The Baptist Church was among the earliest established in South Australia, meeting at Mr. Shepherdson's schoolroom, North Terrace, and at the home of William Finlayson, the first service being held on 2 September 1838.
Plans for the Baptist college had been dropped for want of funds, so in 1846 he opened a private school "Angaston Manual Labour College" in Angaston,[REF] which he ran for around two years.