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St. David's HistoryEnjoy reading about some of the history of our Church along with some interesting facts and figures. Our thanks to our Archivist, Jocelyn Hannay for collating this! DID YOU KNOW THAT:On the 2nd February, 1913, the first Presbyterian Sunday School was started in the Terrace End area using the Coronation Hall (now Jailhaus,801 Main Street). This was a branch of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Twenty-three children attended.(population of Borough of Palmerston North in 1911 was 10,991). On the 6th April, 1913 Evening Services commenced in the same hall. The charge for the use of the hall for both the Sunday School session and the Evening Service was 7/6 (75 cents per Sunday) In April, 1913 the section on the corner of Main and Rainforth Streets was purchased and building a Church commenced. On the 7th December, 1913 the official opening was held. The section and building cost £600. In 1915 the Church was officially named St David’s. On the 1st August 1920 St David’s was established as a separate Parish with a Home Mission Status. Mr J H Boyd was appointed as Home Missionary with a Salary £150 p.a. House Allowance £40 Bike Allowance £10 In June 1923 the Wanganui Presbytery gave permission for the Church to be raised to the status of a `fully sanctioned charge’. In September, 1923 the Rev J H Bredin was inducted. Stipend £300, and a Manse supplied.. At the Annual General Meeting in that year 75 members were in attendance. Our Church OrganThe present Church organ is a Hammond RT3 known as `the posh’ Hammond instrument The 2 manuals (keyboards) are enhanced by a PR 40 tone cabinet and there is a 32 note pedal board. It was purchased in 1962 at the cost of £1304.0s 0d. with an initial deposit of £240. 0s. 0d. The remaining debt paid over the next few years. Over the years the valves and mechanical parts have been very well maintained by Tony True and Robert Cleaver and is now the only fully functional organ of its kind in Palmerston North. We currently have funds invested with PSDS to replace this equipment, as with most electronic instruments when its `season is over’, it is over. Our worship over the years, has been enriched by the organists who in earlier years played at least twice each Sunday. The list below has been extracted from the Annual Reports: Miss Parlane, Mrs J Murray (nee Donald), Mavis Buchanan, T P Henderson, E Allen, Marion Locke, Shirley McCullough (nee Brown), Helen Gardiner, Marion Wilson (………..) and Robert Cleaver (July 1972 - ) Notes from the ArchivistMinisters who have served our Parish since 1920: August 1920 - May 1923 Rev. J. H. Boyd September 1923 - December 1929 Rev. J. H. Bredin April 1930 - October 1933 Rev. L. G. B.Whitehead December 1933 - April 1938 Rev. J. S. Pate November 1938 - February 1955 Rev. R. Warnock December 1955 - January 1965 Rev. I. A. Purdie December 1965 - March 1969 Rev. J. A. Park February 1970 - January 1979 Rev. G. M. Cleland February 1980 - October 1985 Rev. J. M. Cunningham February 1987 - December 2001 Rev. A. P. Ranby March 2003 – Rev. P. J. Tankersley ( The Very Rev. from 2008)
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