Queensland Baptist Forum

Baptist Heritage Queensland is working on a project to celebrate the contribution of Queensland Baptist Women to the life of the church and the community. Women from many walks of life will be included, but one group that stands out are those who have served in a full time capacity in local churches as deaconesses. In earlier times, some churches supported women in this way—City Tabernacle has a long history, and Greenslopes is another church which benefited greatly from the services of a deaconess. But in the 1950s-60s, it was decided to established an Order of Deaconesses which included theological training. One of the first group of these was Bell McMahon who was officially recognized in this role in 1959. After many years of service in different capacities she died in Feb 2005.

Marion Bell McMahon, born in Toowoomba on 11th November, 1929, was the seventh child of William Douglas and Ada McMahon, nee Stewart. She lived with her parents at Evergreen and Porter's Gap, and in 1935 they moved to Jimbour Plain.  She attended Jimbour State School for a time, but most of her education then was received from the Correspondence School in Brisbane. In 1942 she moved with her parents to Toowoomba, where she attended school at Newtown and Rockville. After completing her training at ‘Unara’, Toowoomba, where she obtained her mothercraft certificate, she commenced nursing training at Toowoomba General Hospital, and from there received her general nursing and midwifery certificates in 1954 and 1956.

Bell was the first deaconess to study at the Baptist Theological College in Brisbane, completing her course in 1957. At the half yearly assembly of the Baptist Union of Queensland in the Ipswich Church on 13th March 1959 a Recognition Service was held to acknowledge her as eligible to minister in the Churches as a Deaconess. She served first at Petrie Terrace and Thompson Estate while a student, and then at Townsville (1959-63), Southport (1964), Charters Towers (1964), Palm Beach-Broadbeach (1965), Greenslopes (1966-68) and Silkstone (1969-73).

In October 1973 she took up duties as director of the Baptist Child Care Centre in Gympie—later to become the Uniting Church Child Care Centre. She was very honoured when in September, 1986, the building housing the kindergarten pre-school was named ‘The Bell McMahon Building’ in recognition of her services at the Centre over many years. In 1985 she took up part time work in a Lister Nursing Home in Gympie, until 1993 when she became a resident at the Salem nursing home in Toowoomba. Although her health was not good during this time, she achieved a life-long ambition to experience another culture, by travelling to Thailand in February 2002 with friends from her church at South Toowoomba. Bell passed away peacefully at ‘Salem’ on Friday, 11th February 2005, after a long illness.

Throughout her pioneering ministry, Bell McMahon received commendations and appreciation for her Christian character and work. Rev. Ray Euston (Townsville) said, ‘Bell was much loved and respected by the Townsville church people. I would say that her strong commitment to her call, her ability to view situations dispassionately, her experience as a nursing sister, her good theological brain, her love of people and her level-headed counselling of them in crises, as well as her being able to fall back on a strong sense of humour at times, fitted her well for her ministry.’ 
Rev. Vic Bowring, Home Mission Superintendent, explained, ‘As a Deaconess Miss McMahon does not wear a uniform, but she dresses attractively and suitable for her position. Wherever she served Home Mission Churches she has gained the respect of people of all ages and of both sexes. While she was in charge of the work at Charters Towers Church she was called upon to take her share of civic appearances and duties along with the ministers of other denominations. She would be capable of various situations and would handle difficult ones with tact. . . and has had to overcome prejudice of Church Officers and women members, all of whom look back with pleasure on all their dealings with her.

In an article in The Queensland Baptist (Jan 1965) entitled ‘The Work of Deaconesses’ she said, ‘The movement in Queensland is less than nine years old, still very much in its infancy, but even in that short space of time Deaconesses have found a place in the thinking of our people. Gradually we are beginning to realize that women have a work to do in the Church, and that a trained woman does a much more effective work than an untrained one who has, perhaps, the responsibility and cares of a home to attend to as well as trying to devote some time to the work of the Church. New ideas sometimes take a little while to become accepted, but Deaconesses are accepted in our Home Mission Churches, and some of our autonomous Churches are planning to include the services of a Deaconess. The Deaconess is a person in the Church with a place of her own, with a particular work to do which she does in answer to God’s call.’

Rev Norm Weston with whom Bell worked at Silkstone/Brassell said of her, ‘She had a serious approach but was genuine and personal. She is worthy of honour.’

Based on material supplied by Rev. Ken Steer