Old Church Demolition

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Old Church Demolition - 1986

Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune - 2 October, 1986

Age and a demolition crew's hammers caught up with the 70-year-old Hastings Baptist Church building in Lyndon Rd.

The writing is on the wall for the church.

The church before demolition began.

The End Of An Era

Old age has crept up on the old Hastings Baptist church which is being demolished this week.

Baptist church members gathered in the 70-year-old building on Sunday, September 21, for a special farewell and communion service. Many of the church's older members shared memories of days they worshipped in the old wooden building.

The building, which was the original Baptist church, has outlived its usefulness, said the church's secretary, Mr Ian Taylor. Since the present church opened in 1964, the old one has been used for youth activities.

Mr Taylor said the demolition will not cause any major disruptions to church activities. "Once it is demolished we will be making more use of the old Sunday school hall (built in about 1919) for youth meetings. We will also hire the Orange Lodge hall for various church activities," he said.

Although there are no immediate plans for a replacement for the old building, Mr Taylor says it is hoped a youth hall will be built on the site. Demolition of the old church is expected to be completed this week.

The church's history dates back to 1909 when a group of Baptists met to discuss the building of a church. A year later the church site was acquired for £250 (about $500) and a tender accepted for £350 16s 6½d (about $700).

The site was originally occupied by saddlers and a daily coach service. During renovations to the foyer area in 1916, members gathered in the former King's Theatre for their weekly services. A skating rink on the corner of Karamu Rd and Lyndon Rd served as a centre for the church's young people during the renovations. A mass of horses, traps and "weird-looking vehicles" littered the rear section of the Sunday School Hall each week. The Baptist congregation found it a fitting place to park their conveyances.

Church Demolition - Newsletter - 14 September, 1986

Our old church building will soon be no more: it is to be demolished and be replaced eventually with a modern multi-purpose structure.

During its 70+ years so much has happened within its walls: plans to enlarge it by lifting the roof and building at the sides, building on the front foyer, planning the Sunday School Hall, purchasing the cottage next door to it first for the Bible Class then removing the house and building the present church, planning of the Sunday School block (as used by the Day Care), Youth Rallies, Evangelistic Rallies, film programmes, church concerts, Sunday School concerts, Harvest Festivals, and of course, dedications, baptisms, marriages, jubilees, in fact enough memories to fill a history book.