Jireh Baptist Church, Brisbane

The Jireh ^[a] Baptist Church was a place of worship in Gipps Street, Fortitude Valley, a suburb of Brisbane. It was established in 1862 by Rev. John Kingsford, its pastor for 37 years, and folded in 1978.

Pastors

• John Kingsford (1813–1905) ^[1] was pastor 1861–1899. ^[2] He was uncle of Charles Kingsford Smith's mother.
• Ernest A. Kirwood (died 1954), ^[3] pastor 1899–1904 ^[4] He preached at the church's 60th anniversary ^[5] and attended its 88th anniversary service in 1950. ^[6]
• J. E. Walton ^[7] pastor 1904–1909
• A. C. Jarvis (died 1934) ^[8] 1910–1916
• Benjamin Hewison (died 1938) ^[9] pastor 1919–1924. His wife died in 1946. ^[10]
• Thomas McColl (died 1946) ^[11] pastor 1926–1930
• Charles J. W. Moon (died 1937), ^[12] temporary pastor 1930
• S. M. Potter was temporary pastor, permanent 1932–1939. ^[13]

Four "daughter churches" arose from the efforts of the "Jireh" congregation:

• Nundah
• Windsor road, Brisbane
• Albion
• Toowong

The churches at Bulimba and Enoggera received much assistance from "Jireh".

Notable communicants include Miss Plested (missionary in India), Revs W Richer, T. Zettich (of Windsor Road Church), W. Higlett (secretary to NSW Baptist Union), T. N. Symonds (superintendent for Baptist Home Missions in Queensland), A. E. Bickmore (longtime treasurer for the Baptist Association in Queensland), Gray Parker (of Wynnum Church) and evangelist W. L. Jarvis. ^[14]

Notes

1. Taken from the book of Genesis, "jireh" is understood to mean "The Lord will provide".

References

1. "Death of Rev. J. Kingsford". Warwick Examiner and Times . Vol. 39, no. 4965. Queensland, Australia. 5 August 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
2. "Rev. J. Kingsford's Farewell". The Week (Brisbane) . Vol. XLVIII, no. 1, 233. Queensland, Australia. 11 August 1899. p. 7. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
3. "Family Notices". The Courier-mail . Queensland, Australia. 4 October 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
4. "Jireh Baptists". The Telegraph (Brisbane) . No. 9901. Queensland, Australia. 13 August 1904. p. 13. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
5. "Jireh Baptist Jubilee". Queensland Times . Vol. LXIV, no. 11, 250. Queensland, Australia. 24 July 1922. p. 4. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
6. "Church birthdays". The Courier-mail . No. 4315. Queensland, Australia. 25 September 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
7. "Visiting Baptist Minister". The Telegraph (Brisbane) . No. 9, 924. Queensland, Australia. 9 September 1904. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
8. "Obituary". The Advocate (Australia) . Tasmania, Australia. 13 March 1934. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
9. "Former Baptist President". The Courier-mail . No. 1609. Queensland, Australia. 28 October 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
10. "Family Notices". The Courier-mail . No. 2964. Queensland, Australia. 24 May 1946. p. 10. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
11. "Family Notices". The Telegraph (Brisbane) . Queensland, Australia. 23 August 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
12. "Death of the Rev. Charles Moon". Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser . No. 20, 509. Queensland, Australia. 6 April 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
13. "What the Churches are Doing". The Telegraph (Brisbane) . Queensland, Australia. 30 December 1939. p. 20. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.
14. "Jireh Baptist". The Brisbane Courier . No. 20, 113. Queensland, Australia. 8 July 1922. p. 7. Retrieved 21 April 2025– via National Library of Australia.