Marion-Warradale Uniting Church – a Brief History (1862-2018)
Marion and Warradale used to be on the outskirts of Adelaide. Gradually the city expanded and encompassed the area in its suburbs.
Marion-Warradale Uniting Church has been created over the years from several churches in the local area. The community at Marion Uniting Church enjoys updated buildings set in a beautiful garden. Our forebears built the Marion Methodist Chapel and the foundation stone was laid on the 15th July 1862. Church services are held weekly in the main church, and in the Chapel once a month. The restored Chapel is picturesque and is a favourite venue for weddings. The church property was originally surrounded by market gardens, vineyards and almond groves but is now in a suburban setting with Resthaven, Marion across Township Road. The hall adjacent to the Chapel is currently used for various fellowship groups and meetings.
The Sturt Methodist Church on Marion Road was acquired by the Highway’s Department such that in 1972 its members joined the Marion community to make a positive contribution to the life and mission of the Marion Methodist Church.
1955 saw the Congregation Church establish the Warradale Church on the corner of Lascelles Avenue and Struan Avenue, Warradale. This vibrant and energetic church continued to celebrate God’s presence until, after much prayerful consideration, it was closed with the last service being held on January 21st, 2018.
A large hall was added to the Marion property in 1959. Playgroup “Sugar and Spice”, use this recently renovated hall on Mondays and the community of Marion Uniting Church fosters great hospitality with church luncheons, soup days and afternoon teas for concerts. This hall is also regularly hired out to community groups. In 1965 the “new” church was built at Marion to provide a more appropriate space for worship and Sunday School activities.
In 1977 the Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterians Churches came together to form the Uniting Church in Australia. The Parish of Marion, Oaklands, Wesley Warradale (now The Corner UC) and Warradale was formed from this union. Over the years the congregations in this Parish have found their own purposes in the community. Marion and Warradale, sharing the same mission goals, became one congregation with 2 worshiping sites until the closure of the Warradale site.
Today Marion-Warradale Uniting Church continue to worship and witness to God’s good news in Jesus Christ, seeking to serve the community. We give thanks to God for the heritage we have received through previous generations and look to the future with faith
History of Fellowship Groups:
Women’s Fellowship
The Women’s Evening Fellowship was a group of ladies who met on the third Wednesday of the Month. They were a friendly group loving fun and fellowship and caring for one another and now meet together with the Fellowship Group.
Yoonga (Men’s Fellowship)
In 1955 the men of the Marion Methodist Church Circuit decided to form a Men’s Evening Fellowship with meetings starting at 8.00pm.
In November 1970, after considerable discussion, the Fellowship changed from being an 8.00pm meeting to a 6.30pm meeting. With this change came the change of name to ‘Yoonga’, the spoken work in the Aboriginal language for Fellowship or Brotherhood.
In 2015 ‘Yoonga’ celebrated its 60th Anniversary
The aim of ‘Yoonga’ was to:
1. Foster fellowship amongst the men of the Church
2. Promote service in the community and the Church
3. Promote human relationships
In later years many members were lost as they moved out of the district, transferred their membership to other churches or passed away, causing the overall membership to significantly fall. Yoonga subsequently disbanded and the remaining members now meet together with the Fellowship Group.