EBC History

Edwardstown Baptist Church had very humble beginnings in 1904, when a handful of Christians decided to establish worship services in the Edwardstown district. The local Institute was secured for Sunday evening services and Edwardstown Mission was formed. Through help from lay preachers services were conducted, souls were saved and the group grew.

In May 1905, the mission ceased and Edwardstown Baptist Church took its place. Associated with the Baptist Union of SA, the church grew further over the years and in 1910, bought a piece of land on South Road, Edwardstown to build a new building. The site of this building was, until recently, the Edwardstown Good Guys store car park.

                    

       Laying of the Foundation Stone                                       South Road Church Building    

After World War Two, there was a large influx of children in the Sunday School and as such outgrew the current rooms they were using. In 1959, the church bought a property on nearby Price Street, Edwardstown. This property had a 5-roomed house suitable for the Sunday School, sufficient land for any extensions required at a later date and a wide strip of land that served as a walkway between the South Road Church and the Price Street property.

Price Street Church Building

As the church grew, so did the need for more accommodations and improvements. One faithful and long serving member stated in her will that Edwardstown Baptist Church would have the first option to purchase her property on Price Street upon her death. The church was able to do that (happily while the lady was still alive) and a new building was built where her home used to be. During this decade, the layout of the church property was a bit haphazard, with some buildings on South Road, some at Price Street and two tennis courts leased from the council at Marion Street.

The 1970s were a period of rapid change and growth. Distance between home and church became less of an issue, which resulted in an influx of people attending Edwardstown Baptist Church. Adequate accommodation became a pressing need and the church tried to find a solution to their problem. In 1974, the property on South Road was sold and a new building was built on Price Street to serve as the church. However, by 1976, this building had already been outgrown! After a few minor renovations to produce more seating, 1978 saw the commencement of two identical morning services being run. This solved the problem of seating, but divided the membership somewhat.

In the late seventies, to early eighties, there was growing concern about the theological training available for our young people. To overcome this, in conjunction with Prospect Baptist Church, Adelaide College of Ministries was formed in 1982. It was also during this period that Edwardstown Baptist Church withdrew from the South Australian Baptist Union and began to work as an independent church.

During this decade, space had again begun to be an issue. Many avenues were explored to alleviate this, but eventually in 1988, Edwardstown Baptist Church was able buy the site of South Road Primary School from the Education Department. This is the site where the church currently stands.

The original church building at St Marys

Further to this, the church bought the building adjacent to the church building and converted it into a community centre. The church building itself was renovated in 2005 to add a second storey to the auditorium and increase the seating capacity yet again. We are very blessed to have the facilities that we have so that we can connect with the community in the vast range of areas that we do. In 2015 we re-joined the Baptist Churches of South Australia.

We look forward to what God will write in our future.