Here is the church
Where is the steeple ?
Open the doors
There are no people
That is all about to change, and tenders are in and the $1.8 million dollar repair about to start in a few weeks with not only this church, but auxiliary buildings as well.
Here once again proof the rebuild of New Brighton is not just confined to housing and hot pools.
When the quake hit St Faiths, the old Anglican church behaved similar to a lot of New Brightonians and refused to budge despite a good shake-up, and the faithful remained.
Unlike a lot of similar churches around Canterbury with its Port Hills basalt, Oamaru stone dressings and slate roof… it is destined shake off the dust, be stronger, and fling open its doors once again wider than ever.
Now one of the few remaining churches of ‘Early English Gothic style’, St Faiths will be a Hawke St land-mark, and the increasing visitors to New Brighton will have a new attraction, able to admire the fantastic stain glass windows and beautiful interior via a newly created visitors centre.
Unique for Christchurch, part of history and a big part of New Brighton’s future.
As the coastal suburb’s population was swelled in the early 1900’s at weekends by city dwellers spending time-out and having ‘fun’ in New Brighton, many felt the need to attend Sunday service and the existing old building was no longer up to it.
The stone church was constructed in 1925 to replace the old wooden one dating back to 1886 on land donated by none other than James Hawkes (Hawke St used to be Hawkes St).
There is still an original ornate window and internal door in the current community hall (old Sunday School erected in 1945) from that church (known in its day as the ‘Beach Church)’
David Close (photo below) a former City Councillor has been associated with St Faiths for over 30 years and says without the church God still got his message across, and it seems the most important one is “embrace the community not just worshippers”.
St Faiths is a real hub of community activity. It was a destination for help post quake and ever since as a meeting place for a variety of groups including providing an open invitation meal every Wednesday.
David Close says serving your neighbourhood is fundamental to the Christian faith, and Reverend Katrina Hill is adamant community space will be an integral part of the new internal layout of the church, in addition to the current hall (see plan).
Attention those of you in the cheap seats, If you need to upgrade to a few new pews, some of the classic rimu high back seats are going to be sold (no more numb bums), but not bartered for a few loaves and fishes (see in below photo).
The church is fundraising $250,000 to build a toilet/kitchen (see design) block to augment its community focus, and won’t be following my agnostic suggestion of selling signed photos of Jesus, but doing it the hard way and donations will be appreciated.
The English oak altar, pulpit and lectern will remain as part of the historical look, along with the wooden board history of previous vicars dating back to the 1880’s and once the alterations are done by the end of the year, will be on display.
For history buffs, St Faith ‘is supposed to be based around’ a young French girl arrested during persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire, and refused to make pagan sacrifices even under torture including being burnt in some horrendous fashion using red-hot brazier (a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel).
The rebuild continues unabated and the New Brighton gospel continues to be spread…