175 years of gospel ministry

#1105 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 26 July 2015

It’s not often you get to celebrate a 175th birthday, but that’s what took place recently at St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church at St Marys in western Sydney.

Modelled after the family church of the third Governor of NSW, Captain Philip Gidely King, in Cornwall, and built to a design by architect Francis Clarke, the church, one of the oldest in the Anglican Diocese, was consecrated on April 29, 1840.

Principal of Moore Theological College, Mark Thompson, preached from Colossians chapter 1 at the 175th anniversary service, and paid tribute to Anna King, the driving force behind establishing St Mary’s in what was then bush country.

St Mary’s assistant minister, the Reverend Mark Collins, said the church had touched many people in the community over the years – from major life events to Sunday school and ministry to the underprivileged – and looked forward to serving Jesus and their community long into the future.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.