Churches of Tasmania

Invermay is a northern suburb of Launceston bounded by the Tamar River and the North Esk River. Since it was settled in the mid 19th century, nine places of worship have been built but many have these no longer exist or have been converted for other uses. The Praise Methodist Church is located in the former St George’s Anglican church on Invermay Road. The history of this church has featured in a previous article in Churches of Tasmania. [ see No. 66 ]. The Praise Methodist Church is a part of the Chinese Methodist Church of Australia which currently has 21 churches across the country. The Praise Methodist Church dates back to the early 1990s when Launceston experienced an increase in students from Asian countries studying at the University of Tasmania’s campus at Newnham. By 1997 the need for a Chinese Ministry led to the establishment of monthly Mandarin Sunday Services at Punchbowl Church. The Chinese Methodist Church Australia’s ‘Evangelistic Centre Launceston’, was officially l...

Acton is a suburb of the city of Burnie in north-west of the State. Acton is most likely named after a former English village which has been absorbed into Greater London. Acton Chapel was opened in 1982 by the Christian Brethren. The Christian Brethren, also known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Great Britain in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the movement had spread to Australia, with the first revival meetings held in Tasmania from 1869. As a result, fellowships were formed in Hobart, Launceston, the Huon Valley, Smithton, Sheffield, Wynyard, Burnie and Scottsdale by the end of the 1870s. The Brethren placed an emphasis on weekly communion, the baptism of believers by immersion, and evangelism. The Christian Brethren should not be confused with the 'Exclusive Brethren, a restrictive group which broke away in 1848. In Tasmania, most Brethren are 'open', that is, they do not belong to the 'exclusive' Brethren who avoid contact with outsiders to the reli...