Sunday 21 July 2013 Church at Coober Pedy and travel to Marla

Sunday 21 July 2013 Church at Coober Pedy and travel to Marla

Stayed at Stuart Range Caravan Park - very clean caravan park with good amenities – although Mel would have liked some signage as to what coins to put in the washing machines.  Did a load of washing and with a clean set of clothes (as we didn’t think that the congregation would appreciate our eau d’campfire) we set off for the underground Catacomb Church. 

Lovely service – with the minister away, different people from the meeting shared what God had been doing in their lives by changing their thinking and attitudes towards others around them.  The guy preaching the sermon talked about the power of God to change lives and about Jesus always being there to help especially in times of trouble and distress.

After the service, Albert, one of the people who helped dig out the Church in 1977, took us for a tour of the Church which is cut out of sandstone in the shape of a cross.  It has lots of rooms and halls off it and an underground minister’s house next to it.  He explained how dugouts are made (he was an earth moving contractor).

We also met at Church an Aboriginal Elder, Ian, who had just returned from Germany where remains of his people has been taken many years ago back to Germany.  They had a special handing over ceremony and Ian spoke on behalf of his people, then brought the remains back to Australia for a proper burial on traditional land.

Called in to visit the Serbian Church which had also been dug out with lofty high ceilings and stained glass windows – we preferred the simplicity of the Catacomb Church, with its simple mulga cross and old winding winch bucket as the communion table.

Stocked up with food at the local IGA and purchased 30 litres of water for 20c for our van at the caravan park before we left.

Now travelling north and the country side has changed from an arid landscape surrounded by mullock heaps from all the mining to flat land well covered by grass and scrub trees possibly due to the good winter rains.

Really feels funny today to be off the outback dirt roads and traveling on good bitumen – we can actually hold a conversation without the clattering and rattling of everything in our van.  Yesterday it even blew the handle off the dream pot handle and the screw ended up in Mel’s dinner!

Ended up stopping at Marla about 5pm for a BBQ and camping – the place has a pool that looks like it might be a goer for a swim in the morning – locked up now.