Welcome All
As ‘The Church in the Marketplace’, we seek to convey God’s love to the world by meeting all kinds of human needs in everyday life, both here in our own community and elsewhere in the world, with the worship of God the Creator, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit as the core.
Sunday Church Services 10am
Services are held at the church and are also live-streamed through Zoom
We welcome as part of the church family, all who attend, from both near and far.
- Centrally located at the corner of Hare and Pakenham Streets.
- Accessible Entry — via steps or ramp.
- Sanitising hands on entry is encouraged.
- Air-conditioned atmosphere with cooling and heating
Can’t get to church? Join us on Zoom! For worship on Sunday, please enter the following link: https://zoom.us/j/94358160334?pwd
Or go onto zoom and enter the meeting details. Meeting iD: 94358160334 Passcode: 262828
If you are visiting and want information about Echuca, visit: “www.echucamoama.com”
COMING UP FOR April
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BOOKS FOR SALE 11th April
Every second Saturday of the month
Secondhand Book Stall
Grab yourself a bargain
Cheap books of all types – all funds raised for church outreach
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Quiet contemplation
We are glad to provide a place of quiet in a busy world. The church building is at the centre of an active community, and we know that people can long for some quiet time. With our location in the middle of the Hare Street shopping precinct, this offer of peace is available for shoppers, workers or tourists.
Please call at the office (Pakenham St Entrance) between 10am to 1.00pm if you wish to have this time of quiet, or to view the church. People have the opportunity to pray, to sit and think, to wander peacefully or to take in the light of the stained glass windows
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On the church grounds…
The Church Office is open 10am-1pm Tues-Fri.
Our Marketplace Crafts Shop, adjacent to the office, welcomes browsers and those looking for a special something.
The shop is open 10am-1pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. All items are new and made by hand by local creative people.
STEPS drop in centre is open Wed-Friday, offering support to those who may be down on their luck or just wanting a listening ear.
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Group Activities
There are small groups within our church congregation that meet for faith, fellowship, fundraising and volunteering.
OFAL (Old fellows at Lunch) meet on the first Wednesday of the month 12 noon at Echuca Neighbourhood House (Landsborough St Echuca) for lunch
Coffee catch up on Thursdays quarterly at the Fuzion cafe
And every Sunday after the Worship Service
Seasonal study groups meet during Lent, Advent and other times.
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MUSIC
Music is an important part of our worship. We use the organ and piano and enjoy traditional hymns and more modern songs of praise as well as recordings of contemporary music.
For 2025 there will be another Sunday Sounds music series, which brings accomplished musicians to Echuca-Moama. Most performances are in the second half of the year – check Facebook for what’s coming up.
Christmas usually sees a ‘Christmas By Candlelight’ choral celebration of carols and readings. With the church’s beautiful acoustics the concerts are becoming a popular local feature and something to look forward to each year.
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History and Heritage
The Presbyterians of Echuca first began worshipping together in 1858 and the Methodists began meetings probably in the same year.
In time they each built churches, the Presbyterians initially in Dickson Street and the Methodists near the new bridge. The Presbyterians acquired a more central block on the site of the local market and built their new church ‘St Andrew’s’ opening in 1901. The architect was a local man, Mr A E Castles who also designed St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church at the other end of the main shopping area, providing a nice balance to the town layout with the two spires.
With the wonderful initiative of the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia, the Presbyterians and Methodists (in addition to the Congregational Church) in Echuca and Moama formed one church. After much hard work and with many hopes and some regrets, decisions were made to close the Wesley building and combine the two congregations into a new and vibrant congregation on the St Andrew’s site. Later, substantial renovations were undertaken, increasing the usefulness of the buildings and especially adding the Wesley Chapel as a new feature. Our current building is heritage listed and has the unusual original feature of the worship space being built up the steps with a hall area underneath.
With our church premises on the site of Echuca’s old market, and situated in the current heart of Echuca’s CBD, we call ourselves ‘The Church in the Market Place’.
A comprehensive record of aspects of the church’s history is available in a book entitled “From Market to Marketplace”, which is available from our shop, Marketplace Crafts.
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The Uniting Church of Australia
Our Church belongs to the Uniting Church in Australia with its wide-ranging ministries throughout Australia in aged care, community service, the outback (Frontier Services) and Chaplaincy in schools, just to name a few.
‘For God loved the world so much that he gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to be its judge but to be its Saviour.’
John 3:16-17
© Good News Bible, Today’s English Version
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