Celebrating 150 years of worship
AN AUGHTON church is celebrating 150 years of welcoming the community to worship with a special Mother’s Day service.
Christ Church in Long Lane was opened in 1867, with a special ceremony in which a copy of the Ormskirk Advertiser was placed in a time capsule.
A century and a half later, it will be celebrating its 150th anniversary on the exact day the Bishop of Chester laid the foundation stone in 1867.
On March 26 the Anglican church will hold a special family service on Mothering Sunday.
The service, which will take place at 10.45am, will be attended by the Mayor of West Lancashire, Cllr Liz Savage, and MP Rosie Cooper, with the chair and members of the Aughton Parish Council.
The Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Rev Paul Bayes, will be speaking at the ceremony.
A banner made by local peoples to mark the anniversary will also be unveiled at the service.
Members of the church are expecting a big turnout, with more worshippers than usual coming to celebrate the momentous anniversary.
When the church was built, a bottle, hermetically sealed, containing copies of newspapers – including the Ormskirk Advertiser – was placed in the customary cavity under the foundation stone.
Built in “flowering decorated” style, the church is constructed from stone quarried locally the Aughton Delph.
The vicar of Christ Church, Canon Ross Moughtin, said that he was looking forward to the anniversary service.
He said: “It is just great to celebrate God’s thankfulness over 150 years and the church continuing to thrive in a very different environment.”
Canon Moughtin has served at Christ Church for almost 25 years, during which time a ministry centre was built for the church.
He said: “We are very much a parish church reaching out into the community.
“We have very strong links to the community.”
The anniversary service will take place on Sunday, March 26 at 10.45am. in