Introduction
St Michael’s Uniting Church is a Uniting church located on Collins Street in central Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Originally the Collins Street Independent Church, a Congregational Union of Australia church, and later Collins Street Uniting Church, St Michael’s has become well known as a centre of liberal theology and political radicalism under its recent Executive Minister Dr Francis Macnab (1971–2016)
St Michael’s is a vibrant, inclusive, hospitable city church that engages with the life of the city — sharing contemporary and progressive Christian theology embracing spirituality, the arts, wellbeing, justice and compassion.
The first church on this site was built in 1839–41, one of the first Churches in the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria). That Church was demolished in 1863 to make way for the present building, completed in 1866. As a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia, St Michael’s is committed to seeking the Common Good through involvement in the public life of our city and nation. We hold foundational Christian values regarding the equal rights of every human person irrespective of race, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or age, and our responsibility for the care of planet earth.
Rev Dr Margaret Mayman was inducted as minister with St Michael’s Uniting Church in February 2020. Margaret was born in New Zealand, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1983. She holds a PhD in Christian social ethics from Union Theological Seminary in New York, where she lived, studied and taught for 12 years. She was a parish minister in New Zealand for 18 years before moving to Sydney in December 2013 to be the minister at Pitt Street Uniting Church.
Since 1 January 2017 there have been supply ministers such as Reverend David Dawes, Rev Ric Holland, Reverend John Smith, and Reverend Peter Burnham and others visiting ministers. “Mingary – the Quiet Place” is a contemplative space at St Michael’s opened in 1999. Mingary-Cairnmillar Counselling Service also offers low-cost counselling. Mingary is run in conjunction with the Cairnmillar Institute, founded by previous minister Francis Macnab.
Architecture of St. Michael’s Uniting Church
The church was designed by Joseph Reed who also designed The Melbourne Town Hall and The Melbourne Exhibition Building. The church is classified by the National Trust with the highest heritage rating. The design of the church reflects the architect Joseph Reed’s admiration for the Lombardic style – the polychrome brickwork exterior, open cloisters on the side of the building and Romanesque arches. The interior of the church was strongly influenced by the minister of the day, Reverend Henderson’s request for a setting in which all members of the congregation could both hear and see the preacher. The result is an interior very reminiscent of a theatre: A sloping floor with tiered seating, A gallery to increase the capacity of the church, A covered ceiling to improve the acoustics, A semi-circular shape.
The Bicentennial Windows
2008 marks twenty years since the stained glass windows were installed in the ground floor of the Church. Sadly, Klaus Zimmer died at the end of 2007. He was the artist who created and installed this magnificent panorama of colour and story that will be an evocative adornment in St Michael’s for generations. In 2008, we will remember Klaus Zimmer and celebrate his remarkable work.
The windows tell of each person’s journey and the journey of humanity. From the experience of aloneness, alienation and questioning, they move along several pathways to the symbolic gateway of the New Jerusalem. Each window has an inscription as its foot, and combined with biblical references closely follows the poem Streams of Consciousness. The vertical blue line in each window represents the Life Force in everything, while the horizontal red line represents God’s Love that embraces the whole of the creation. The windows are numbered clockwise, starting at the rear left of the church, facing the pulpit. Windows 1 to 7 are on the left wall, 8 to 14 on the right and 15 to 19 are on the rear or south wall.
First and Second Peoples
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation,
the traditional custodians of the land on which the church was built and the places where we live and work. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We stand in solidarity with the Statement from the Heart and the call for Treaty, Voice and Truth.
First and Second Peoples
Sunday Gatherings in the church commence at 10am. From early Sunday afternoon, video recordings of the Sunday Gathering can be viewed here.
Annual Feast Day
Feast day: September 29
The annual feast day of St. Michael’s Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia
is celebrated on September 29 each year.
Mass Timing
Weeday Masses
Monday to Friday : 10.30am – 1.30pm
Weekend Masses
Saturday : Closed
Sunday : 10am – 11am
Church Visiting Hours
Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
Contact Info
Level 2,
St Michael’s Place,
120 Collins Street,
Melbourne ,
Australia.
Phone No.
Phone: (03)96545120
Connectivities
Connectivities
Airway
The nearest airport to the Church of St. Michael’s Uniting Church is Melbourne Airport (MEL), Australia which is just 37 min (24.3 km) via away from the basilica.
Railway
The nearest railway to the Church of St. Michael’s Uniting Church, Melbourne Via Russell St and Flinders St/State Route which is just 3 mins (550.0 km) kilometres away from the basilica.
