Our Story.
Over 70 years of ministry in Ulverstone and beyond
1950s
The Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA) - now over fifty congregations across Australia - was founded upon the establishment of the two congregations of Ulverstone and Penguin on 13th October 1951. Although the church today has a broad and distinctive gospel vision and inclusive of all backgrounds, its original origins was founded on a much humbler purpose. A small community of Dutch immigrants from the Netherlands had settled in the Penguin-Ulverstone region, and a ministry was needed to have the new arrivals eventually integrate into other Protestant churches and Tasmanian life. Although there was no intention of forming a new church denomination; logistics, language and the need for a strongly biblical church, soon made this inevitable.
The first minister, Reverend J.A. Schep, who brought his own ‘kit’ home from the Netherlands, wrote, “Our denomination has not been called the ‘Dutch Reformed Churches’ but the ‘Reformed Churches of Australia.’ Therefore, too, I preach in English once a month, and it will be oftener in future. We are building up our own church life not because we are Dutchmen and want to remain Dutchmen, but because we are Christians … we are living in a country that is proud of its freedom. We want freedom to serve the Lord after our conscience”.
In those very early days, the Ulverstone Reformed Church used the Free Presbyterian Church building for services each Sunday fortnight, and by 1956 the church had moved to a weatherboard Church of Christ building on Leven Street.
1960s-1970s
With the arrival of the new minister, the Reverend Jacob (Jaap) van der Staal and his family, English was gradually integrated more into church services. A number of people still fondly recall Rev’d van der Staal’s first ‘Dinglish’ sermons and teaching Scripture to Reformed young people at Ulverstone High. This man had a profound influence on his congregation until his departure in 1966.
In the mid 1960s, the church’s ministry expanded with many exciting and vibrant activities, including Vacation Bible camps. In 1967, ‘Camp Sanctuary’ was born, specifically for Reformed church children. Later on Evangelism camps were held at the site, aimed primarily at children with no church background. Levina Hext fondly remembers the impact of this ministry, writing ‘Camp Sanctuary played an important role in the history of Reformed Churches … [it] succeeded because people prayed for its ministry, people were generous with their gifts and time, and because God wanted it to.’
In 1972, the church moved into the current premises on John Street which allowed for a greater expansion of ministry. Calvinette (girls) and Cadet (boys) clubs were setup at the time, which had many members and continued through until the early 2000s. The church members were also instrumental in helping establish Christian schools on the NW coast during this time, including Geneva Christian College (Latrobe) in 1968 and Leighland Christian School in 1976.
1980s-today
The church enjoyed strong growth throughout the 1980s to early 1990s as did broadly the Reformed Churches of Australia, when it was renamed the ‘Christian Reformed Churches Of Australia’. Unfortunately the Camp Sanctuary campsite had to be closed in 1995, due to upkeep and licensing requirements.
The two congregations – Ulverstone CRC and Penguin CRC (Sanctuary Hill Christian Fellowship) continued to work well together and in the 2000s Reverend Pieter Tuit ministered to both congregations.
After Reverend Julian Dykman was appointed in 2015, it was decided that he would be the sole minister of Ulverstone to help the church grow. Under his faithful biblical preaching and new activities such as Mainly Music, and The Vine Project, the church continued to enjoy strong growth, particularly with young families. Julian pastored the church for 7 years, and in 2023 was then followed by Reverend Matthew Brooks-Lloyd.
Today the church has a diverse range of demographics and backgrounds. We support many projects that help reach out with God’s love not just in Ulverstone, but across Australia and the world.
As we reflect on our story, we look back with much thankfulness to our merciful God and Father for his patience, mercy, love and grace given to our church fellowship throughout the years.
Sources
Dirk van Garderen
https://www.churchesoftasmania.com/
