This week in Christian history: Spanish Inquisition, first worship service in Australia, Ethiopian church cuts ties with ELCA

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Sunday, February 02, 2025

First church service in Australia — Feb. 3, 1788

This week marks the anniversary of what is believed to be the first official Christian worship service in Australia, occurring in the British colony of New South Wales.

Richard Johnson, a Church of England clergyman and chaplain, oversaw the outdoor service in Sydney on a grassy hill, and preached on Psalm 116:12, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”

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“Two weeks later on February 17, Rev. Johnson celebrated the first communion in the colony. The service was held in Lieutenant Ralph Clark's tent, borrowed for the occasion,” noted the State Library of New South Wales.

“The event was recorded by Clark in his journal: ‘I will keep this Table also as long as I live for it is the first Table that ever the Lord's Supper was eat of in this country.’”