The Christian Brethren, also known as the Plymouth Brethren, are an Evangelical Protestant church with no ordained ministers and a strong lay involvement in their activities. They originated in England and Ireland in the 1820s, and by the 1850s had spread to Australia. Sections within the Christian Brethren movement include the Exclusive Brethren, the Open Brethren, the Gospel Assemblies, the Gospel Brotherhood, and Christian Community Churches. They do not have a central administrative body or hierarchical leadership, and their assemblies run independently of each other. The Open Brethren are evangelists and carry-out community work, including overseas missions, whereas the Exclusive Brethren avoid contact with outsiders to the religion.
The Open Brethren Assemblies of South Australia established a mission north of Port Augusta in 1937 named Umeewarra. The main focus of the mission was a children’s home and school.