The Lighter Side of Church History

I grew up in Grenfell, which has a fascinating past dating back to the goldrush of the mid 19th century. I also have an interest in church history. Here is a bit of Grenfell and a bit of church history.

There were many churches built in Grenfell during the peak of the gold rush. A church would go up, followed by a pub, followed by a church, a gaol, a pub, and another church.

The first Anglican church, a wooden building, was constructed in 1867. Owing to a rapidly growing township, it did not take long before the congregation outgrew this building. They bought land and drew up plans to build a grand, much more respectable, brick building. Although the land was purchased, it took a while for the township to be able to afford to build. It was not until 1877 that they placed the foundation stone.

As was the custom in many buildings, a small amount of money was laid under the foundation stone. The nature of this tradition is unclear to me. Perhaps it was an act of faith, committing the building and its construction to God. It could have been mere religious superstition. Whatever the motive, with the foundation stone down, construction proper could begin.

Unfortunately, the manic of the gold rush had only heightened greed and lowered integrity. The following day found the foundation stone moved, and the money stolen. The minister at the time, Reverend F.S Wilson, was furious. That Sunday, Wilson prepared a new talk and the congregation received a fire and brimstone sermon like never before. He began,

‘Judas sold his soul for 30 pieces of silver, but in Grenfell there is a man more contemptible, for he sold his soul for 13 shillings, eleven pence and 3 farthings.’

The Reverend poured forth warning after warning, no doubt inciting guilt amongst even the innocent. In closing, he encouraging the thief to return the stolen goods for the sake of the church, and his soul. He finished exhausted, but pleased, confident that the money would soon be returned. Rumour has it that Wilson rose the following morning and had a quick breakfast of toast and coffee, before leaving his manse. He marched quickly onto the construction site, only to discover that the foundation stone itself had disappeared.

Sadly we are not privy to the content of his following sermon.

You will be happy to know that the story doesn’t end here, and the congregation raised the required funds. They laid a new foundation stone in 1878 and completed the church building over the next few years. It was (and still is) a beautiful building, complete with bell tower.

The only thing it was missing, was a bell.

Initially, a cowbell was used to ring in the Sunday services. Unsurprisingly though it did not take long for some to grow tired of this. One such person was a miner, one of the few miners who actually found a fortune on the goldfields. He had found the cowbell intolerable. As a parting act, before retiring to England a wealthy man, he generously donated a portion of his find to the church. His only stipulation was that it must be used to invest in a proper bell.

This was undoubtably the plan, until a particularly free-thinking member of the congregation suggested that, perhaps, the funds would best be spent elsewhere.

It is unknown exactly how quickly the rest of the congregation was persuaded, but the Anglican church did not purchase a bell. Instead, the church was quickly plastered, and cushions were attained for the pews. All was well. The congregation was warm and comfortable.

All remained well, until a letter arrived. It announced that the generous benefactor was returning to the township and was on his way to see the new bell. He would be there in a matter of days. In a manner that could only be called frantic, a search hurriedly took place to find such a bell.

Amazingly, they did. To this day no-one knows exactly how they did it, or where they got it, but the ever-resourceful church members acquired a bell and managed to install it mere hours before the man’s arrival. Crisis averted.

They collectively held their breath as the donor arrived and pulled on the rope for what was quite literally the very first time. He wasn’t aware of the collective sigh that took place around him when he pulled the rope and heard the clanging sound fill the building. He was surely surprised, or chuffed, by the enthusiasm of the congregation’s cheers. More prayers were said that day than in entire history of the church to that point. The donor was very pleased with the results and stayed for a few more days before departing again.

The Anglican church, now fully completed, has enjoyed the use of the bell ever since.