Early Australian Pentecostalism

I grew up from the age of 10 to around 29 years of age, at the Pentecostal Church at Richmond Temple, 343 Bridge Rd Richmond, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. During most of that time, Pastor Charles Lewis Greenwood (1891-1969) led the Temple as its minister.

There I committed and re-committed my life to Christ at many altar calls, was filled with the Spirit and spoke with other tongues, was baptised in water, and had my marriage to Elizabeth solemnised by C.L. (as he was affectionately known) in 1968. Recently, I have read The C.L. Greenwood Story by George Forbes and been inspired again by the message of the Australian Pentecostal Movement.

My family has had a profound association with the Pentecostal movement. My paternal grandfather/grandmother were associated with Good News Hall (GNH) in North Melbourne, along with their 11 children, with my father (number 6 child) remaining strongly influenced by GNH until his death in 2005.

GNH, the first Pentecostal group in Australia, was established in 1909 by Janet Lancaster. GNH wanted to be founded on the words of scripture alone and rejected the orthodox creeds of the early church. This stand led them to heterodox views re the Trinity, the soul's existence after death and the eternal punishment of the wicked. Nevertheless, the group was very charitable to others who believed differently (Chant, Heart of Fire, p. 54) and to those who sought to disparage them.

Their doctrinal position drew the ire of other Pentecostal groups, chiefly the Sunshine Revival group (1916, C.L.Greenwood and A.C.Valdez) and the Southern Evangelical Mission (1911, Robert Horne, Caulfield) and also overseas speakers that GNH invited to Australia such as Smith Wigglesworth and Aimee Semple McPherson. By the late 1930s the group, by then The Apostolic Faith Mission (name changed 1927), had completely collapsed. Nevertheless, much of present Australian Pentecostalism owes a debt to Janet Lancaster and her church's work.

My maternal grandfather who was saved through The Brethren later came "into Pentecost" at Richmond Temple, to where the Sunshine Revival group had finally come, through the invitation of a good work-mate whose son would years later become the pastor of Richmond Temple for over 20 years, Philip Hills!

I know growing up in a heterodox family I got to know the bible fairly well. At least I got to know some parts of the bible from a heterodox point of view at least!! But the Pentecostal (and Brethren) Sunday schools I attended over many years taught me well. We were taught to memorise scripture and I would now argue that memorisation of scripture is extremely important for building a solid life of faith.

Much in present-day Pentecostal churches has changed since the time I was brought up in it. Change is of course inevitable; but whether it is change for the better needs careful examination. One of the greatest differences I think between then and now is that then much was made of the second coming of Christ, that Jesus was coming soon! Our hymns and songs testified to it; whereas now, the greater emphasis is on temporal lives.

The notion of being prosperous would have been virtually incomprehensible to the early Pentecostals who struggled through WW1 and then an economic depression. ((In fact, GNH ran a soup kitchen during the 1920s (Chant, Heart of Fire, p. 48-51)). Their great hope was the wealth of heaven with Christ that awaited them, not the trinkets this world offers.

But now I am an Anglican; but an Anglican that appreciates the lessons I learned in early Pentecostal circles. An Anglican who yearns to experience the reviving of my present church in the joy of the Spirit so that many others outside may come to know the present, transforming power of God in their lives for the glory of God.