunday School (during the 1930s the Church had missions and all the children in the area would go along and sing); Rev. Cooper who, during WWI, visited North Carlton Baptist Church - the Secretary reported that he brought back "a message of sympathy with us in our endeavour to extend the kingdom in this district"; Pastor Miner, during the 1920s, came to Traralgon with a wife, who passed away at Cumnock Hospital; the Christian Endeavour Organisation, who would allocate roles like leading meetings or writing - the group maintained a fine balance of structure and form while maintaining their individual freedom of spiritual expression; Mr Treharne, who became Secretary during the ministry of Mr Webb, was given a vote of no confidence for speaking out of turn but who appeared at the next meeting in a different role; and Ian Gook whose vote of no confidence wasn’t passed as it didn’t reach a two-thirds majority, but about whom there is barely any history.

The Church bought property on the corner of Church and Hotham street that went all the way down to the CWA and Morley’s. In the 1950s they talked about rebuilding and hence bought the Kay Street block where the Church is now.

Ray pointed out that the book had not been written but compiled by him, and that the project has since inspired him to write poetry and all kinds of ‘stuff’.