UCA and St Margaret’s
2007
2014
(photos on these two
pages from St Margaret’s
50th anniversary book)
On 2 February 1964 at Watson Primary School, the first worship service of the new congregation of the
still unnamed Presbyterian Church in the Watson and Hackett suburbs was attended by 106 adults and
87 children.
The third year in the life of St Margaret's was marked by several decisions and actions that had farreaching effects on the future development and spiritual life of the Parish. The way was made clear to
proceed into the final planning of a joint building programme between St Margaret’s and Holy Cross
Anglican. A Covenant of Joint Action between St Margaret’s and the Canberra Circuit of the Methodist
Church for mission and co-operation in the Watson-Hackett-Downer area was drafted and the only
impediment to ratification was archaic State Law. But this did not stand in the way in practice, and 1967
was a stimulating and challenging first year of worship and witness as a joint congregation.
As the vote on Church Union (between the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian churches)
drew closer, the separate congregation membership rolls showed that the numbers of Presbyterians
and Methodists were becoming close to equal. The voting result in St Margaret's was overwhelmingly
in favour of Church Union - an indication of the excellent relationship that had developed in the joint
congregation.
When the Uniting Church in Australia was inaugurated 0n 22 June 1977, St Margaret’s held its own
celebrations, even though it had already been a Uniting Church in all but name for ten years.
St Margaret's News
3
June
2015