EARLY PRESBYTERIANS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 934, 29 March 1930, Page 10

EARLY PRESBYTERIANS

ST. JAMES CELEBRATES 65TH ANNIVERSARY SERVICES IN FLOUR MILL ♦ On Wednesday last. March 26, the- ; . St. James’s Presbyterian Church in ; • Wellington Street celebrated its 65th ’ anniversary. The actual founding of j * the church, however, dates back several ; : years still further to the inauguration j | of services in the western suburbs by j i the original Presbyterian Churph of : j Auckland, St. Andrew’s. J The first Sunday school In connec- j J tion with the new church was held in ; : Soppett’s flour mill, Freeman’s Bay, in ' j 1859. The population of the City was : | growing steadily, and the parent church ■ • recognised the need in that quarter. | ; Two other schools were started about : ! the same time, one at the top and the 1 ! other at the bottom of Hobson Street, j i They were later joined, meeting in the ■ i flerur mill. ! This arrangement could be only tem- ; porary, and a hall was erected on the west side of Hobson Street to serve as j a day school, Sunday school and j church. Regular Sunday evening ser- j vices were* instituted in 1860 by the ( Rev. George Bell, still living at One- j hunga, who is now in his 100th year. ; Later the Rev. John Thom preached at j both morning and evening services, \ until, in 1862, the Presbytery formed a ! new charge under the name of St. James. The first minister was the i Rev. Peter Mason, of Turakina, who : was inducted on April 5, 1862. After : two years, however, lie resigned and ' set up a preparatory school in Upper , Pitt Street. At the time of tho building of the ! present church in 1865, the Rev. James | Hill was in charge. He possessed j great organising ability and it was j through his efforts that finance was forthcoming for tho work. The site was given by Mr. William Gorrie, an elder o£ the church. The total cost was £3,366, £1,325 of this sum being raised prior to the opening and a further £169 being taken in the first collection. Five years later the debt had been paid off. The opening and dedication of the building took place on March 26, 1865, the preachers being the Rev. John Gorrie in the morning, the Rev. James Hill lin the afternoon and the Rev. Dr. Bruce in the evening. The Rev. R. F. Macnicol, of Xew j Plymouth, was the next minister. Dur- ’ ing his control the church hall was | built at a total cost of £2,270. The Rev. R. L. Walker followed, and, on his i retirement in 1920, the Rev. George I Paterson, of California, took charge. The present minister, the Rev. E. R. Harries, of Wanganui, was inducted in March, 1924, his first service falling exactly on the 59th anniversary of the church. ______________