Laying the Foundation - A History of St. Christopher's

SAINT CHRISTOPHERS FOUNDATION SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST 2026

TODAY IS A CELEBRATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE 117 YEARS SINCE LAND WAS PURCHASED ON THIS

VERY SITE, AND THE FIRST PART OF WHAT WAS TO BECOME SAINT CHRISTOPHERS WAS BUILT

INITIALLY AS A SUNDAY SCHOOL, LATER FOLLOWED BY EXTENSIONS WHICH EVENTUALLY BECAME A

FULL CHURCH. FURTHER BUILDINGS WERE DEVOLOPED OVER THE NEXT 70 YEARS – MOSTLY WITH

FUNDS RAISED BY CHURCH MEMBERS. THEN IN 1989, HAVING BEEN FOR 80 YEARS PART OF THE

ANGLICAN PARISH OF NATIVITY, SAINT CHRISTOPHERS WAS FINALLY GIVEN FULL PARISH STATUS AS

THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF BLENHEIM SOUTH, ALONG WITH 30% OF THE COMBINED BLENHEIM

TRUST FUND- BEING $57,520.

SO, WHILE THIS IS A HISTORIC DAY IN ITSELF, IT IS JUST ANOTHER YEAR IN A HISTORY THAT HAS HAD

VERY MANY MILESTONES, EVENTS, RECORDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE PASS THROUGH ITS EVEREVOLVING FACILITIES. PER SE THIS IS NOT A PARTICULARLY MOMENTOUS OCCASION IN STRICT

CHRONOLOGICAL TERMS. – HOWEVER, THAT BLAND STATEMENT IGNORES THE REAL TREASURE, THE

RAISON D’ETRE, THE SPIRIT, OF THIS PLACE – GOD’S PLACE - IN REDWOODTOWN, MARLBOROUGH,

NEW ZEALAND. TO BE HONEST WE DON’T EVEN KNOW- AS NIGEL HAS NOTED- THAT CHRISTOPHER

WAS A REAL SAINT, BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE THE WORD ITSELF MEANS CHRIST BEARER

AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THIS PARISH, THIS PLACE, IS – BEARERS OF CHRIST. SO, WHAT IS THE

SECRET OF THE SUCCESS THAT HAS SUSTAINED SAINT CHRISTOPHERS FOR THE PAST 117 YEARS

THEN?

TE TANGATA, TE TANGATA, TE TANGATA, - - IT IS THE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE THE PEOPLE. THAT HAS

ALWAYS BEEN THE REAL STORY BEHIND SAINT CHRISTOPHERS AND ITS SOLID – IF QUIET – SUCCESS.

IF I MAY QUOTE FROM THE PREFACE OF THE UPDATED HISTORY OF SAINT CHRISTOPHERS PUBLISHED

IN 2005 – THE THEN VICAR, PETER HURRICKS, SAID… ‘HISTORY IS HIS STORY- GOD’S STORY. THIS

CHURCH IS HIS IDEA, MADE POSSIBLE BY THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, AND

BROUGHT TO BIRTH BY THE OUTPORING OF HIS SPIRIT, WHICH PROVIDES ITS LIFE AND DIRECTION

TO MEN AND WOMEN WHO GIVE THIS LIFE A PHYSICAL PRESENCE” THESE MEN AND WOMEN, BOYS

AND GIRLS ARE INDEED OUR PEOPLE.

FROM BESSIE SMITH, BESSIE AUSTIN AND ALICE AUSTIN, SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN 1909,

THROUGH THE LIKES OF TOO MANY TO NAME, BUT SOME TO SAMPLE, -- PEOPLE LIKE FRANK

BYTHELL SENIOR WHO SECURED THE SITE, THROUGH HIS DAUGHTER JOAN BYTHELL WHO GRACED

THE CHURCH FOR NEARLY 90 YEARS, EARLY MINISTERS BILL GIRLING, VICTOR POWELL, DAVID

GRIBBLE, TO THE FIRST – AND LONGEST SERVING – PARISH VICAR- GARRY DARLINGTON, SECOND

PARISH VICAR - A YOUNG PETER CARRELL, NOW ANGLICAN BISHOP OF CHRISTCHURCH, THROUGH

TO KEVIN GWYNNE, DEO VISTAR AND NOW A RECENTLY WELCOMED NIGEL IRWIN. THEN THERE ARE

SO VERY MANY WARDENS, VESTRY MEMBERS, SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS, MISSIONARIES,

WORSHIP LEADERS AND HELPERS, READERS, WELCOMERS, TECHNICIANS, MANDARIN BIBLE GROUP,

MESSY CHURCH, PROGRAMME CONVENORS, MARKET MORNING COMMITTEES, GOODWILL

HELPERS, MUSIC LEADERS, FLOWER GROUPS, OFFICE MANAGERS, YOUTH AND ELDER CARE

LEADERS, PRAYER GROUPS & HOME GROUPS, PASTORAL CARE AND VOLUNTEERS. SO MANY

WONDERFUL DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO WOULD TAKE UP THIS WHOLE SERVICE TO NAME. ALL THESE

ARE THE PEOPLE – TE TANGATA- THE FAITHFUL MEN, WOMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS WHO MAKE UP THIS

WONDERFUL SAINT CHRISTOPHERS CHURCH FAMILY. THAT IS WHAT SIMPLY MAKES THIS CHURCH

AND PARISH TICK AND MAKES IT EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

AS FOR SOME FACTS AND FIGURES OF SAINT CHRISTOPHERS’ HISTORY - OUR NEXT BIG CELEBATION

WILL BE THE 125TH IN 8 YEARS TIME, AND IN THE MEANTIME SOME OF THE CHRONOLOGY SINCE

1909 INCLUDES:

1963 THE VICARAGE PROPERTY PURCHASED.

1968 THE FIRST HALL BUILT NEAR WHERE IT CURRENTLY IS.

1974 VICARAGE REBUILT ON ITS CURRENT FOOTPRINT.

1975 THE ORIGINAL HALL DESTROYED BY FIRE,

1977 NEW HALL BUILT AND DEDICATED.

1983 ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING TO SOUTH OF CURRENT DESTROYED BY FIRE.

1984 NEW CHURCH COMPLETED AND DEDICATED.

1989 PARISH OF BLENHEIM SOUTH FORMALLY COMMISSIONED.

1993 CURATE HOUSE AT WASHINGTON CRESCENT PURCHASED.

2009 CHURCH CENTENNIAL CELEBRATED.

2022 CHURCH AND HALL FOYER AND ACCESS RAMP COMPLETED.

VIV AND I WERE MARRIED IN EARLY 1972 AND, AS I HAD A CATHOLIC UPBRINGING AND VIV AN

ANGLICAN UPBRINGING, FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF OUR MARRIAGE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS

WE WOULD LEAVE OUR HOME IN RUDD CRESCENT AND I WOULD TURN LEFT TOWARDS MAXWELL

ROAD, AND VIV WOULD TURN RIGHT TOWARDS WELD STREET. FORTUNATELY, COMMON SENSE- AND

A BIT OF DIRECTION FROM UPSTAIRS - PREVAILED AND NATURALLY I DECIDED TO FOLLOW MY

LOVELY YOUNG BRIDE TO THIS PLACE. WHAT I THINK FOR US HAS BEEN SO NOTICEABLE IS THAT

WHILE THE FACES CHANGE- OR AGE AS IN MY CASE- THE SMILES, THE FRIENDSHIP, FELLOWSHIP,

WORSHIP, TRAGEDIES, CARING, SHARING, FUN, CHALLENGES AND WARMTH OF SAINT

CHRISTOPHERS HAS NOT CHANGED IN OUR 54 YEARS HERE. YES WE HAVE HAD OUR UPS AND

DOWNS AS A PARISH, AND WE HAVE HAD MANY SAD LOSSES FROM AMONG OUR CHURCH FAMILY,

WHO NOW AWAIT THEIR LOVED ONES IN HEAVEN, BUT THE CORE QUALITIES THAT HAD BEEN

INSTILLED BY THE BYTHELLS, GRIBBLES, DARLINGTONS, CARRELLS, CHETWINS, WARNES AMONG

MANY OTHERS, HAVE REMAINED STEADFAST, STRONG AND READY FOR WHATEVER GOD HAS IN

STORE FOR US, AS WE DELIVER HIS NEXT PIECE OF HISTORY.

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS US ALL AS HE HAS DONE FOR THE PAST 117 YEARS

Mark Peters