Our History

Anglican Ministry commenced in the Mittagong area during the 1850s.

In 1873, David Smith, Manager of the Fitzroy Iron Works donated one acre of land on which St. Stephen’s Anglican Church was to be built, in the middle of town, on the Old Hume Highway. This remains our site today.

In 1876, the foundation stone was laid by Frederic Barker, the Bishop of Sydney, in front of five-hundred people. Work then began on the sandstone church building, designed by famed colonial architect Edmund Blackett, which opened on November 10, 1878.

During 1884, a wooden church hall was constructed on this site, which was also used by the Mittagong Municipal Council from 1889-1899. A branch church, St. Pauls, was established in Colo Vale around this time. The Colo Vale site continues to be used today, and one of our playgroups runs there each week.

In 1928 the church was expanded in size by a third to reach its present size. During this time Mittagong remained a small township in which almost everyone knew everyone else.

In 1958, a Moore College Mission was held, resulting in many locals coming to faith in Christ.

 

Talk about replacing the wooden hall began in the 1930s, although it wasn’t until 2006 that work commenced on a new ministry centre. The extension, finished in 2007, replaced both the old hall and the foyer with one building, connected to the heritage church building, and featuring facilities such as an auditorium (used for our 9.30am and 5pm services, among many other activities), meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen, church offices and a foyer.

Our Parish comprises the town of Mittagong and the main Northern Villages of Colo Vale, Hilltop and Yerrinbool as well as a number of smaller villages, and we have people attend church from all over the Southern Highlands.

For over a hundred and forty years, Christians have met together in the Mittagong Area to praise God, read his word and encourage each other. This continues to today.