“We need not remind you of the connection of the gospel of Christ with our temporal and eternal happiness. Religion affords the best guarantee for our welfare even in this world; for godliness has the promise of the life that now is; but Oh! How unspeakably more important is the connection with the happiness of our immortal souls…may the pure doctrines of the reformation; faith in the death and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only grounds for our acceptance with God, and of sanctification by the holy spirit as the evidence of faith, ever resound within its walls.”
(Letter to the Reid Sisters 1869)
In each generation the people of God have sought to ensure that the original vision of the Reid sisters to make Christ known through the ministry of this local church was kept alive and vibrant. Various changes have been made to the building that sought to maximise its potential for Gospel ministry in each generation. Here are just some of the works undertaken by those who have gone before us:
1908
Electric light
1909
New organ, new vestry, new choir stalls and pulpit
1953
Re-wiring, enlarged vestries, erection of the Church Hall
1955
Church extension
1961
New Cedar Hall
1970
New larger Chancel, west end gallery, rebuilt organ, additional seating to accommodate growth in numbers attending
1977
New entrance hall (foyer) with lavatories
1983
New amplification system
1984
New lighting
1997
New disabled access arrangements
2006
New Saint James Centre opened
St James before 1909
St James after 1909. Note new pulpit and organ
Decorating for the Centenary, 1959 (no organ balcony yet)
St James in the early 1970s. Note: Main entrance at the back, no foyer yet.
St James 2011 (computer simulation)
What next?
Can I see a video of the computer simulation?
Where is the article that explains the rationale behind the re-ordering?
