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Serving God in the heart of our community since 1881 St Andrew's Church, Taunton |
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Your community, our community, one community - let's get together
News release June 2006
St. Andrew’s Church in Taunton is celebrating 125 years of serving God in the heart of the Rowbarton community. To mark the event the members of the church have issued a warm invitation to everyone in the neighbourhood.
Come over to our house! Vicar of St. Andrew’s the Revd Julian Smith said: “We’ve been in the neighbourhood a while (125 years to be exact) so we thought it was about time we had everyone over for a cuppa. To celebrate our anniversary, it’s Open House at St. Andrew’s on Saturday 8 July (9.30am to 4.30pm) and Sunday 9 July (11am to 4pm). We hope as many people as possible from the parish, and throughout Taunton, will drop in.
Visitors can have a good look around our spiritual home, take a fascinating glimpse into our past (courtesy of Somerset Records Office) and see what we’re looking forward to in the future. Members of our family will be offering music and refreshments, flower arrangements and exhibitions. But most of all we hope that people from the neighbourhood will come along for a chat and a cuppa... they’ll receive a warm welcome - and we’ll have the kettle on!”
A celebration and thanks to God Special services will also be held on Sunday 9 July to celebrate the 125th anniversary. An all age service at 10am offers worship, a Bible reading, a talk and some hymns and songs - plus a cup of coffee and some birthday cake after the service. A celebratory Parish Communion at 6pm will be an opportunity to give thanks for the role that St. Andrew’s has played in the community over the past 125 years. The preacher will be Prebendary Patrick Riley, a former Curate of St. Andrew’s. Members of the local community are warmly invited to attend both services.
Dedicated to serving God and the community In a letter to the congregation at St. Andrew’s (published in the July edition of Heartbeat – the St. Andrew’s magazine) Katharine Smith, Reader at the church, reflects: “This is the 125th anniversary of our church’s dedication. The word ‘dedicate’ means ‘to set apart and consecrate to some sacred purpose’ – in the case of St. Andrew’s church, for the sacred purpose of worshipping and serving God and for serving the community around it. That was certainly the intention of those whose vision brought about the founding of St Andrew’s, the railway parish, back in 1881.
As the people of this church we are called also to be dedicated: to give our whole interest and work to this worshipping and serving God and our neighbours. We are called to be single-minded and determined as we continue the work of those who went before us and as we lay foundations for the work of future generations of the St Andrew’s family.
God has blessed the work of this church and will continue to do so. His plans will be for the good of the whole community in which we live and worship. God is dedicated to his work and he won’t let go. We can be sure of the faithfulness of God’s dedication to us.”
ENDS
A Spiritual Centre Our church is first of all a spiritual centre, a place where people can find God, be nourished in their spiritual journey, and grow in their life of faith. The church has been a place of quiet prayer since 1881. Today, it remains a haven of peace at the heart of the bustling community of Rowbarton.
One of the first things that many people comment upon is the prayerful atmosphere and sense of calm within the church. Perhaps this is why such a wide cross section of people find a spiritual home with us. St. Andrew's people are a true cross section of our local community. This diversity helps to make our church a wonderful place to worship, and a source of welcome and acceptance.
We pray together, sing together, worship together, learn together, and try to spread the Good News together. We are a place where strong and lasting friendships are formed, where we are supportive of each other, and where we think about our faith and how it affects the way in which we live our lives. We look to serve the community in which we live both as a church, and as individuals in our day to day lives. Our aim is simply to grow in relationship with God, with each other, and with our community.
A fascinating history St. Andrew's Church was consecrated on 14 July 1881 through the generosity of the Revd. Frederick Jeremiah Smith the first Vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Taunton. His gift towards building a new parish church was announced in a sermon given at the new St. John's Church on 14 August 1878. It was made as a gesture of thanksgiving "that the country had been spared the horrors of war" following the Treaty of Berlin between Russia and Turkey.
St. Andrew's was built to serve the rapidly expanding area of Taunton which served the newly arrived Great Western Railway, and soon became known as "The Railway Parish".
When the church was first built it comprised a nave and 2 side aisles and seated 500. The north aisle still exists but in 1893 the original south aisle was removed and a new larger south aisle was added, together with the Lady Chapel beyond. The High Altar was also extended. The additional 200 - 300 seats were needed to accommodate the rapidly increasing congregation who could no longer be comfortably seated. The church was re-dedicated in 1893, only 11 years after it first opened.
The peal of six bells at St. Andrew's is very new. They were produced at Whitechapel Bell Foundry in April 1996.
St. Andrew's suffered a spate of vandalism in 1997 which resulted in a number of windows being damaged or destroyed. The Railway Window, which replaced one of those damaged beyond repair, was produced for St. Andrew's by local artist Clare Maryan Green, and was dedicated by The Rt. Revd Peter Price, Bishop of Bath and Wells, on 22 December 2002. The special service was attended by members of the Great Western Railway Society.
In the autumn of 2005 St. Andrew’s launched its own website, to much acclaim. Rosemary Lain-Priestley, Associate Vicar at St. Martin in the Fields, London and a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on the BBC Radio 4 programme Today commented: “This is great. It's really clear and engaging and focussed. And it's a church I'd want to go to! Congratulations!”
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Page updated 29/09/2007
