Knox Church sequicentenary

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.   Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning  (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Rt Rev Dr Graham Redding, Moderator of the Presbyterian  Church of Aotearoa New Zealand; Rev Dr Sarah Mitchell, Minister of Knox Church; Elders of the Church and members of the 150th Organising Committee, notably David and Carolyn Richardson, Session Clerks;  Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and me to Knox Church in Dunedin for a signal part of your sequicentenary celebrations.  Although we are Aucklanders, and more latterly Wellingtonians, almost root and branch, we do have connections with here in Dunedin and with Knox Church.

My father had studied medicine at Otago University in the 1930’s and while living at Knox College which, in addition to being a residential hostel was where Presbyterian ministers were trained for service in the church, he used to come here on Sundays for worship and in the company of his close friend the Rev Owen Baragwanath who was also later here as Associate Minister to
Rev David Herron.

Thirty years later in 1964 I ventured south and took up residence at Aquinas College and began studying towards my medical intermediate.  As the year advanced I realised that medicine was not my vocation and returned to Auckland at the end of the academic year without any scalp of entry to the Medical School.

But I have many happy memories of my year in Dunedin, including several enduring friendships.  I recall though that walking up Gladstone St, where Aquinas is located and better known as “coronary hill,” was not one of them!  The Otago University Students Association had as its President in that year, Bruce Robertson, who has a connection here as a parishioner and who in later years in Auckland and Wellington has been a valued friend and colleague.

I also have fond memories of the city’s distinctive stone architecture and this gothic-styled Knox Church.  Being located close to the university at the northern end of the central business district on George St, it is visible from much of the central city as is Dunedin’s other Presbyterian Church, the First Church.

Today’s service, and many other activities and events, form part of the Knox congregation’s 150th anniversary celebrations.   In addition to a concert and dinner, they include the publication of a new history of the church, They Continue in Faith, which was launched last evening.

This congregation was founded in 1860 with the arrival from Scotland of its first Minister, Rev Donald Stuart, who served this community until his death 34 years later. 

He made an immediate mark on the fledgling community.  Margaret Morton wrote an account of Stuart in The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography in the following terms: “Over six feet in height, he was instantly recognisable by the plaid he wore draped over his shoulders.  He became an important and influential public figure, well liked for his genial manner, ready smile and compassionate interest in people, and for his tolerance and deep commitment to the social expression of his Christian principles.  His popularity as a minister was attested by the rapid growth of his congregation.”

In preparing what I might say this morning, my attention was also drawn to the first history of the congregation, published in 1892 and written by one of the Church Elders, Dr John Hislop.   It includes a poignant introduction by Rev Stuart, just two years before his death.  In the introduction, he speaks of very the warm welcome, including money and food, that he and his wife Jessie received on their arrival in Dunedin.

The Stuarts devoted themselves to the church and to the wider community, being a strong promoter of education and playing a key role in the establishment and governance of this city’s University.  Rev Stuart was so successful that the original wooden Knox Church quickly proved too small and this magnificent church was opened in 1876.

While his wife Jessie sadly died just two years after their arrival, the 1892 history reveals a church full of activity.  In addition to regular services, the church was a hive of activity with many gatherings including Sabbath classes, a literary and debating society, young men’s fellowship union, a young women’s society, sewing classes, singing classes and a magnificent choir.   The church was not just a place of worship, important as that was, but also a place for the community.

One hundred and eighteen years after that history was published, and 150 years since this congregation was founded, Knox Church continues to be a part of the Dunedin community as an even cursory glance of the latest Knox News quickly reveals.  The challenges facing the church and community are different from those of the 19th Century.  But united within this beautiful building and its magnificent stained glass windows, it has continued Stuart’s commitment to a faith that serves the community in both its spiritual and wider needs.

Dr Hislop concluded the 1892 history, by quoting an earlier report by the church’s office-bearers.  Many years later and in quite a different context, they still resonate today and are an ongoing challenge to the Church community as it looks to the next 150 years.  The office-bearers wrote as follows:

"We desire to express our sense of the deep responsibility under which we lie, from the importance of the work to which we have put our hands, and from the place we occupy among the Christian congregations of the colony. May every individual and every family of the congregation realise in an ever-increasing degree their share of this responsibility, and strive to live from day to day under its power. We ever pray that the members and families of the congregation may exemplify at home and in their daily life the love, meekness, and  holiness of Christ the Lord.”

And on that uplifting note I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, by offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours.     No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.