Introduction

Welcome!

The purpose of this site is to allow access to our church profile that will provide foundation and information for invitations, inquiries and interviews in relation to prospective candidates for the position of Rector for St Andrew’s Anglican Church Kyabram.

Prior to the year 1873 Kyabram (Country Victoria, Australia) formed part of the Wyuna estate owned by the late Sir James McBain and was used by him as a sheep run. In that year the land was thrown open for selection and the earliest selectors moved in to become the founders of the district, some among them being Anglicans.

The first Anglican services were held in the district between 1876 and 1880. The first church building in the district was at Henley. With the coming of the railway and the development of Kyabram as the main centre services were held in Kyabram and the small brick church at Henley became redundant On December 1st 1892, the Bishop of Melbourne, Bishop Field Flowers Goe, laid the foundation stone at St.Andrews Kyabram and the first services was held on March 12th 1893. Three services were held that day, including a baptism and an attendance of 600 people registered. At the end of that year fifty services had been held with an average of 67 persons per service. In 1904 the rectory was built beside the church. In 1931 St. Andrew’s became the parish of Kyabram able to manage its own affairs. St. Andrews has had a rich history including 29 incumbents. The early ministers who travelled on horse back or by jinker over rough unmade roads, and the lay people were all busy people but it was their faith and love of God that laid the basis on which St. Andrews grew.

There has been a wide range of activities held in the church and its building in the 116 year history from school, kindergarten, tennis club, Caritas, Mothers union , choir , debutante balls to name a few.

The church is not what we do though. The church is who we are. We are the people of God. The world has changed in the past 116 years. There have been a revolution in transportation and communication in technology and medicine, in lifestyle and social values, in education and family life. God has not changed though. The God worshipped at the laying of the foundation stone in 1892 is the same God that we worship today. The deepest needs of people have not changed either. The need for love, for forgiveness, for healing, for repentance and for the Holy Spirit.

Who are we today in the 21st century at St.Andrew”s? We are a united congregation with hearts full of worship who respect the desires of each other to worship in different styles – the more traditional 9am service and the café style 11.00 am service. We meet together in between services to share morning tea and we meet together during the week in prayer groups, study groups, groups such as Caritas and we work together in outreach activities such as the community meal.

We are a welcoming parish as we seek to make any visitors welcome by ensuring that they are made to feel comfortable and welcome to be part of our service and worship with us.
We are a people with hearts of compassion as we serve Him by loving others in our parish and our community through such activities as providing baby bundles to the new mothers at the hospital, by feeding His people every Monday night at the community meal, by giving 10 per cent of our weekly taking for mission. We care for one another as well by supplying meals to the sick or other assistance such as emergency child care.

We are a people of faith as we see God’s hand in every circumstance of life. We pray for healing for those who are ill through the prayer chain or by laying on of hands. We seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit to set us on fire for Him and for Him to lead us to new forms of worship and to offer ourselves for service for His glory. We seek to be a people who desire God’s leading by praying and utilising every second Parish Council to pray for wisdom and discernment from God to our future direction. We seek to Know Christ and to let Him be known.