# Toongabbie Anglican Church

Toongabbie Anglican Church is an evangelical Anglican church in the Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. The church is located in the suburb of Pendle Hill in Sydney's west. Toongabbie Anglican Church is the sole church in the Anglican Parish of Toongabbie.

## History

The church of St Marys, Pendle Hill is built on land that was granted to William Wentworth. There has been a church building of St Mary's Toongabbie since 1889. This first church was demolished in 1994.

### Establishment of St Mary congregation

In May 1889 work began on a new chaple on the estate of Mr Wentworth. The press recorded the event:
   On Monday afternoon Bishop Barry laid the foundation stone of a new church to be erected at Toongabbie, near Parramatta. A large concourse of people from the district, as well as from Parramatta, were present, and were entertained at luncheon on the ground by the ladies of the parish. The stone was laid with all the ceremony incidental to such occasions... Headed by a donation from the Bishop, contributions to the amount of £54 16s were placed on the stone. The new church, which is to cost about £280, is expected to be completed in about six weeks. It will be of brick, 30ft by 25ft, and will supply a want long felt in the neighborhood.
From the beginnings there were concerns at being able to secure clergy to officiate in what was still a remote area. To this issue the Dean of Sydney had sent Lay readers to resolve the shortage, which seems to have been exacerbated by boundary disputes between parishes.
In July of 1889, the parish bell was unveiled by the dean.
From a 1893 List of Local lay readers, Paul B. Elwell of "Toongabbie, Prospect and Seven Hills" was issued a license on 5 September 1892. Elwell (d. 1899 in Woollahra) was a landowner at Wentworthville and a member of Saint Mary's congregation. His daughter was a long time organist.
This early phase of the parish included an active Anglican congregation in the area that was still mostly forested but opening up for agriculture.
In 1891 the synod approved an ordnance "To authorise the sale of certain lands situate within the Parramatta Domain and at Toongabbie (Seven Hills)" These appear to be surplus land from the establishment of the church.

### Early twentieth century

By the outbreak of World War I the church building had become very run down and there were calls for renovations despite the war. The war had a huge impact on the parish. Each week the news papers of the time bled lists of names from the parish.
Construction of a new Bonds garment factory on the adjacent side of the railway line caused a rush of residential subdivision around the church during the early 1920s, and by 1930 the area had acquired a distinctly residential character. Electricity connection along Binalong Road arrived in 1920.
In 1939 the church celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The local paper described the event:
   An old lamp which was used for the first services at St. Mary's Church of England, Toongabbie, 50 years ago, was used again at the church's Golden Jubilee at the week-end. It was suspended above the porch entrance. Many who were present at the opening of the church took part in the special services to commemorate the occasion.
   Following a lantern lecture by Mr. P. W. Gledlill on "The Planting of Christianity in Australia." supper was served by a log fire in the church grounds. A birthday cake with 50 candles, donated by Mrs. Symonds,(long time church organist) was cut by Mrs. J. R. Parsons. Jubilee gifts included a chancel carpet, brass vases, book-markers, light shades and tablecloths.

### Provisional parish

In 1950 a provisional parish was created wherein the out centers of Toongabbie and Girraween were taken off the recently created parish of Wentworthville and merged with Seven Hills which at this time had become an out center of Prospect.
The parish at this time was becoming urbanised, allowing for a larger congregation.
The Rev. W. W. Hemming (Rector of Wentworthville) in 1950 became the curate. He had experience of several parish plants prior to this and appears to have been heavily involved. The rectory was at 426 Seven Hills Road, Seven Hills. indicating Seven Hills was the center of the new parish.
Toongabbie became a full parish in the 1970s. Since then the parish has contained up to four churches:
* St Mary's Anglican Church, Pendle Hill (front of the current church site)
* St John's Anglican Church, Girraween (at 15-17 Tingurra Rd, Girraween) was sold in 1994.
* St Mark's Anglican Church, Pendle Hill (located at 8 Pendle Way, Pendle Hill) was sold in 1978. A congregation in the Baptist tradition today occupies the site.
* Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Toongabbie West (formerly in Cecilia Street, Toongabbie overlooking Toongabbie Creek) Built in 1954, this wooden structure was only ever a provisional out center lasted to about 1970.$^{:115}$
In 1989 construction began on a new church building at Saint Mary's. The foundation stone reads the new church was dedicated to the glory of God by the right reverend P. R. Watson Bishop in Parramatta 22nd April 1990.
In 1994 the original St Mary's church building, was demolished. This was amidst some local objection.

## Activities
### Sunday meetings

* Morning Services with kids programs (Sunday 8.45am & 10.45am)
* Traditional Church (Sunday 3pm)
* Sunday Night Church (Sunday 6pm)

### Community

* ToonieKids Church (creche - Year 5) - part of Family Church
* ToonieKids@Play - a weekly play group
* One80 - youth group
* Growth groups (bible studies)
* Toongabbie Boomers

## List of rectors

The following individuals have served as rector, or other titles, of the parish:
| Ordinal | Officeholder name | Title | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
| 1 | Arthur Patrick Wade | Rector Wentworthville | 1934 | 1935 | 0–1 years | $^{:121}$ |
| 2 | Robert William West Hemming | Rector Wentworthville | 1950 | 1950 | 0 years | |
| 3 | Raymond Joseph Bomford | Curate | 1953 | 1955 | 1–2 years | $^{:80}$$^{:77}$ |
| 4 | Thomas Croft | Curate | 1955 | 1958 | 2–3 years | $^{:80}$ |
| 5 | Brian Black | Curate | 1957 | 1959 | 1–2 years | $^{:88}$ |
| 6 | Keith Noel Grisdate | Curate | 1958 | 1959 | 0–1 years | $^{:80}$ |
| 7 | Edward George Newing | Curate | 1959 | 1959 | 0 years | $^{:112}$ |
| 8 | Frederick Donald Buchanan | | 1960 | 1964 | 3–4 years | $^{:86}$ |
| 9 | P. V. Rainsford | Curate (based in Girraween) | c. 1970 | c. 1970 | 0 years | $^{:103}$ |
| 10 | K. T. Percival | Curate Girraween (provisional parish) | c. 1970 | c. 1970 | 0 years | $^{:78}$ |
| 11 | D. I. Meadows | Curate | 1970 | 1975 | 4–5 years | $^{:141}$ |
| 12 | D. S. Parker | | c. 1980 | c. 1984 | 3–4 years | $^{:100}$ |
| 13 | Martin Robinson | | | | | |
| 14 | John Reid | | 1990 | 1996 | 5–6 years | |
| 15 | Philip Bassett | | 1996 | 2007 | 10–11 years | |
| 16 | Raj Gupta | | 2007 | 2021 | 13–14 years | |
| 17 | Murray Colville | | 2021 | 2022 | 0–1 years | |
| 18 | Mike Hastie | | 2022 | incumbent | 2–3 years | |