Reverend A. M. HendersonPrint Page

Two stained glass windows are a joint memorial to Reverend A. M. Henderson, during whose time the church was built and paid for. The windows were presented by William Peterson. 

For the first 139 years of its history, St Michael`s was a Congregational Church known as Collins Street Independent Church. (The word Independent was frequently used in the name of Congregational Churches). By the end of 1865, influential Congregationalists around Melbourne were strongly of the view that the Collins Street Independent Church should be developed to become the focal point for Congregationalism in Victoria. Early in 1866, the congregation of the church took the decision to demolish the small chapel on the site and to erect a new church that would be worthy of its commanding position and fit to be a representative church of the denomination. Simultaneously, it called the Rev Anketell M Henderson to be the Minister.

A M Henderson was born in Ireland in 1820. He became a minister in 1845 and after serving in Ireland for some years, he spent the years 1856 to 1865 as minister at Claremont Chapel, London. He was called to the Richmond Congregational Church in 1865 and at the same time became Principal of the Congregation College of Victoria. He began his ministry at Richmond on 2 September 1865, showing considerable preaching skills and transferred to the Melbourne church toward the end February 1866. It seems that he did not begin preaching until 22 April 1866, when the congregation met in the Theatre Royal to allow for the demolition of the earlier chapel. However he chaired the church's Building Committee from its inception in February 1866.
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