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A 170th Anniversary Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving will be held at the Christ Church (Anglican) in Warkworth on Sunday November 12, starting at 3pm.
The service will include representatives of Ablaze Church, Mahurangi Hope Presbyterian, Holy Name Catholic Parish, Mahurangi Methodist parish, Mahurangi Vineyard Church and Snells Beach Baptist Church, as well as the Warkworth Anglican parish.
Vicar Peter Jenkins says there will be prayers and thanks for the town, its founders and the people living here now.
The service will conclude with a walk across the road to the Anglican Cemetery, where there will be prayers at John Anderson Brown’s graveside.
“We are pleased to be involved in these celebrations,” Reverend Jenkins says. “Warkworth has been a parish town since it was founded, so it is an important celebration for the church as well.”
When John Anderson Brown founded the town of Warkworth, he set aside land for an Episcopal Church (the Scottish name for the
Anglican Church) and cemetery. While worship started right away, not much was done about actually putting up a building until a building committee was formed in 1865. But finally, on 30 April 1876, the first service was held in the new building, named Christ Church.
The striking stained glass window in the church was given by Mrs Henry, aunt and housekeeper of the first Vicar of Warkworth, the Rev’d Ranald MacDonald. In 1979-1981 the building was greatly extended with the addition of side aisles, but retaining the style of the original church.
The present parish lounge, built in 1862, was moved to the site in 1941 having originally been the local Presbyterian Church.
