The Church of Christ in Cheltenham had its origin in two beginnings: one in the northern end of the district and one further south.  On his arrival from Scotland, James Keir commenced a communion service in his home on the Nepean Road.  The meeting alternated between the Keir home and the home of Thomas Walker, who had come from Chester, England, the area around their home becoming known as Chesterville. By 1859 the group-which included such other names as Allen, Brough, Cameron, Fairlam, Holdsworth, Le Page, Meeres, Monk, Organ, Penny, Perry, Potts, Sears and King-had built a small chapel near the corner of Wickham and Chesterville Roads.  During 1858, a group had also begun meeting in the Charman family home on the corner of Charman and Balcombe Roads.  Names associated with this group included Bodley, Charman, Fisher, Hayes, Hilliar, Judd, Moysey and Ruse.  In 1860 they built a chapel on the corner of Charman Road and Patty Street.  It was enlarged in 1866 and it became the meeting place of the two groups when they came together around 1870.

Five years later the church was ready to expand further. Feeling a little removed from the centre of the district, they began meeting in the Mechanics' Institute (Nepean Road) on Sunday evenings. They were able to buy land near the corner of Chesterville and Nepean Roads, and erected a new brick chapel on the site in 1878. This chapel, of course, continues to be an integral part of the life of Southern and is one of the three worship venues for today's service.  The official opening of the chapel on 8^th December 1878 was reported as "the largest religious service ever held in Cheltenham." On Monday 9^th December over 500 people attended a dinner at the Mechanics' Institute which was followed by a public meeting in the new chapel.  The chapel opening also marked the commencement of the ministry of Mr. G.B. Moysey.

As the Church continued to grow, so various improvements and additions were made to the buildings. The Pine Street Hall (as it has become known) was built for the Bible School in 1902.  The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Tuck, wife of R.W. Tuck who served in leadership of the Sunday School and Church for over forty years.  The front of the chapel was remodeled in 1956 in time for the centenary celebrations. The ‘E.T. Penny Memorial Hall' was erected for the kindergarten in 1920. Another hall for the children's ministry was built in 1958, and the Ray Barnett Christian Education Centre was opened on 29^th April 1962. Significantly, this auditorium was incorporated in the building of the new complex in 1997 and is being used as one of the three venues for worship today. In 1967 a Carillon was installed in the church tower in memory of Mr Fred Deane. The section housing the V.C. Stafford Library was added in 1968 to link the chapel with the Pine Street Hall.

The 1970's and 1980's, with people such as Rev. Dr. Gordon Moyes and Rev. Gerald Rose as Senior Ministers, saw significant growth in the life and mission of the church (see inside back cover). This development was significantly supplemented by the amalgamation of the Cheltenham, East Bentleigh and Hampton Street Churches of Christ in 1993, and a comprehensive new facility was designed and built to accommodate the ever-increasing activity of the amalgamated church. It was opened on 30^th November 1997.

Our Heritage ...

Community

From its very earliest days, the church has been prominent in the local community. The names Moysey, Brough, Le Page and Charman are not associated with the history of the church alone, but of the whole community. Significant church initiatives have included the establishment of Chesterville Retirement Village in 1976 (with Pine Lodge and ‘Stage 2' added in 1978), which the church managed on behalf of Chesterville Nominees until 2003 when the church became owner/manager of the entire complex. The church initiated a range of community education programs from the 1970's: the School for Continuing Education became Cheltenham Leisure and Learning in 1978 and was incorporated into Bayside Learning in 1979.  In 1986 the Cheltenham Neighbourhood House opened in the Red Brick House on the corner of Chesterville Rd and Pine St, changing its name to Cheltenham Community Education and Activity Centre when it moved into the new facilities in 1997. Today, CCEAC is a very busy Neighbourhood House, incorporating Child Care, Literacy Centre, Computer and Lifeskills classes. Southway Counselling Centre commenced in 1997, offering the community high quality counselling at low cost. The LifeStreams Spirituality Centre began under the ministry of Jenny Georgiadis in 1999 and is an exciting venture that seeks to make resources in wholeness and wellbeing accessible to the community. The Pastoral Care ministry of the church has always been extended to the wider community. Since the early 1970's pastoral care and worship services have been provided at the Kingston Centre, and today the pastoral care team takes worship and communion to six ‘external' sites: Kingston Centre, Chesterville Retirement Centre, Cheltenham Manor, Mooraleigh, Allambee and Elanora (a service that was initiated by the Hampton Street congregation).

Music

Music has been a strong and vital part of the life of Cheltenham/Southern. In the very early days, the congregation was known in the area for its energetic singing-the Kingston Historical Society website comments on baptisms that "took place at Munday's Beach (Cheltenham beach) and involved total immersion, with hearty hymn-singing by the crowd gathered on the sand." Cheltenham choirs under the leadership of people like Val Woff and Fay Ferris were widely appreciated. In 1966 the Christian Women's Evening Fellowship formed a choir which became the Lowanna Singers in 1968 and continues to entertain and serve church and other groups around the state, raising thousands of dollars for charities in the process. Children's musicals have also been significant through the years. Other choirs that have formed in the life of the church include Reflection (1975-1981) and Pilgrimage (1983-).