St Paul’s Lutheran Church Crossville was dedicated 4.12.1927. It was the opening of the first Lutheran Church building on Eyre Peninsula. This was for one of the two Lutheran Synods existing at that time. (There were two others at Denial Bay and Koonibba Mission near Ceduna – generally regarded as Far West! And they belonged to the other Lutheran Synod). Since 1966, there is one Synod: Lutheran Church of Australia. People had migrated to Cowell and Crossville area c 1909 from other areas of SA, looking for new land. They formed a small congregation, worshipping in various buildings and served by visiting ministers from ‘the mainland’ as they called it. Until the bridge went in at Port Augusta in the late 20s, people had to get to EP by crossing the top of the Gulf by a punt, or Yorkey’s Crossing....or by boat!
In late July 1925 a young Lutheran Seminary pastor graduate was appointed to Eyre Peninsula, based in Cleve...and then with a resident pastor, the people constituted congregations and built churches..
This congregation closed in February 1960. By then Cleve was the service and educational centre for the area. Roads were better, everyone had a vehicle, and the next generation of the early settlers had moved to other areas. People who had travelled the 10kms from Cleve to worship at Crossville, now wanted to have a more central worship location- and formed St Paul’s Cleve. The foundation stone of St Paul’s Crossville is displayed in Cleve.
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Cleve index |