120 years at the heart of the community

We are very lucky to have members of our congregation who have spent considerable time putting together the stories of our church. Most recently to celebrate 120 years, Carolyn Cordery published Inspiring Stories, available to purchase on request. The below overview just scratches the surface of the many great stories of community engagement in Northland and Wilton.

Northland and Wilton suburbs are framed by important old bush areas: Otari to the north, and Orangi Kaupapa to the east. In the latter part of the 19th century when English settlers started to make Wellington home, what is now Northland was a farm owned by Charles Pharazyn. In 1900 he developed a new suburb of subdivided parcels from his farm, originally named “Creswick.” By 1904 at least 50 residents of what was now known as Northland gathered together to agree that their suburb needed a church.

By 1905, Walter Platt found an available section on the corner of Randwick and Northland Roads (don’t be fooled! This is not our current site). On this site they quickly built St Anne’s church: the foundation stone was laid in February 1905, and it opened for worship in July 1905. Ten years later, the St Anne’s school room and hall opened next door.

St Anne’s continued to grow in the 20th century, and in 1957 the suburbs of Northland-Wilton officially became their own parish, separating from Wadestown. In 1957, St Stephens in Wilton opened, and operated as a sister church until 1990. This building is now the Wilton Playcentre.

Operating as church at the heart of the community isn’t a new thing: during the depression in the 1930’s St Anne’s was the site of a relief depot, feeding upwards of 300 people daily. Many stories over the years show the way we have sought to show kindness to one another, and for our neighbours, by offering hospitality and regular gatherings. Our relationship to the community included involvement with scouts and the local community centre, as well as other local churches: especially St Thomas More in Wilton, which we shared many ecumenical services. For almost 40 years, the Easter Friday tradition of the Walk of Witness saw many members of both congregations walk between the churches, sharing the story of the cross with the whole neighbourhood.

St Anne’s has had many ups and downs over the years, but it’s members have been faithful problem-solvers. In the 90’s, the earthquake rating on the building meant major work was needed. St Stephens and the church hall was sold, but the tenders for strengthening we still well outside what the parish could afford. At the same time, Ward Memorial Methodist Church was amalgamating with the Kelburn and Karori Presbyterian and Methodist churches to what is now St Ninian’s Uniting Parish in Karori. The Ward Memorial site had great road frontage, a hall attached and a price could be negotiated that allowed st Anne’s to move and upgrade the site at the same time. It is no small act of faith, courage and trust that after 90 years of worship at one site, the church community heard what the Spirit was saying and moved buildings. The first service at the new site was held in November 1999.

More recent changes at St Anne’s to services and mission outreach have continued to be met by faithful optimism. In their different ways, everyone at St Anne’s has continued to worship God through humble service and continued gathering as community, for the community. We recently changed our service times and the look and feel of the church to have greater agility for new intiatives that would allow our community to feel at home in our space. We have continued to host numerous community groups through the week and are always looking for new ways we can ensure the community of Northland experiences a gospel welcome at St Anne’s.