There was not a spare seat in sight for the closure service of the Cambooya Uniting Church (CUC), which took place on Good Friday, 29th March 2024.
Thank you to the Downs Presbytery, which has provided the following article about the church’s final service.
Extra chairs lined the aisle and the entry as over 70 people filled the church, to hear the Passion of Christ and give thanks for this tiny church’s contribution to Cambooya and the surrounding districts.
Attendees came from around the district, including Toowoomba, Allora, Pilton, Ramsay, Greenmount, Felton and Nobby, to reconnect one last time.
Representatives from the Downs Presbytery were present, along with members from both our Cambooya sister churches (Anglican and Catholic), and many of our lay-preachers, to whom a special debt of gratitude was given.
Great-great-grandchildren of the original parishioners attended the closing service, along with other relatives of those founding families.
Many had been members or teachers of the Sunday School, or were married there many decades ago, while others had participated in the wonderful concerts, choir, fundraising fetes, or the Friday craft group which remained active until the end.
The craft group will continue to meet in the Cambooya Community Hall.
Laurice Martin (CUC), welcomed everyone, mentioned some apologies and later gave a brief history of the Church from its beginnings as a Presbyterian Church, to its membership in the Uniting Church.
The service was then led by the Downs Presbytery Minister Rev. Yvonne McRostie and the address was given by the Downs Presbytery Chair, Rev. John Case.
Rev. John said there was no more appropriate day in the Christian Calendar than Good Friday to allow ourselves to grieve.
He urged us to stay in the moment and not rush, taking time to recall that amazing things are resurrected, like the Saviour of the World.
His poignant reminder that Jesus Christ died at 3pm mirrored the time of both the opening service (held on June 6th, 1906) in the packed Cambooya Presbyterian Church and its official closure as the Cambooya Uniting Church (29th March, 2024.)
Rev. John encouraged us all to look forward, ending his message with: “God hasn’t finished with you yet, people of Cambooya. God isn’t finished with you yet.”
Following the service, attendees enjoyed afternoon tea, providing an opportunity to reminisce further.
Organisers sent a heartfelt thank you to all past and present members of the Cambooya church and community for their participation in the life of the Cambooya Uniting Church and to Presbytery Leaders for making the Good Friday Closure Service, such a meaningful event.
This article appeared in On Our Selection News, 11 April 2024.
