Northern Illawarra Uniting Church congregants have launched a major fundraising campaign to restore the historic 'Chapel on the Hill' at Bulli.
Last Thursday church members hosted a tour to show where repairs are most needed in the nearly 160-year-old building.
“The purpose of this restoration is to really give help and hope to people in the community,” said church minister and campaign spokesperson Reverend Josh McPaul.
“We want it to be an outreach for the whole community.”
The church’s history
In the early 1860s, Bulli residents didn’t have a church for their small congregation of about 25 people, led by Rev James Somerville. They met in a temporary chapel, which was just a barn adjoining William Somerville’s home at the time.
When the Bulli coal mine opened in June 1863, more people moved to the area and the congregation at the makeshift place of worship grew. They chose to build a chapel at the hilltop site and, after a few years of construction, it opened on May 7, 1865.
Bulli's Wesleyan chapel has remained a cornerstone of the community. It has hosted funerals, baptisms and weddings for people from all walks of life, and even rang its bell to celebrate the end of World War I. Some of its stained-glass windows serve as memorials to community members, such as Thomas Danks, a teenager who drowned in the ocean in 1912.
“The church is always looming or just sitting there in a way, kind of like grandma, looking over the township,” said Will Tibben, chairman of the church's restoration committee.
What needs restoring?
The church has stood the test of time, only needing a few repairs through the years.
However, due to the clay soil beneath the building, the west wall has slowly drifted apart, evident by the crack in the front facade. To prepare the building for the next 150 years, the committee would also like to restain the windows, restore the bell tower and repoint the bricks.
“The goal is not to change the facade – it’s going to look just as it has for 165 years,” Josh said.
“We're going to put some new heating and stuff inside to make it a little bit more comfortable but as a whole, from the outside, it's just going to look like grandma got a facelift.”
The biggest challenge is funding – the restoration project is tipped to cost $650,000.
Two-thirds of that amount have hopefully already been covered, with one-third coming from the church’s savings and the rest from potential grants and public funds. The church is now asking the community to help raise the final third, with a target of $200,000.
“Our church has never done a big fundraising campaign,” Josh said.
“We feel like that’s a challenge but it’s definitely one that we feel like we can pull together.”
The good news is the church has already raised $100,000 in community donations.
The chapel is on the National Trust Register, so all donations are tax-deductible and directly support the restoration.
“Every dollar that gets spent will directly go into the restoration of the church,” Will said.
What’s next
The church plans to reopen as a community hub after the restoration, hopefully by February next year.
“I think there’s the public safety aspect, in terms of the more practical concern for us in the here and now,” Will said.
“We want to be able to use the building.”
They are committed to continuing their work with organisations such as Baby Sensory Illawarra and local charity Need a Feed, which is based at the church and holds a community lunch there every Thursday.
The church would also like to host music events, such as Illawarra Folk Festival gigs, arts and crafts displays, and open their doors for prayer during the week.
“Most of the time those doors there are closed,” Josh said.
“I think our dream is that people drive by and see those doors open.”
The chapel is at 191 Princes Highway, Bulli. If you would like to contribute to restoration work, email chapel@niuchurch.org.au to pledge your amount, or drop off cash in specifically marked envelopes at the box in the church, or direct deposit via EFT to: Bulli Chapel restoration, BSB: 634634 ACCT: 100088436.