Bethel, South Australia

Bethel is a locality and former settlement in South Australia, west of Kapunda. Its name means Place of God.

Bethel South Australia
Bethel Lutheran Church in 2015
Bethel
Coordinates	34.327840°S 138.837630°E / -34.327840; 138.837630
Population	52 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	5373
Location	9 km (6 mi) W of Kapunda
LGA(s)	Light Regional Council
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal division(s)	Barker
Localities around Bethel: Tarlee Stockport Bethel Kapunda Linwood Fords

Bethel was settled by German-speaking people in around 1854 seeking to establish a Moravian Brethren community. From 1856 there was also a group of people of Wendish origin. They also spoke German.^[2] Some of these settlers initially worshipped with the Moravians, however a new church was built named Steinthal and many worshipped there instead. The Bethel congregation severed its links with the Moravians and called a Lutheran pastor in the 1890s. The Steinthal church closed and combined in 1906.^[3] The school was closed by the state government in 1917 along with many others that taught in German.^[4]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Bethel (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. "First Missions-Bethel, South Australia". Telling The Truth. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
3. P.H.Colliver (1983). Freedom Found, A History of the Altus Family in Australia. LPH. Adelaide. pp. 40–41. ISBN 0-9592754-0-1.
4. "CLOSING GERMAN SCHOOLS". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. LIV, no. 16, 152. South Australia. 12 June 1917. p. 3 (SPECIAL WAR EDITION). Retrieved 22 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.