Parish History

RECENT HISTORY

In 1996, the Parish of Slacks Creek became vacant after the incumbency of the Reverend Brian Lynes. The Reverend Stephen Redhead was appointed in April 1996.

The Parishes of Kingston-Woodridge and Park Ridge-Browns Plains were at that stage still independent of Slacks Creek, though, in reality, both were unviable. In 1997, moves began to take up dialogue that would explore a collaborative process in order to create a wider, inclusive format of ministry to be known as “collaboration”. There was a series of discussions amongst the representatives of the three parishes and Canterbury College. Material was prepared for discussion and the final submission was put to Diocesan Council. (Appendix A includes extracts from this submission.) After much discussion, the district of West Logan was attached to Slacks Creek and then, in July 2001, the entity known as the Anglican Parish of Logan was formed.

In 2004, the Reverend Ann Dittmar McCollim was appointed as priest in charge of the Parish. Ann has worked hard to build on the work of her predecessors, leading a vibrant and active Anglican faith community.

EARLY HISTORY TO THE PRESENT

The early history of Logan is as obscure as it is harsh. The history of its Anglican Church in what is now a city of over 175,000 people is equally as complicated.

The history of St Marks is one that makes for good reading and deserved pride. Land was given in the 1880s for a graveyard, and a church, still standing, was built at the turn of the century. Originally a part of Beenleigh, the small St Marks Church served the area well and, with its historic graveyard, was well recognized by those travelling to and from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. As the area became more populated, the numbers at worship forced the Parish to move out of the old church. In 1978, St Marks House was built facing Boronia Avenue  and the area below this clergy residence was used for worship. The old St Marks was used as the Parish hall for a time and was then permanently rented as a dance studio.

As the congregation grew, plans were made for a community-based church/hall to be built and this eventuated in 1981.
The Parish of Slacks Creek and the Parish of Kingston-Woodridge were broken off from Beenleigh in the late 1970s. The Reverend Patrick Doulin was the first Vicar of Slacks Creek and the Reverend David Anthony moved from Beenleigh to Kingston-Woodridge where he remained until the early 1990s when he retired.

The histories of St Marks and St James have similar origins but their growth patterns have been completely different. St Marks seemed to have an ability to create community and the “stage-focused” hall provided opportunity for theatre and fun, as well as well-formed ministry.

In 1985, during the ministry of the Reverend Warren Darnley, a small group at St Marks began a small parish-based welfare ministry called “St Marks Parish Pantry”.

A number of vocations to Holy Orders also emanated from St Marks over the years, a trend that continues to this day as a number of people offer for locally recognized and trained ordained ministry.

Whilst all this was transpiring in East Logan, almost as if in another world, the West Logan area was beginning to develop. After land initially in what is now Browns Plains Central Plaza was sold, land was procured on Green Road, Park Ridge. This area came under the jurisdiction of the Parish of Holy Spirit, Algester, itself formerly a region of Sunnybank Parish, both a part of Brisbane.

In 1990, a former Army Chapel from Wacol was located at the Green Road site, and the area became a Provisional Parish with significant input from the Diocese of Brisbane. The Reverend J. Edson was appointed but remained only two and a half years. He was followed by a joint ministry by the Reverends Bill and Jennifer Colbrahams. It was a slow and difficult period and the anticipated growth in numbers did not eventuate.

By early 1998, the Diocese of Brisbane indicated that it would not continue to subsidize Park Ridge-Browns Plains after June 30, when funding would be withdrawn.

In 1997, a series of negotiations commenced between the Right Reverend R. Williams and the local Clergy of the three Parishes. This process was expanded in 1998 into what effectively was called the “Logan Project Group”. When the first meeting was held at Canterbury College in early 1998, there were some thirty people present, representing the Parishes, the School, St Lukes Nursing Service, Anglicare and anyone who was in any way attached to the ministries of the Anglican Church in Logan.

At this point in time, there was no suggestion that Woodridge would join this arrangement, although, unbeknown to many, a Parish Council meeting in 1996 had debated entering into a relationship with St Marks. However, nothing eventuated from any of this and St James continued independently, whilst the east and west segments of the citys Anglicans embraced the initiative, if somewhat a little nervously.

There were some difficult moments as the new arrangements evolved.  There was some drop in numbers at St Marks; mainly at the 9.30 am family service.  However, there were a number of adjustments and overall, the new format seemed to gel.  Numbers, as well as spirit, improved at the Good Shepherd, and St Marks began to embrace the new order.  Many people travelled across the city to worship and participate in the life, order and ministries of each others community.  This has been true for people in the liturgical, social welfare and musical ministries.  It has been felt that this dimension has been good for all concerned, not just one party.

In October 1999, the Reverend S. Redhead proposed to the Diocesan Anglicare Commission an idea for a development of a multi-purpose community church structure as a focus for developing the Woodridge site as St James Place.  The idea was given energy and a preliminary meeting was held in the Diocesan Registry in December 1999.  Representatives from all Diocesan agencies, parishes, schools, et cetera, in Logan City were present.

Another meeting was held in February and at this meeting, having secured a preliminary drawing and concept plan (approx. $1.5m); it was moved to continue with the development to a subsequent phase to be completed by July 2000.  Fr. Redhead was to chair a committee of local participants and representatives of the major parties, in conjunction with a team of Project Consultants representing the Diocese of Brisbane.

Due to land costs and a last minute failure to secure funding from the Regional Centres Project, the St James Place project had to be placed on hold.  It remained a key objective for the Parish and, because of the key location of the site on Railway Parade; there was a general confidence that funding would be found in the future for the project to find wings once again.
A meeting of the three Parishes was called for February 2000, and this was held at Canterbury College with representatives of the three areas present.  Two resolutions were carried to go before the Annual General Meetings of the Parishes, and subsequently to the Diocese, that the three Parishes become a unitary structure. Each of the Parish AGMs passed the motions unanimously and a meeting of the Clergy and the Churchwardens of the three Parishes met in March to create a formal request that the three units become as one, with each retaining its own sense of identity.

By April 2000, conversations between the Bishop and the Ministering Communities began to embrace the prospect that at last this would eventuate. On July 1, Bishop Ron Williams commissioned the new ministry initiative amidst a congregation of over 200 people. The new ministry called “Crosscare” was also launched on this night and there was dancing in the church after the service; such was the enthusiasm and joy for the new arrangement.

It is to be remembered that it was also at this time that the community at St Marks was wrangling with the realization that there was a major problem with the 1980 St Marks building due to major termite infestation.  This damage was a chance discovery in April when the old St Marks was being inspected for the centenary of the old building in March 2001. Shock and a bevy of opinions about rectification, repair and other suggestions about what to do with St Marks confounded the Parish Council which chose a cautious approach to the problem. It took well over six months for a sense of resolve to be embraced by a series of Council and public meetings. Eventually, the major thrust of a strategic plan was agreed on in the Parish and put before the Diocese and the Annual General Meeting in February 2001.

Old St Marks was refurbished and dedicated at its centenary in March 2001, with many representatives of the local community as well as of the pioneering families of the Slacks Creek area.

In 2002, St James Woodridge was given new life when the old building in Railway Parade was deconsecrated and replaced with a new, modern worship complex at Portia Street, Kingston.

History will judge just how well the Parish of Logan handled the mammoth tasks of developing the policies and strategies of combining three ministering communities, each appallingly under-resourced, into one cohesive and focused unit of ministry in a city as diverse as Logan. Added to this, history will judge the systems that allowed such processes as experienced in Logan in the 1960s to the 1990s to stumble from one issue to another. It will be for those in the future to reflect on how well or otherwise the people of Logan grappled with changing ministry formats, non-stipendiary ordained people and their training in the field, of finding appropriate management structures as well as a procedure for the actual carrying-out of ministry to and with the people.

It may well be argued that what has happened in Logan between 1996 and 2002 will be a barometer of the wider changes and challenges for the Church, not only in this country, but around the western world. Clearly, property issues cloud, frustrate and often impede the growth of the Church and its mission, especially when the Church elects to, or is forced to, undertake major projects without sufficient resources, care and succinct forward and strategic planning.