A Look Back

It’s a few weeks now since we celebrated a successful 90^th Anniversary Week. We had displays of flowers, artwork and a model train layout. We had a number of musical events, a flower arranging masterclass, and a celebration dinner. The week was ‘bookended’ by Services by  two longtime and much appreciated leaders of our worship.

The week was very much about having a good time: the Services were about thanksgiving but also about the challenges our church faces in today’s word, and how we might respond to them.

We have recorded the week’s events in our Anniversary Edition of The News (our monthly newsletter),

and in the form of a video showing highlights of the week. At over an hour, it’s not for the fainthearted, but adds more depth to the written record. We hope it will bring back some very enjoyable memories as well as allowing you to hear the challenges set out in the two Sunday Services.

As we approach the date of the formal 90^th Anniversary, we probably think (as we do when similar “big zero” events catch us unawares in our personal lives), that this has come around much too quickly.

The church is planning a week of events to celebrate our 90 years, which we share in outline below.

It’s also time to look back to see where we have come from, and for our 80^th anniversary we produced a video album. There’s much to celebrate in it, but there are also “bittersweet” moments – things that didn’t pan out as we might have hoped. It’s still a good record of where we have come from, with quite a few pictures of church members past and present – and a bit of “down memory lane” for those who have picked up a few wrinkles in the meantime.

Bittersweet it certainly is, because 10 years ago we were happily welcoming (and giving a church dinner staff report) to our new minister, Revd. Dr Nick Brindley, unaware that but a few years later he would suffer a brain haemorrhage which changed the course of his life, and our church life.

Nick fought the resulting disability and continued to minister to his two churches until exhaustion forced him to retire.

Now with more years under our belt, we can both look back and look forward. We’ll aim to chart the last 10 years as we did the first 80, but also look forward to the next 10 years which will make us centenarians.

Whilst we are doing so, we offer you a chance to revisit the first 80 years and hope you will enjoy the ride.

Some of the photos we displayed at the 80th Anniversary are also attached in PDF form for you to download if you wish.