Monday 6 April 2010 Over the weekend of Palm Sunday, celebrations were held to mark the restoration and re-opening of a church building in South Australia which, despite a long history of strong relationships with the Presbyterian and Uniting churches of this state, is a member of another Synod.

This is the church at Pukatja Community in the far north-west of South Australia. Ernabella was established as a Presbyterian mission in 1937. In the early years church services were held outdoors until a brush church with spinifex roofing was erected in 1944. The large church building, constructed of cement blocks made and laid by local Pitjantjatjara men, was opened in 1952 with approximately 400 people present. On the same day, 20 young people were baptised as the first-fruits of the Ernabella church. In following decades the building was used regularly for Sunday services and daily morning prayers.

From 1 January 1974 the church handed over administration of Ernabella to a local incorporated community which was given a local name Pukatja. Sunday services continued to be held in the church and for a period morning prayers were maintained. From its beginnings at Ernabella, the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara church expanded as new settlements, including Fregon, Amata, Mimili and Indulkana, were established in the region. This expansion continued in the late 1970s with the opening of homeland communities to the west of these settlements. The Pitjantjatjara parish became part of the new Uniting Church in Australia in 1977. By 1980, approximately 500 adults had been baptised in the area and 25 Elders had been ordained.

By the 1990s the church building was used less frequently as many services were conducted from an outdoor platform. However it was used on special occasions and for funeral services. Having been listed on the State Heritage Sites register in 2001, the building was closed in 2006 because of asbestos in the roof and one wall. While closed, it sustained damage to windows and doors. Church and community leaders requested government assistance to restore the building and in 2009 the asbestos was removed and replaced and a work party repaired other damage.

A large crowd of locals and visitors gathered for the re-opening celebrations. The visitors included former mission staff, representatives from the Northern Synod and the Northern Regional Council of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and members of the Alice Springs Uniting Church. The official opening ceremony as held on the Saturday afternoon. That night a service was held in the open-air with the Ernabella School Choir and the Senior Choir singing on a specially constructed stage near the church. The church was full for the Sunday morning service. The President of the UCA, Rev. Alistair Macrae preached, with Bible translator, Paul Eckert interpreting. Ernabella Community Minister Graham Kulyuru presided at the sacrament of communion. A large Pitjantjatjara Bible donated by the Bible Society, a lectern, communion table and baptismal font were dedicated. Since the original opening of the church, a concave shaped rock had been used as the font. This had gone missing during when the building was closed but one of the women found a similar rock to replace it. Pews donated by churches in Monbulk and Portland in Victoria had been placed in the church.

A special new feature in the building is the placing on the rear wall of two large panels with photographs and facsimiles of documents which portray the history of Ernabella and the church. These were prepared by Ara Irititja Project, a Pitjantjatjara Council archive based in Adelaide.

All who attended the celebrations found them inspiring with the warmth of fellowships and renewing of friendships. The Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara churches need the prayers and support of the wider church as they face the challenge of change.

Rev. Bill Edwards

(former Superintendent of Ernabella Mission)