Bethania Lutheran Heritage Church is a heritage-listed

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

at Church Road, Bethania,

City of Logan Logan City is a local government area situated within the south of the Brisbane metropolitan area in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated between the City of Brisbane to the north and the City of Gold Coast to the south, the City also bor ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It was built in 1872 and is the oldest

Lutheran church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

in Queensland. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

The church was built in 1872 from locally sourced handmade bricks, timber and shingles. It replaced an earlier slab church built in 1864 when a group of German immigrants who immigrated on the ship ''Susannah Godeffroy'' first settled in the area and gave it the name Bethanien. The graveyard next to the church has graves dating from 1866. In 1875, the railway line was built, passing close to the church and over the site of the earlier building. The shingle roof was replaced with iron in 1907 and the new pulpit was built in 1926. For the centenary celebrations in 1972 major renovations were undertaken. A new iron roof, a plywood ceiling, new lighting and leadlight windows were installed. The church, although still used, is no longer the major worship centre of the parish.

Description

This single storey church is constructed of hand-made bricks, rendered internally and externally and has steep

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roofs sheeted with galvanised corrugated iron. The brick walls are strengthened with engaged brick piers visible externally. The exterior plaster is raked to suggest stone construction. The original timber bell tower is positioned opposite the entry doors to the church. The

Beenleigh railway line The Beenleigh railway line is a suburban railway line extending east-southeast from Brisbane Central railway station, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Queensland Rail City network. History Originally known a ...

runs adjacent to the property and a timber footbridge allows pedestrian access across this line. Several graves established prior to the railway line still exist in front of the church and on the other side of the line. The cemetery is now located at the rear of the church. The building consists of a rectangular double height nave with square projections at both ends. The gable roofs over the two projecting rooms are lower than the nave roof. At the eastern end is a 1972 concrete block entry vestibule that replaced a timber entry

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

. It is rendered to match the rest of the building and has double entry doors located on its eastern face. The original entry doors have been removed. On the western end is a private room that contains the staircase leading to the pulpit. The pulpit located at the western end of the main space has been built as a

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony is ...

above the altar. This arrangement is original but the fabric has been reconstructed. At the eastern end of this space, over the original entry is a timber mezzanine which has been extended to twice its original size. The mezzanine is reached by a steep timber staircase. The raked ceiling has a plywood lining that replaced painted sheet metal. Two steel tie rods connect the roof structure above the wall level. The church has tall pointed arched windows in the side walls. Stained glass hopper windows replaced the original casement windows in 1972. The end walls and the attached vestibules have small pointed arched windows. The church has suffered some alterations. Fabric has been replaced but the original forms have been maintained.

Heritage listing

Bethania Lutheran Church was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. Bethania Lutheran Church is significant for its association with the German settlers and the continuing association with the Lutheran community in the area. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. Bethania Lutheran Church is significant as the oldest Lutheran Church in Queensland. The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. Bethania Lutheran Church shows evidence of handmade materials and rudimentary construction techniques used by the area's pioneers.

References

Attribution

External links

*
Photos of the headstones in the cemetery
* {{Find a Grave cemetery Queensland Heritage Register Buildings and structures in Logan City Lutheran churches in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Cemeteries in Queensland Churchyards in Queensland Churches completed in 1872 Cemeteries established in the 1870s