MOCULTA : ZION GNADENBERG

LUTHERAN

PAUL SCOTT

HISTORY

 

Year Built: 1860

Address: Gnadenberg Road, Moculta

 

Moculta
Moculta is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about 69 kilometres (43 mi) north-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north-east of the municipal seat of Angaston. At the 2016 census, Moculta shared a population of 227 with part of Truro. The earliest settlers in the area were English, Scottish and Irish migrants. German migrants also came to the area from 1853. They built both the Gruenberg (1859) and Gnadenberg Lutheran churches. The township of Moculta itself was surveyed in 1865 and occupied soon after. The locality of Grünberg was renamed to Karalta as a consequence of the move to rename ‘names of enemy origin’ during World War I, but has been named back to the anglicised Gruenberg since then. It is now included in Moculta and Penrice. Gnadenberg is also now included in Moculta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moculta,_South_Australia

 

The Church
Like other Barossa towns the Lutherans of Moculta were divided into two congregations with different interpretations of the Bible. Gruenberg Church just out of the town was built in 1864 and the people there were followers of Pastor Kavel from Hahndorf. Nearby Gnadenberg Church on Parrot Hill was built in 1860 and its congregation were followers of Pastor Fritzsche from Bethany. Both churches established Lutheran schools for their children. Gruenberg School started in 1857 but when numbers declined in 1887 it closed and their children went to the Moculta Lutheran School which had been started in 1877 by the congregation of Gnadenberg Church. This school was closed by act of parliament in 1917. It re-opened ten days later as a state school.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/82134796@N03/11058294286

Built in 1869, Gnadenberg is the 3rd oldest Lutheran Church building in South Australia. It is an original dedicated Church building of the Congregation and is still active today. Gnadenberg is the German name for ‘Hill of Grace’ and was named after a homeland area familiar to those early settlers.

The name Zion is named after a prominent hill in Jerusalem and is a name applied to Christian churches throughout the world.

– A Journey of Grace ... (Church pamphlet)