Join the Hurstville Museum & Gallery for a spotlight display on the Penshurst Anglican Church. Bi-lingual mass at Penshurst Anglican Church is a way in which neighbours – in this instance, English and Mandarin speaking Christians – come together under the one roof. Penshurst Anglican Church is ‘one church’ worshipping together is embraced. On Saturday 3 September the display will open with an informal afternoon tea.
ThePenshurst Anglican Church was established in 1910 as St. John’s Church of England, a daughter church to the neighbouring church in Hurstville. At that time, the population of the St George region was almost exclusively Anglo English speaking, with family heritage from the United Kingdom. The Church of England was the nation’s largest Protestant denomination in Australia, built on the common values of “God, Queen and country”.
Pastor Bart VandenHengel said that ”Now, in 2016, if you were to attend Penshurst Anglican Church on a typical Sunday, you would find a gathering of people from a diverse array of ethnic backgrounds: Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian, Cambodian, Singaporean, North American, Lebanese, Australian, Iranian and Bangladeshi. You would hear two languages, Mandarin and English, being used in a common time of joyful worship, Scripture reading, prayers, and the sharing of Holy Communion as well as a time of welcome and announcements. You would see all the children from both language groups going out together to a combined Sunday-School where English is the common language. Penshurst Anglican Church is a determined attempt to become a multi-ethnic church.”
When: 3 September 2016 to 29 January 2017
Tues-Sat 10:00am-4:00pm, Sun 2:00-5:00pm, Mon CLOSED.
Where: Hurstville Museum & Gallery, 14 Macmahon Street, Hurstville NSW 2220
Cost: Free
Contact: museumgallery@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au or 02 9330 6444
Presented by Hurstville Museum & Gallery.
Image: courtesy Penshurst Anglican Church.
This event is part of
History Week: Neighbours
3-11 September 2016
Presented by the History Council of NSW
#HistoryWeek16 | www.historyweek.com.au