Memory boxes
At a time of the year that is full of expectation, whether you are observing the Christian season of Advent or just gearing up for an enforced period of family togetherness, it’s likely that some readers are planning their annual visit to church. Midnight mass on Christmas Eve or a service on Christmas morning while the turkey is in the oven not only marks the culmination of Advent, but it also offers a solution to the problem of how to pass an hour or so without anyone in the family getting on your nerves.
It may also be the opportunity to experience a heritage building in its best light, being used by people.
Heritage churches come in all styles and sizes, from the grand cathedrals of Europe to a small Arts and Crafts icon on the shores of Lake Tekapo down south.
Great antiquity can be admired but a church doesn’t have to be centuries old to have become part of the fabric of Christmas and the life of a community.
Whangamata’s Community Church for Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist worship opened on December 31, 1955. Linda Dorothy Armstrong, who is described rather abruptly as a ‘Whangamata spinster’ on the relevant Certificate of Title, purchased the lot on which the church was built in September 1953. Much earlier it had been part of Philip and Madeline Williamson’s extensive farm holding; after subdivision by the Williamsons it was owned by Cecil Marks, a local building contractor (1950-53).
Miss Armstrong transferred the property to the Whangamata Community Church Association (WCCA) in 1955. The WCCA had been incorporated on September 15, 1954, at a time when Whangamata was gaining in popularity as a holiday destination. The local Anglican Ladies’ Guild is credited with leading the fundraising campaign to build the church.
According to local historian Beverley Williamson, Miss Armstrong was actively involved
in fund-raising. It may be assumed that the church property was held in her name until the Church Association could be incorporated. Initially the church was serviced by ministers from Waihi, who had previously visited private homes in Whangamata.
I haven’t been able to identify who designed or built the church, which is certainly not the most ornate ecclesiastical building in the region. That said it fits right in to the post-war bach vibe that is, or at least was, Whangamata. If you find yourself in the seaside town later in the month there’s both a Midnight Mass and Christmas Communion being held at the Community Church in Beverley Terrace.
Merry Christmas and good will to all the historic buildings that provide the backdrop for life’s big moments.