Our History
The History of Grace Baptist Church, Perth.
The Church was constituted as Perth Evangelical Church on the eleventh of April, 1970, when 13 members covenanted together. They met in the old YWCA on Kinnoull Street, Perth. After a couple of years the structure of the church was re-affirmed and pastor and deacons appointed. On the 20th April, 1972, John D. Davison was appointed as pastor and George Hillan and John Wright we appointed deacons.
Services were held twice on the Lord’s Day when the preaching of the Gospel was faithfully practiced along with the development of a Sunday school in the afternoons.
Over the next few years there was a search for a property to purchase as a permanent meeting place and after a few disappointments; The Lord provided an old railway cottage on Glover Street as a project to renovate as the church building. As Pastor Davison was an architect and Deacon Hillan a builder, it wasn’t long before walls were removed to form the meeting hall, an old wardrobe converted into a pulpit, rooms refurbished to accommodate the growing Sunday school and kitchen and toilets added. The church building at 34 Glover Street was opened for services in 1975.
The church continued its witness in the Craigie area of Perth with Sunday services, a large Sunday School, regular tract and literature distribution and door to door evangelism. A small outreach work was also started in Scone which continued for a few years. Faithful biblical witness was maintained from the church in Glover Street for the next 44 years with God providing a succession of godly pastors who continued the work in and around Craigie. The Lord also provided the opportunity to purchase the adjoining cottage which later became the church manse. Over the years the church has changed names from Perth Evangelical Church to Craigie Reformed Baptist Church to the present name of Grace Baptist Church, Perth but the aim has always been the same; to bring the Gospel to the people of Craigie and the surrounding area.
In 2019, due to the increasing costs of maintaining an old building, it was decided to sell 34 and 36 Glover Street and look to the Lord to provide another meeting place within the Craigie/Moncrieff area of Perth. Within a few weeks we were able to thank God for his provision and the church started to meet for Sunday services in Gleneagles Day Opportunities, Glenearn Road. We continue to worship there each week, although, at the time of writing this, in a restricted manner because of Covid-19, we give thanks for God’s provision and encouragement over the past 50 years.