St. Clements Church of England Camberwell
Give the Anglican church a break - they did lose over $160million in share speculations when Yankee bubble burst. They aren't going to recoup that by rebuilding old churches!
     

 

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Camberwell Church “Singleton argus”

BY RACHEL OLDKNOW

01 Feb, 2011 05:28 PM

THE campaign to save St Clement’s was delivered a knockout blow on Thursday night with the Singleton parish council casting their vote not to spend $375,000 of insurance money on the restoration of the church. The decision was made 10 votes to three. Several supporters of St Clement’s put their case to the local parish at the meeting, Friends of St Clement’s member Carol Garvie among them. Mrs Garvie told The Singleton Argus the decision was “heartbreaking”.“I think it was a done deal before we got there,” she added. Mrs Garvie said it was distressing to know the church wouldn’t be restored to its former glory.“ It’s the second oldest church (in Singleton),” Mrs Garvie said.“It dates back to 1841 and the first settlers.

It is not yet official what will happen with insurance money from the 2008 fire however parishioners believe the money will be used for maintenance for other churches in the Singleton parish. Mrs Garvie said Friends of St Clement’s had not given up the battle to have the church restored and would continue to pursue different avenues to do just that. In 2009, the Dioceses’ property approvals board recommended the church be demolished however parishioners told The Argus the church will remain but are uncertain on how the church will need to be maintained.

Come on bish. be up front and honest.
Now we know, you get the Camberwell insurance money to spend as you want,

The thing is, the money will be "spread around", but where? not Camberwell or even Singleton. These people can not be trusted.
look at their history, from their  beginning 464 years ago to now.

The Shifting Shadow

I travelled to Singleton some time ago to see family and attended a common prayer service held on the lawns outside the church, for safety reasons we were not permitted inside. The service had been advertised by a mail out by the "friends of St. Clements"; it had not been a authorised /approved by the Singleton power brokers and drew their wrath. Further the friends were advised that no member of clergy was available to hold the service even though it was St. Clements normal service day.

It gets worse. The SES had volunteered to put up two tents in the event of rain. NO said the power brokers, not on out patch. If push had come to shove they would have been erected on the grass on the drive, but as it turned out nature was kind.

Sixty people attended from near and far, A member of the Singleton clergy conducted the service and a collection was taken up.

St. Clements was asked to renew the insurance (about $2,200) and they have payed up out of their own funds, as usual, even though the building hasn’t been repaired and the damages payout money is drawing interest for someone. No one is saying who.

Rumour has it that about 5 churches are to be closed (sold) in the Singleton area bringing the total in the Hunter/Newcastle area is about 26,

If you don’t own the building in the first place and you sell, its good deal.

Another great piece of generosity from the great ones. It had been decided by the congregation to recycle some

 of the sand stone removed from the floor and use it in monument for the unmarked graves. The stone would not

be needed for the new floor as it would be a floating concrete slab.

But its not to be. the shifting cloud said no way, what its wanted for is not known.


To quote Bishop Farren from a recent article

"Its no good moaning about the challenges we (churches) face, he said, its our job to get the message across. He also said "our sense of a fair go, treating people decently and doing the right thing by people" ( in relation to bringing people back to the church)


They did it. From the Singleton Argus 8 Dec. 2009
             Church to be pulled down ( update) no, just left? (ed.)

BY RACHEL OLDKNOW
08 Dec, 2009 11:12 AM
 
Demolition plan devastates congregation.

ALMOST two-years ago fire destroyed it and now St Clement’s Anglican Church at Camberwell will be demolished. In a shock turnaround from its grand refurbishment plans, the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle has recommended the church be knocked down. Locals were told of the recommendation to demolish the 150-year-old church, the oldest in the Singleton district, at the weekend and are angry and devastated.

No one wished to individually go on record for fear of being locked out of any further discussion process.
Up until now, they expected the church to be fully restored.

Members of the local congregation were appointed to a working party soon after the March 2008 fire.

Since then they have been gathering photographs to assist the NSW Heritage and Planning Department in anticipation of the restoration work. On the October long weekend about 30 members pulled up floorboards in preparation for work to begin. News that the work won’t go ahead has come as a complete shock with congregation members extremely distressed over the decision. From page one

The decision has reignited the congregation’s grief they experienced when the church was first vandalised.

Church pews, furniture and hymn books were piled up in the aisle of the church before it was set alight back on March 10.

The $500,000 damage bill included the destruction of the church’s original organ, transported by boat from England and carted to Camberwell by horse in the 1850s.

A 33-year-old Watsons Bay ((Anglican ministers son.(ed)). was later found guilty of causing malicious damage by fire.

The attack on the church clearly impacted those who had worshipped in the church over many years but that grief was short-lived when, within days of the fire, they were told of restoration plans.

In a report in The Singleton Argus on March 18, 2008, readers were informed a heritage qualified architect would direct the restoration work to ensure the 150-year-old building was restored to its original condition.The Singleton Argus understands that an application to restore the church was rejected by the Newcastle Diocese’s properties approvals board despite the fact that the St Clement’s insurance money has been paid.

The Singleton Argus attempted to speak with the Newcastle Diocese a number of times yesterday but was told the appropriate person was away at a funeral.

A statement on the decision is expected today.•

THE HERALD

Faithful fight to save vandalised Camberwell church

BY ALISON BRANLEY
08 Dec, 2009 04:00 AM
THE small Upper Hunter community of Camberwell is outraged by a shock proposal to demolish one of the oldest Anglican churches in the Hunter. The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle Property Approvals Board has rejected plans to restore the heritage-listed St Clement's Anglican Church following a 2008 arson attack and recommended demolition.

Parishioners said if the diocese kept the $375,000 insurance payout it would be tantamount to theft and have vowed to fight the plan.

The diocese board found at its meeting on December 3 that repairing the church was not "in the best long-term interests of the parish or the diocese".

ts recommendation will go before the Diocesan Council.The Georgian-style church dates back to 1841 and is one of the oldest churches in Australia.

In March, 2008, a man broke in and stacked the cedar pews and bibles in the centre and set them alight. The building's brick exterior and stained glass windows survived and the diocese vowed to rebuild.The community has raised more than $20,000 to put towards restorations.

Carol Garvie, whose family has been baptised in the church for six generations, said as recently as September they were talking to builders about restorations.

Resident Deidre Olofsson said most of the congregation were elderly and wanted their funeral at the church.

"These people worked and built that church and it's being taken off them," she said.

Diocesan business manager John Cleary said they needed an extra $125,000 on top of the insurance payout to repair rising damp in the church.He said it was unsafe to leave in its present state and unlikely it could be sold because of the graveyard attached.

Date: Newest first | Oldest first

This may be a reminder to the residents of Camberwell and the local area that they need to be attending church services, worshiping God and helping their community and fully utilising the building that has been Gods blessing to them.
 
Posted by Jimbob, 8/12/2009 7:04:53 AM
anyone know what sentence the arsonist received? i guarantee it wasn't enough. work out what you think he deserves for doing such a stupid and pointless crime and then check the actual sentence and i bet it would be less than half of what you imagined. truth in sentencing please. this is the sort of project where a responsible and caring government would step in and ensure the restoration was undertaken in an appropriate manner. the amount that is required is very little compared to the many things the govt wastes money on. get into govt. its a beautiful building and must be restored.
 
Posted by judgedredd, 8/12/2009 7:58:28 AM
Give the Anglican church a break - they did lose $160million in share speculations this year! They aren't going to recoup that by rebuilding churches!
 
Posted by Jaded, 8/12/2009 8:46:18 AM
There is enough insurance money to make the church structurally safe and usable the only shortfall is the painting and new church pews. The church would still be operational. If it doesn't go ahead is the money going to be used to fix up the cathedral so Newcastle gets the benefit instead of restoring one of Australia's most important churches.
 
Posted by Katrina, 8/12/2009 10:48:15 AM
Maybe the chuch is realising that people are just not following religion like they used to.Its obvious that many have lost faith because the trust given to clergy has been wasted when so many of them have been exposed for acts of mistrust with boys and girls. I myself have given them away and wont be going back.
 
Posted by otheropinion, 8/12/2009 12:37:14 PM
For the information of Jimbob. At the last service at Camberwell( They have one a month & you were obviously not there) 29 people sat in what shade there was behind the church, battleling the insects, in a searing wind that raised the temperature to 44degrees. Dose YOUR church contribute as much into the coffers of the diocese as dose Camberwell, despite having to hold a prayer service without the attendence of clergy more often that not. Get your facts together Jimbob. How arogant to think you are more worthy of a place to worship than these paritisioners. The person who caused this damage walked free, because "GOD made him do it!!!!", and by the way Camberwell is not asking for any money from the diocese, only the insurance money for which they have paid over the years.
 
Posted by Bid, 8/12/2009 2:19:15 PM
PS, thr Church is not the building as such the Church is the people of the congregation.
 
Posted by Jimbob, 8/12/2009 3:07:52 PM
My heart dropped when I read the article today. The church is such a beautiful church that I hold close in many of my childhood memories. It would be very sad to see it demolished. I hope that the Camberwell community (incl the surrounding areas) as well as the larger congregation in Singleton put up a great fight to save this church.
 
Posted by Annie, 8/12/2009 4:08:13 PM
Bid, I am sorry you took offence at my earlier comment, in no way did I mean to offend you or your congregation. I was also wondering have the congregation started to clean out the church building so that they can worship inside the building and not in the summer heat and mosquitoes. And yes Bid I do worship Jesus Christ not just on Sunday but 7/24, and I have worshiped in places worse than behind your church. I was a Missionary to PNG for over 2 years rehabilitating the young rascals. I will be praying for a quick resolution to the situation you are in. I will be praying that the Church will NOT be sold and that it is repaired properly and that your congregation will not be abandoned. I will also pray for a revival of faith in the young people of your area.
 
Posted by jimbob, 8/12/2009 5:50:47 PM
Having read Jimbob's first and second comments, I would like to add that the church (and its building if you would like me to be specific) has been operational for over 150 years. I don't think attendance, lack of participation and disuse of the building is the real problem. I also fail to understand the relevance of your mission to PNG...? Regardless, thank you for your prayers.
 
 
                                                                                                                                      

                                        

Last modified: 20-Jul-2011