In 1970 Rev. David Cross moved to the eastern suburbs of Perth and began a Bible study. This became Westminster Presbyterian Church Maida Vale. The church’s first worship service was held in Caversham Hall on 6 December, 1970. Only seven people attended the first service but the church grew rapidly. Our first ruling elders were Andrew Priddle, Clem White and Paul Winterflood.
The congregation continued to develop, worshipping in Koongamia and then the Maida Vale Primary School. In 1981 a block of land across Kalamunda Road was purchased. The following year the church moved into the building it is still using as our place for worship.
After a few years, Rev. Cross moved to another suburb and began a new congregation and WPCMV called its first pastor. In 1982 our church joined with others to form the Westminster Presbyterian Church. This denomination now has ministries in ACT, New South Wales and Queensland as well as Western Australia. There is strength in belonging to a larger body of believers with common commitments and understanding of what God has revealed. From the beginning, the Westminster Confession of Faith has been our doctrinal standard and we have been led by elders who were called by God to shepherd His flock.
In 2006 Rev. Roger Palmer became the pastor of the church, and ten years later Rev. Donovan Morling joined the team, and in 2019 Jared Venter came on as a ministry apprentice.
In 2020 Martin Ricquebourg joined the staff team as a pastoral assistant, while he completes his doctorate in Genesis 1-11.
In May 2022 we sent Jared Venter to plant our first church plant, High Wycombe Church, which is currently averaging around 60 people on a Sunday morning. Lord willing we will continue to be a healthy church planting healthy churches over the years to come.
This year we have taken on two ministry interns, who are currently studying at Trinity Theological College, and being trained by the pastors to gain ministry experience. Lord willing, we want to be a healthy church that plants healthy churches every 3-5 years, and are excited to see what God has in store for us in the future!
