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The foundation stone of the Stone Church was laid on 1st
January 1877 and opened 12 months later on 1st
January, 1878 as a Wesley Church which cost 900 pounds to
build. The first minister was Rev. James Phillips.
 The vestry was added
after World War One as a permanent soldier's memorial. The stain glass
window is in honour of James Shepard who was the son of the oldest local
preacher known in the state.
Electric lighting was installed when that type of power
reached Nowra in 1928. The electric lit stained glass window called The Resurrection in the picture on
the left was erected in honour of soldiers who fought in World War II.
Soon after the opening of the church, plans were being made
for the construction of a parsonage where the minister resided.
 Its foundation stone
was laid on 15th
September 1885 with work completed the following year. It was located
to the south of the church, with the horse paddock between the two, for the
minister used horse-drawn transport until 1921.
The parsonage was occupied by ministers for many years, but
after a more up-to-date residence was purchased in Junction Street, the old one was
renamed Wesley House and had various roles in the church’s mission.
 After the parish
became part of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, the
congregation decided to construct a new multi-purpose hall and refurbish
the old parsonage; they were joined to become the Wesley Centre which was
opened on 17th
October 1981.
While major worship services are now held there, the Stone Church is still used for 8am services each Sunday, along with weddings,
funerals and other special services as appropriate.
If you are
looking for a place for a private prayer or just some time in quiet
contemplation our church is open from about 8.00am to 3.30pm each weekday.
Weddings
 Our Stone church is a very popular
place for weddings. The church seats around 110 people and is equipped with
a reasonable sound system. People wishing to get married at our church need
to fill out the Notice of Intention to Marry papers well in advanced of the
proposed date. Rev. Tim normally meets with the couple on three separate
occasions in addition to the rehearsal, to plan the wedding and conduct
"marriage education".
The weddings are personalised and relaxed and have
always received good feedback from those attending. The cost is $300.
The Main
Hall in the Wesley Centre, which is used each week for our major service does
not have stained glass windows.
Instead, the sanctuary area is dominated, on either side of a simple
timber cross, by two banners.
On the left is a banner highlighting our Mission
Statement which was designed and made by a group of ladies from our
congregation:
 The circle was
chosen as the essence of the design of the Banner because: -
1) It is the symbol of eternal life and love, indeed, of
eternity itself. It is never-ending,
as are the Christian truths on which it is based.
2)
It also symbolises inclusiveness and unity. This is not unlike our concept of the
"family circle" or the aboriginal view of the family where all
are equal as they sit around the campfire.
It has been contended that this was the view Jesus was introducing
to His band of followers, representing ourselves, the family of Christ,
united around Him, all social status eliminated, a totality unified around
the centre, Christ.
3)
In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit the word for
'circle' was mandala. For
centuries, mandalas have occupied a central place in worship in
Eastern religions as aids in meditation exercises, and in orientating
worshippers to sacred space. The
Banner, then, may be viewed as a Christian mandala. It is a statement of who we are, and what
we stand for, with worship of Christ at the heart. It defines symbolically religious truths
and orientates believers to sacred space in both their daily lives, and in
the act of worship.
4)
The circle is a fitting symbol of the Mission Statement:
"Gathered to Worship Jesus - Scattered to Serve Him" because our
lives are not divided up into segments of service and worship, but are on a
continuum in which the two continually interact. The
Banner, however, is not modelled on just one circle - but four which fit
together to make one. At the centre
is Jesus and our worship of Him, the motivating force of all our service. The two outer rings, representing
ways we serve and pillars of doctrine have spokes, giving the impression
that these wheels can be turned and matched in various ways. This symbolizes that activities, both
spiritual and everyday, occur in different permutations and combinations in
our lives at any given
moment.
5)
The Christian truths symbolised in the outer ring are
based on circular designs because they are eternal.
On the right-hand side, the other banner, which is primarily
the work of one of our artistic members, changes frequently:
This banner reflects a wide range of
relevant topics, generally highlighting the various liturgical seasons (eg
Easter, Pentecost, Christmas) but also, from time to time, current local,
national and international events (eg Nowra Show, Commonwealth Games and
World Council of Churches Assembly) are featured.
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