No. 636 - Upper Burnie - Former Church of the Assembly of God

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Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania. The origins of the city date back to 1827 when a settlement was established at Emu Bay by the Van Diemen’s Land Company. Upper Burnie, as the name suggests, is a southern suburb located on the hill above the city and which is centred around Mount Street.

Little information about this former Assembly of God church is readily available. In the early 2000’s the Assemblies of God were a significant religious denomination in Tasmania. The Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies summarised the denomination as follows:

“Assemblies of God are made up of autonomous Pentecostal churches led by an elected state President. Pentecostals are distinguished by their belief in spiritual gifts, most notably 'tongues', prophecy and healing. They are generally characterised by contemporary worship. The Australian Assemblies of God commenced in 1937 when several fledgling groups of Pentecostal churches decided to combine. The Tasmanian Assemblies of God commenced in 1959 when Pastor David Morris pioneered the Hobart Assembly of God, which was pastored by Ron Wilson from 1974 to 2004. Pastor Phil Hills pioneered the Launceston Assembly of God in 1961 and the Burnie Assembly of God in 1967. The Devonport Assembly of God was pioneered by Pastor David Cartledge in 1964. In 2002 there were 22 Tasmanian assemblies with around 2000 constituents”.

Since the article was written in 2006, theAssemblies of God merged with the Pentecostal Church of Australia. In 2007 the name Australian Christian Churches was assumed. The Burnie Assembly of God, located in Deacon Street, closed in recent years. The original church built in the 1960’s had a brick extension added at a later date which has detracted from what was originally a striking building, similar in appearance to the Gospel Hall built in nearby Montello. In 2019 the church was put on the market for sale.

*Additional information and sources about the church and building are most welcome as all articles are updated. I can be contacted through this page or my Facebook page "Churches of Tasmania" which is linked here: Churches of Tasmania.







* All photographs used in this article are my own.

Sources:

https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/P/Pentecostal.htm


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