
Our Story thus far
Our church has a wonderful story about how God has shaped us to become who we are today, so if you would like to hear our story here is more about the history of Camberwell Baptist.
Camberwell Baptist Church
The Story So Far…
The story of Camberwell Baptist Church is one we draw much encouragement from. Back in 1890 there wasn’t much in Camberwell! Hawthorn at the edge of the Yarra River was about as far as Melbourne extended. However with a booming city and infrastructure developments like the bridge over the Yarra and the new train line, Camberwell began to grow. So in 1890 a group of Christians gathered to pray in a house in Hawthorn and the vision of Camberwell Baptist Church was born.
Since 1891 when the vision became a reality and fourteen people became the founding members the church has been faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ locally and across the world. Some wonderful foundational elements of the church’s life have always been friendships, the Bible, mission, prayer, sharing of the message of Christ and preaching of the Word. They are still with us today.
Over the past 115 years the church has grown and naturally changed with the times. Our services are contemporary and there are now people born in over twenty different nations in our midst. We have sent dozens of people to many different corners of the world to serve the poor, develop communities, share the good news of Jesus Christ and work to for justice.
Despite this long and exciting journey our ‘DNA’ is still the same- commissioned and called by the firm foundation we have in Jesus Christ and shaped and committed to the Holy Scriptures. While many individuals come from many different countries and suburbs we know that collectively we are called and formed to be the Body of Christ in our local area. That is a privilege and serious responsibility as we strive to represent Christ to the world and in so doing to each other.
Camberwell is a natural centre. ‘The Junction’ which we are very near is an intersection of six main roads and three tram lines. It now has some 400 shops and cafes, cinemas, and a never ending flow of people. It is a wonderful place to live and witness to the greatness of Jesus Christ. We know that around us now there are 500,000+ people within 20 minutes.
But our best is yet to come. There are more people locally than ever and we continue to seek ways to serve and reach them with the life and message of Christ. And we continue to make people in distant places who have no knowledge of the gospel and reduced access to life’s essential provisions (food, shelter and clothing) a high priority.
It is an exciting story in which we have rooted ourselves and we continue to offer hospitality to others who want to join us in this adventure.