The Bacchus Marsh Parish comprises three communities,
located in Bacchus Marsh, Pentland Hills and Parwan South.
All three congregations are in the process of seeking how to minister to and with their local communities. We are working out how we will operate within the new church structures and what our visions for mission are in the immediate, three and five year periods. We are searching for the best ways to meet peoples’ various worshiping needs and to reach everyone pastorally. A number of adult study groups exist in the Parish, with a variety of formats.
Our Elders are trying to work out the parameters of roles in the new structures. Elders’ Retreat Days are used to discuss these and other matters, and discern God’s vision for the future.
St.Andrew’s Uniting Church, Bacchus Marsh
The St. Andrew’s Church is centrally located in the town and its facilities are used every day by the Bacchus Marsh community and the surrounding district. St. Andrew’s is the venue for two weekly lunches, one (on Mondays) for seniors and one (”Soul Food”, on Wednesdays) for a variety of different people seeking to build community over a shared meal. We also host a large number of playgroups (one of which is part of our own congregation’s ministry with children). A Narcotics Anonymous group also meets at St. Andrew’s.
Bacchus Marsh is a lovely town with a long history of market gardening and farming. Turning off the Western Highway, 50 km from Melbourne, one drives between a beautiful avenue of elm trees honouring those who served in the first world war. On either side are orchards and wayside fruit stalls.
In recent years many farms close to Bacchus Marsh have been subdivided creating new housing in all directions so that the town now resembles a mat with uneven fringe around the edges. Particularly popular are housing sites on steep ground bordering the Pentland Hills.
Many of the newer residents have a background in the church, but find that family and sporting interests often take precedence over church involvement. There is a large core of mostly retired people who live in the older section of the town. These are very loyal and committed worshipers.
Also in our community, there is a block of government built housing. Many who live here are struggling financially and have family and employment problems. Distance from services adds to peoples’ isolation and general difficulties. Loneliness is a big factor in the lives of many in this town and district.
One of the strengths of our congregation is in the area of music. We have several excellent musicians and many enthusiastic and tuneful singers. We really enjoy singing! There is a willingness to try new tunes, consequently a variety of hymns and songs are enjoyed.
The churches of Bacchus Marsh enjoy excellent ecumenical relationships, with a number of community activities being jointly supported by the Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, and Uniting Churches: “The Neighbour’s Place” (a food bank), “Soul Food” (a weekly community lunch), an ecumenical Way of the Cross on Good Friday each year, an annual service of “Blessing of the Emergency Services”, an annual Advent Service of Remembrance (for those approaching Christmas following a bereavement), and Community Carols at a local shopping centre. There is also a small but active interfaith group seeking to build relationships among people of various faiths.
Pentland Hills Uniting Church, Myrniong
The Pentland Hills Church is a light on the hill and a centre for several ecumenical activities for the district, including a regular playgroup and a fortnightly lunch for seniors. The congregation gathers monthly to worship as an open and welcoming community of God’s people, seeking to grow in faith and serve God by reaching out to the wider community.
The Myrniong and surrounding district is changing from one based mainly on established farming families to be more based on rural lifestyle commuters. There has in recent times been a large - and continuing - influx of younger families with children.
Thelma Ross Memorial Church, Parwan South
The Parwan South Church, which is a very peaceful place in the midst of paddocks, gathers for worship twice a month. In addition to its worship centre, the congregation has a modern hall with good facilities. Part of our vision there is to make the facilities available to groups and individuals for Quiet Days for prayer and meditation.
Parwan is a sparsely populated farming district with gently undulating hills 10 km to the South of the town, towards Geelong.
