The following excerpts are transcribed or quoted with some editing and many thanks, from the "Bowen Baptist Church" for the 25th Anniversary 1978 - 2003. For a fuller account, please contact the Bowen Baptist Church to access a copy.
In the beginning...
In 1977, several momentous events came together:
- Pastor Rob Pattemore wrote to the Baptist Union's Department of Home Mission, expressing a long felt calling to start a Baptist Church in Bowen.
- The Board of Church Growth also sent Rev Vince Chataway to Bowen to conduct a door to door survey in respect to founding a church there.
- Fred Stallard, General Manager of Woolworths at the time, and a Baptist member, was flying to Bowen to choose a site for Bowen Woolworths. He was able to bring Rev Roy Conwell, the Chairman of the Board of Church Growth for the Baptist Union, with him, to likewise select a site - but this time for a church.
"The choice came down to a position on the corner of Muller's Lane and Soldier's Road, or in Argyle park Road. The Argyle Park Road site was chosen principally because it already had a house built on it." Rob and Shirley Pattemore were commisioned in the South Brisbane Baptist Church and finally arrived in Bowen in April 1978
Oh happy day!
Saturday the 26th July 1980 saw the official opening of the church. A group from Holland Park in Brisbane travelled all the previous night to be in Bowen for the ceremony. They were joined by the church and civic dignitaries, church members and other local people. Kevin Volker, who had erected the shell of the church, handed the keys to Fred Stallard, who officially opened the door of the church and invited the congregation to be seated. On the following Sunday morning the Bowen Baptist Church was constituted, the 134th Baptist church in Queensland. At the service, 43 people were officially welcomed into membership.
Welcome to the Loders
"February 1984... David and Ann Loder were welcomed to the ministry here [as Pastor and wife...] We gained more community exposure, with the construction of a sign outside the church to advertise coming events and display a thought for the month. The sign became a focal point for passers by. The text of some of the signs appeared in the local newspaper and people said they looked each month for the new 'thought'... The "Northern Leader" newspaper moved into town and offered churches advertisements for free, so David offered to write a column for the paper. That offer was accepted and the 'Spiritual Focus' was born...
A Call North
The following Pastoral Insight, is (with many thanks) from Pastor Noel Wilcox. After ten memorable years spent pastoring in Tent Hill, it felt as if the eagle was preparing to push this eaglet out of the nest to fly to another home. Two years before, the Associate General Superintendent of the Baptist Union, John Tanner, had approached me about moving, and had suggested Bowen as a possibility. Pastor David Loder had a bit of a chat to me on the steps of the Baptist City Tabernacle about the work in Bowen. After prayer we seemed to get a 'No'. It was a bit of a surprise when in Mar/April 1990, I got a phone call from the Secretary of the Bowen Baptist Church, Andrew Blencowe, to reconsider a call to Bowen. We prayed and fasted and the church agreed to fly me up for an interview, after which I could only say: 'If God so directs, we will come.' After further prayer, both Bev and I were convinced that God was calling us to Bowen, in the words of God to Abraham in Gen 12:1: 'Get out of your country'. Prior to this, Bev had been certain, and I was almost prepared to move on her leading, but the Lord showed me otherwise.
A new page
In 2007, Pastor Noel Wilcox and his wife Bev felt a calling to China, where they lived for several months, before returning to Bowen.
In 2009, they once again felt the call, and a call was put out for a new pastor.
On 5th July 2010, the call for a new pastor was taken up by Neil Folling and his wife Leanne.
Stay tuned as a new page in the history of the Bowen Baptist Church is written.
