Celebrating God's Faithfulness: 103 Years of Epping Church of Christ
Looking Back with Gratitude. Looking Forward with Hope.
Every church has a story.
Some stories are written in old photographs and newspaper clippings. Others are remembered through treasured hymns, faithful volunteers, and generations of families who have called a church home. But above all, the story of Epping Church of Christ is God's story—a story of His faithfulness through every season.
As we celebrate another church anniversary, we pause to thank God for all He has done over the past 103 years. While our church family has changed greatly since 1923, one thing has remained constant:
God has always been faithful.
Whether you've been part of Epping Church of Christ for decades or have only recently joined our church family, we invite you to journey through some of the moments that have shaped who we are today.
A Church Born in Faith
Our story began on Sunday, 8 July 1923.
On a cold, wet winter's morning, a small group of believers gathered in the Lower Hall of the Epping School of Arts in Oxford Street for the very first service of what would become Epping Church of Christ. Some arrived with clothes soaked by the rain, but they came with hearts full of faith, convinced God was calling them to establish a Church of Christ in this growing community.
At the time, Epping itself was very different.
Before becoming known as Epping, the railway station had originally been called Field of Mars Station, before briefly being renamed Carlingford. It wasn't until 1899 that the township officially became Epping. Today, according to the 2021 Census, Epping is home to 29,681 people, with more than 60% born overseas and almost 66% speaking a language other than English at home. What a beautiful reminder that God has truly brought the nations to our neighbourhood.
The following Sunday, the weather improved and so did attendance. Before long, the young congregation had established Sunday School classes, evening services, a Dorcas Society, Junior Christian Endeavour, boys' clubs and tennis clubs. Even in those earliest days, the church understood that following Jesus meant more than gathering for worship—it meant building a community where people of every generation could grow together in Christ.
Building for Generations They Would Never Meet
By 1926, the congregation had purchased land on Bridge Street, where our church still stands today.
Our first full-time minister, Godfrey Fretwell, helped lead this exciting new chapter as plans were drawn for a permanent church building.
The proposed church was ambitious.
Designed by architect C. Clancy in the Romanesque style, it would be built using distinctive blue-faced bricks, topped with chocolate roof tiles, include a baptistry, seven Sunday School rooms, and seating for more than 200 people—despite the congregation having only 93 members. The total cost of purchasing the land, constructing the building and furnishing it was approximately £4,000, an extraordinary act of faith for such a young church.
When questioned about why such a large church was being built, foundation member Harold Edwards gave a reply that has echoed through every generation since:
"We wanted a building that would last."
Those words were never really about bricks and mortar.
They were about building a church that would faithfully proclaim Jesus long after its founders were gone.
On 7 April 1928, the congregation gathered for the laying of the commemorative foundation stones. Foundation member Thomas Gilmour Cosh was presented with a silver trowel to lay the first stone, while Godfrey Fretwell laid the second. During the ceremony, an offering of more than £249 was received toward the building fund—an extraordinary act of generosity for the time. The Eastwood and Epping Band led the congregation in worship, and newspapers affectionately referred to the new church as "The Cathedral of the Denomination."
Just a few months later, on 11 August 1928, five-year-old Doug Edwards was lifted by his father to unlock and open the front doors of the completed church. So many people attended the opening service that children gave up their seats, classrooms were opened, and the building overflowed with worshippers eager to celebrate what God had done.
Many of the church furnishings were gifts from generous members who wished to remain anonymous. Among them was a magnificent £250 organ, while the beautifully carved communion table, inscribed with the words "This do in remembrance of Me," was handcrafted by members and former members of the Boys' Club. Even the neighbouring cottage became the church's first manse.
Nearly one hundred years later, we still worship in that same building—a lasting testimony to the faith, vision and sacrifice of those early believers.
A Church That Loved Its Community
From its earliest days, Epping Church of Christ has looked beyond itself.
In 1926, the Dorcas Society organised a creative fundraising initiative known as the "Melting Snowball", helping raise money toward a £100,000 Cancer Research Appeal. Long before community outreach became a common phrase, our church family was already seeking practical ways to bless others.
That same heart continued through Sunday School, youth ministries, Boys' Brigade, church camps, sports teams, missions, hospitality and countless acts of quiet service.
Generations of families still remember camps at Stanwell Tops, Attunga, Eltham Park, Merroo and Vision Valley, where lifelong friendships were formed and faith was nurtured.
Sport also became a significant ministry. Beginning with cricket and soccer, the soccer programme grew so successfully that Epping eventually fielded two teams in the Protestant Churches Raahauge Cup. Under the leadership of Fred Bignall, who coached for 17 years, the club progressed through the divisions before reaching the Premier League in 1993.
Another cherished ministry was Playgroup. Through the dedication of many volunteers, and with Ron Hewitt championing the ministry, it became one of Epping Church of Christ's strongest connections with local mothers and young families, offering friendship, encouragement and practical support during the early years of parenting.
As the needs of our community evolved, so too did this ministry. That same heart for welcoming families and sharing Christ's love continues today through mainly music, where parents, grandparents, carers and young children gather each week to build friendships, enjoy music and play together, and experience the love and hospitality of our church.
While the programmes may have changed over the years, the mission has remained the same: to love our neighbours and point people to Jesus.
Faith Through Every Season
Like every church, our history has included seasons of joy as well as seasons of uncertainty.
During the Great Depression, financial pressures became so great that the congregation faced the heartbreaking possibility of losing the church building. Yet God proved Himself faithful. Through His gracious provision and the faithful leadership of H. T. Edwards, the building was preserved and the ministry continued.
During World War II, many members served their country. One of our beloved Sunday School teachers, Robert Surtees, survived the horrors of the Burma–Thailand Railway. When later asked how he endured such unimaginable suffering, his simple testimony was:
"The Lord looked after me."
These stories are more than remarkable moments from our past—they are reminders for us today. Every generation of Epping Church of Christ has faced challenges that seemed overwhelming at the time. Yet through each season, God has remained faithful, often working through the prayer, generosity, perseverance and sacrificial service of His people.
We too experience seasons that call us to trust God afresh. Like those who have gone before us, we believe the Lord is still building His church. As we seek His wisdom together, support one another, and faithfully steward what He has entrusted to us, we can move forward with confidence—not because we know what tomorrow holds, but because we know the One who holds tomorrow.
Doug Edwards also recalled hearing the kindergarten children joyfully singing:
"Hear the pennies dropping,
Listen to them fall,
Everyone for Jesus,
He shall have them all."
There is something beautifully fitting about those simple words. For more than a century, the life and ministry of Epping Church of Christ has been sustained not by a few extraordinary people, but by generations of ordinary believers faithfully offering their prayers, their time, their gifts and their resources to God. That same faithfulness continues to shape our church today, and we pray it will continue to do so for generations yet to come.
A Church That Sends
One of the most beautiful themes running throughout our history is that Epping Church of Christ has never sought only to grow—it has also sought to send.
As God blessed this church, members were commissioned to establish new congregations. In 1960, many families left to help establish Telopea Church of Christ. Seventeen years later, another group was sent to begin Castle Hill Church of Christ.
Healthy churches don't simply gather people.
They also send people—to plant churches, serve communities, and carry the hope of Christ wherever He leads.
That legacy continues today.
Our Story Continues
When our church began in 1923, Vegemite had only just been introduced, QANTAS was still a young airline, and Edith Cowan had recently become Australia's first female parliamentarian. Much has changed in Australia—and in Epping—over the past century.
Yet one thing has never changed.
Jesus Christ has remained faithful to His church.
That is why our vision today feels less like a new direction and more like the next chapter in a story God has been writing for more than one hundred years:
Disciples from generations and nations.
Growing in Christ. Gathering in Love. Going in Grace.
We are disciples from generations because faithful believers have passed the Gospel from one generation to the next since that rainy Sunday morning in July 1923.
We are disciples from nations because God has graciously brought people from many cultures and languages into one church family.
We continue growing in Christ, just as those first believers gathered around God's Word over one hundred years ago.
We continue gathering in love, welcoming people into a community where they are known, valued and encouraged.
We continue going in grace, serving our neighbourhood and sharing the hope of Jesus, just as those who came before us faithfully did.
Looking Ahead with Gratitude
As we celebrate another anniversary, we do so with thankful hearts.
We stand on the shoulders of faithful men and women who trusted God, sacrificed generously, served joyfully, and built not only a church building, but a church family.
One day, future generations will look back on our time just as we now look back on theirs.
May they find that we too were faithful.
As the psalmist declares:
"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."(Psalm 126:3)
Thank you to every person—past and present—who has played a part in the story of Epping Church of Christ.
And thank you, above all, to our faithful God.
May He continue to make us disciples from generations and nations, faithfully growing in Christ, gathering in love, and going in grace, until Christ returns.
