The Union Parish Story

The inauguration of the Tawa Union Parish took place 2 July 1972. The agreement was signed at a stirring service of worship and thanksgiving at Tawa College Hall which was packed for the occasion.  We changed our name to Tawa Union Church in 2005.

The rationale for union had come about through the three denominations working together in a variety of ways over many years.  It was the belief of those pioneers of union, that what the three denominations shared in common far outweighed any differences, and that separation could no longer be justified.  It was also thought that a union parish would help to more fully implement the mission of the church in Redwood, Tawa and Linden.  It should be noted that Tawa Union Parish came together from a position of strength.

It is with gratefulness that we acknowledge those people who were far-sighted in their dreams for the parish. They have given us an opportunity to retain many of the features of denominational life and yet take on new ways of being the church together in unity, faith and mission. The future holds as much promise for the Church today as it did for our forebears. We will only know if that promise is fulfilled when we, too, look back on the history we are making today.

150 years of Christian Witness in Tawa-Linden 1850-2000

The Methodist cause first came to Tawa when early Methodist missionaries stationed in Wellington travelled along the muddy track of the old Porirua Rd, visiting families of their circuit. In 1850, Rev Henry Green held the first Christian services in Tawa at the home of Mr. John Mitchell. In 1851 settler Stephen Pilcher donated part of his 28 acre farm (61 links square) for the site of a church, the first public building erected in Tawa.

Most of the original Tawa Flat settlers worshipped in the tiny weatherboard structure - the Taylors, Mexteds, Pilchers and Mitchells. James Taylor was the Sunday School Superintendent for 60 years.

By 1864 the church needed enlarging and in 1884 its rotting timbers meant it needed to be replaced. The second church stood on the left-hand side of the southern approach to Tawa (opposite the BP Station, where Larnax House now stands, and served the community for 69 years until expansion of the district’s population meant the congregation needed a larger and more central worship building. The centenary of the congregation gave a spur to this and in 1951 the foundation stone of a new church, St. Stephen’s, was laid in Elena Place.

Most of the work on the church was done by voluntary labour, and under the leadership of Rev Selwyn Dawson, the church was opened in 1953.

 The 1950’s and 60’s were years of expansion for the Tawa area and the churches. During the time of Revs Wilf Ford, Wilf Eisner, Percy Rushton, and Barry Jones, the Youth and Sunday School Hall were built (1957-59), and the upstairs rooms, lounge and kitchen were added in 1969.

 Right from the early pioneer days, Tawa Christians have been ecumenically minded. During the war years, the Methodists and Presbyterians shared responsibility for alternate services, and later, in 1955, a reciprocal membership agreement with St. Aidan’s Presbyterian church was formed. Thus, even in the pre-union days, St. Stephen’s congregation included a mix of Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational and Church of Christ members.

The Presbyterian Story

Regular services for Presbyterians in Tawa began at the end of 1937 as an outreach of St. Columba’s Presbyterian Church in Johnsonville. These services were held at various location including "Ye Olde Bull and Bush" tea-rooms (1938) on The Main Rd, and then in the Tawa Flat Public Hall. From 1944 worship was shared with the Methodists in their wooden chapel, each denomination assuming responsibility for alternate services. After 3 July 1949 when the first Presbyterian service was held in the Linden Scout Hall this was reduced to a once monthly evening arrangement.

In 1946 the Presbyterian Church purchased land at the corner of Iti and Hinau streets, but when Mr. Stuart Duncan offered land at the corner of Porirua Rd and the new Linden Ave., his offer was accepted. The foundation stone was laid on 6 September 1952 and "St. Aidan’s" was opened 3 months later in the presence of a large congregation, thanks to many hours of voluntary work. The first minister, Rev Stuart Robertson, was inducted in 1958.

The 1960’s saw increasing numbers, with two morning services, and the period in between used for Sunday School, Bible Classes and an adult study group. The St. Aidan’s congregation was stretched for space in Linden, and also saw the need for developing a worship base in the newly growing Redwood area. A site on the corner of Redwood and Oriel Avenues was purchased by the Presbyterian Church and earthworks were undertaken. However, resources could not be stretched to cover building new facilities on two sites. This dilemma was resolved by the Rev Paul Morreau negotiating an imaginative and innovative form of cooperation with the Associated Churches of Christ, and which enabled St. Aidan’s to concentrate its energy and financial resources on its own building requirements at Linden.

The Associated Churches of Christ Story (now Christian Church NZ)

The first meeting of the Churches of Christ in Tawa was in 1959 and services began in the Tawa Scout Hall.  In May 1961 a house at 13 Luckie Street was purchased for a manse and a large packing shed at the back of the property facing Davies St. was converted into a temporary chapel.

Planning for a permanent chapel began in the mid 1960s, but in May 1967 the Presbyterians approached the Church of Christ to ask of they would consider pooling resources with them to build a multi-purpose church hall on the Redwood site.  In a little more than a year, the necessary legal clearances had been obtained and construction began on a first-for-NZ Church of Christ building on Presbyterian land.

When the Redwood Christian Centre opened in February 1969, with David Hollier as minister, it served not only Churches of Christ people in the area, but also any Presbyterian in the Redwood area who wished to attend. Within three months weekly average attendances increased from the previous level (at Luckie St.) of up to 30 at worship, to between 80 and 90. Additional services in the evening were held from time to time and pulpit exchanges with St. Aidan’s took place.

All these events helped prepare the groundwork for the future formation of Tawa Union Parish.

Sources:
        "Tawa Enterprise and Endeavour",
        K. R. Cassells, 1988.

        "Tawa Flat and the Old Porirua Road 1840-1970",
        Arthur H. Carman, Revised 1970

        "That They All May Be One - The Formation of Tawa Union Parish",
        Edwin Smith, July 1992