The History of Williamstown Baptist Church 1861 – 2011
The history of Williamstown Baptist Church begins in 1861, so it encompases a significant portion of the history of the State of Victoria.
In the Jubilee Souvenir of the church, produced in 1918 it states: “It was in the year 1861 that a little group of people, who held Baptist convictions, met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, in Cecil-street, nearly opposite to where the Church building now stands, to consider the matter of establishing a Church of their own faith and order in Williamstown.”
The Jubilee Souvenir, 1868-1918, with Historical Sketch and Quotations, is reproduced in these pages.
Williamstown Baptist Church Jubilee Souvenir 1868 - 1918
We are also fortunate that for the Centenary of the Church in 1968, a historian, identified now only as J.M.W. was commissioned to write a booklet covering the first 100 years. The text of this work forms the earlier part of the history presented on this website. If desired, the full text can be downloaded as a Microsoft Word document by Clicking Here. I (Mal Dow) was a member of the church at that time, having been baptised there in 1968, so I remember the excitement of those years, and am keen to extend that history to the present day. You can read the full history online, as it develops, in the following pages.
Click Here to start the First 100 Years – 1868 to 1968
Click Here to start the Latest 42 Years – 1969 to 2011
Or use the index below:
