About us
Welcome to Creswick-Clunes Uniting Church
The current congregation meets at St. Andrew’s Uniting Church in Creswick, Victoria.
Creswick – Clunes Uniting Church (CCUC) is in the Victorian goldfields town of Creswick, about 20km out of Ballarat and 120km from Melbourne.
CCUC has its heritage in both the Presbyterian and Methodist tradition, taking in former congregations from Victoria Street (Creswick), North Creswick, Springmount, Clunes and Scrub Hill amongst others. There has been a continual congregational presence in the area since the 1850’s.
Meet the Pastor
Pastor Andrew Shearer-Cox
Pastor Andrew Shearer-Cox has been at St. Andrew’s since early 2026. Prior to this placement, Andrew worked in both school and healthcare chaplaincy for 25 years in the Ballarat area.
Andrew enjoys playing a handful of musical instruments, attempting to stay healthy (however, a good bakery is a lesson in temptation) and following a variety of sports teams across Aussie Rules, world football and even ice hockey (although he doesn’t know why as he can neither skate, nor play hockey). He likes getting on to either the tennis court or the pickleball court when time permits and is always up for having a good coffee and chat with people.
Andrew is married to Aileen, and they live with their 2 teenage children.
He enjoys helping the church and the community connect in ways that are engaging and relevant.
History
History of Creswick-Clunes
The present Creswick –Clunes Parish of the Uniting Church in Australia is the outcome of over one hundred and seventy years of the establishment and operation of a range of similarly minded churches in the districts surrounding Creswick and Clunes.
The majority of these operated as Presbyterian and Methodist churches. Others included Primitive Methodist Churches and a Chinese Presbyterian Church.
Some of the early churches were short lived, the gold fields in which they were founded becoming worked out, and their communities, dependent on goldmining, falling away. Others, in agricultural districts and in the surviving goldfields towns, continued into the 20th century.
In 1972 the Presbyterian and Methodist church congregations in Creswick came together as a United Church. In 1977 its congregation, and most other Creswick and Clunes districts Presbyterian and Methodist congregations, elected to become part of the newly formed Uniting Church in Australia.
In June 1997 the former Creswick and Clunes parishes of the Uniting Church formally joined together as a single Creswick-Clunes parish, with six individual preaching places. Since then, five of the six have closed, with St Andrew’s at Creswick now representing the Uniting Church in this district.
Worship Time
Service Times
St. Andrew’s meets for worship at 9:30am each Sunday.
1st & 3rd Sundays: Ps. Andrew Shearer-Cox (including Communion on the 1st Sunday)
2nd & 4th Sundays: guest worship leaders