Hastings Baptist Church Jubilee at Weekend

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Hastings Baptist Church Jubilee at Weekend - 1960

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune - June, 1960

The Hastings Baptist Church will hold jubilee celebrations next weekend to mark the 50^th anniversary of its founding.

The first Baptist church in New Zealand was established in Nelson in 1851 and the Napier church followed in 1887. The Napier Baptists came in the help of Hastings Baptists to form a church in Hastings.

The minutes of the first Hastings meeting state: "The opening services were held in the Oddfellows' Hall on Sunday afternoon, May 2, 1909. The service was conducted by the Rev. J. K. Archer of Napier, with the assistance of the Napier Church choir, numbering in all about 35. We also had 35 people from Hastings and surrounding district, making a total attendance of 70 people, which was very encouraging for a start."

Prior to this first recorded meeting, gatherings of Baptist had been held in the home of Mr Turner, Charles Street, at which various discussions took place regarding possible meeting places.

The first meetings in the Oddfellows' hall cost the young church 2/6 an hour for the hire of the hall. Later a move was made to the Seventh Day Adventists Hall in Nelson Street. Towards the close of 1909, while the church was still meeting in the Oddfellow's Hall, the first four deacons were appointed. They were Messrs W. Turner (president), W. G. Turner (secretary), H. E. Wright (treasurer) and J. Barbour.

On February 5, 1910 the Rev. H. B. Hughes began his ministry as the first minister of the Hastings Baptist Church, at a salary of £150 a year. He served for four years.

The site on which the church now stands was bought for £250 and on April 12, 1910, a tender for the building was accepted. The cost was £350 16/6. This section at the corner of Karamu Road and Lyndon Road was originally occupied by a saddler's shop and it was the depot for a daily coach service to Napier.

With the coming of Rev. H. E. Edridge in 1914 numbers had grown and the building had to be enlarged to its present size at a cost of £1400.

During the rebuilding church activities were carried on in the skating rink at the corner of Lyndon Road, and the Kings Theatre, situated on the Civic Square, was engaged for several weeks for Sunday evening services.

The following ministers have served the Hastings Baptist Church: Rev. H. B. Hughes, 1910-14; Rev. H. J. Farmer, 1914-14; Rev. H. E. Edridge, 1914-21; Rev. K. Ewen, 1921-28; Rev. E. Nicholls, 1929-34; Rev. C. B. Boggis, 1934-39; Rev. Hayes Lloyd, 1940-40; Rev H. E. Edridge, 1940-41; Rev. J. R. Graves, 1942-46; Rev. N. R. Wood, 1949-59; Rev. D. Rogers, 1960.