SHIRLEY METHODIST CHURCH

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23940, 6 May 1943, Page 3

SHIRLEY METHODIST CHURCH

75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS The seventy-fifth anniversary of the Shirley Methodist- Church-was celebrated last Sunday, when the Rev. A. H. Fowles;'..'was - ,:.the preacher at the morning service and the Rev. D. Williams conducted the evening service. Special music was given by the choir, and solos were sung by Miss Daisy Perry, Miss Ruth Emmett, and Mr E. Rogers,. - The organist was Mr W. D. Marks. The celebrations were continued on Tuesday evening, when a tea-meeting and reunion of old members were held. Congratulations from the Methodist Church of New Zealand were expressed by the Rev. M. A. Rugby Pratt and from the Christchurch East circuit by the Rev. J. H. Allen and the Rev. H. W. Payne. Presentations were made to the three oldest members present, Mesdames R. Palk and J. Mitchell, and Mr H. Cox.

Mrs L. Billcliff presented a pageant of fashions ranging from 100 years ago tt> the present day. A programme of musical and elocutionary items was contributed. The first Methodist church at Shirley was erected in 1868, at a cost of £BO. on a site given by the late Mr Joseph Buxton, at the corner of Shirley and Quinn’s roads. This building was later moved to a section at the corner of Golf Links road and New Brighton road, and in 1919 the present church was erected at the corner of New Brighton road and North parade.