Celebrating 125 years

A service of thanks and praise: Evening Service May 20^th 2001

Introduction

A Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury on the 125th Anniversary of the Consecration of Christ Church, Beckenham

Dear Friends at Christ Church,

Warm greetings as you celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the consecration of Christ Church.

Your Church has exercised a significant ministry in the Church of England and in the wider Church of God. From the beginning until now you have maintained a faithful ministry of the Gospel and the exposition of God's word. Over the years men and women have come to faith and grown in their knowledge, love and service of Christ. Many have responded to God's call to serve him as ordained ministers and commissioned missionaries.

I thank God for this ministry which continues today, and pray that you will enjoy the Lord's blessing in increasing measure as, by his grace, you continue to win, build and send disciples. I pray, too, that you may know God's guidance as you consider ways in which to develop your strategic high street site in order to provide the facilities needed to further the life and mission of Christ Church in this new millennium. Be encouraged and continue to be rooted in the gospel of Christ!

20^th May 1876

Opening Segment: This Day 125 years Ago

A. It’s 20th May 1876 four days before Queen Victoria’s 58th birthday. She has been in seclusion for over a decade since Albert’s death but returns to the public eye crowned as Empress of India by Prime Minister Disraeli. It’s a Conservative government. A time of Reform. Schools are opening everywhere. The vote is extended. If your fortunes are worth £10 or more and you are a man, you may vote. The population is growing rapidly. Beckenham is no longer a village in rural Kent but a commuter suburb of London. The population here has doubled in seven years.

B. St. George's is the parish church but has moved from its evangelical position. A new church is commissioned to reach the growing community with the gospel. We had initially met in a mission hall on The Avenue but in 1873, 45 people grew to 450 and the iron building was no longer suitable. So this site was found for a permanent building. Lord Shaftesbury laid the foundation-stone a year ago, and today, Saturday 20th May 1876 this church is consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Tait of Canterbury in the presence of a large congregation. His grace preaches “a simple and unique discourse” from Psalm 26 verse 8 “I have loved the habitation of Thy house and the place where Thine honour dwelleth.” The first incumbent is William Welsh who brought with him the congregation that worshipped in that old iron church on the avenue.

125 years later, we celebrate the anniversary of this church building and of this parish. Come now is the time to worship. The words are in the booklet and would you please sit after we sing. Come now is the time to worship

Song: Come now is the time to worship

Message from the Bishop of Rochester

The Beckenham we know today is very different from that time back in 1876 when it was still in rural Kent. But while many things may have changed, I'm sure that Lord Shaftesbury (that great philanthropist and reformer, and a leader of the Evangelical Movement), who laid your foundation stone, would agree that the task of the church has not changed as it seeks to win the minds and hearts and souls of men, women and children for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those involved in the original 'iron church' which led eventually to the building of Christ Church itself were people of vision. So, too, were those who took on the mantle of mission in your formative years. So, too, were those who bought the land adjoining the church in the year of your golden jubilee in 1926. No less visionary were those who set themselves to rebuilding the church after the Second World War. The Book of Proverbs tells us that, without vision, the people perish, and so it is with pleasure that I hear all about the many activities of witness and mission you are involved in today, and learn that your vision for the Christ Church of the future is about to take shape in bricks and mortar.

I send you my congratulations and best wishes for this important milestone in your life together as the people of God. I am sorry I cannot be with you in person but I look forward to learning more of your plans as they come to fruition in the years ahead.

I also want to pay tribute to Christ Church for the many you have encouraged into the Christian ministry - and still do encourage - through the Caleb Club, many of them now well known names in the Church and beyond.

Your mission statement is well known to me - to share the love of Jesus Christ in word and deed, so that people become his followers to the glory of God. It stuns up so well the faith that is in us, and it sums up, too, the task that lies ahead for all of us. May our Lord be with you as you seek to fulfil his mission, and may his blessing be upon you.

In Christ's service,

+Michael Roffen:

Welcome & Introduction

Welcome to our celebration service. To mark our 125 years we will have items of news from each of the last 10 decades and a member of the church who represents each decade. They will come up and offer a song or reflection or reading to progress the service. The foundation stone to this building was planted all those years ago but the church of God has its one true foundation in none other but the Lord Jesus Christ. How else would it still be standing not just after 125 years, but after 2001. Christ is made the sure foundation. Our next song.

Song: Christ is made the sure foundation verses 1,3,5

1876-1900

A. In the First 25 years, Victoria reigned. Post famine unrest spilled out from Ireland, Jack the Ripper was loose on the streets of London, and the Labour party was formed. But Victoria reigned. She reigned through her Golden Jubilee, she reigned through her Diamond Jubilee, she reigned through the Boer War, and her death brought national mourning. The end of an era.

B. Lord Shaftesbury and JC Ryle also departed this earth at the end of the century having left their mark on society and church. In Beckenham these were times of new beginnings and new vision. A new parish pastored by the Revds Welsh, Harding & Rooker. A new Sunday School that hosted adventurous outings for the whole town. On one occasion they took 450 children and 150 adults to Herne Bay by train for a day out. Drink and alcoholism were social problems that The Band of Hope tried to help people with. A holiday tent mission was held by Christ Church. Some of the local police met for bible study on Wednesdays. And new buildings were planned in order to grow this timeless gospel ministry.

Creed: We take this opportunity to declare together the timeless gospel which has been the basis for that ministry over the years. Please stand for the creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate
was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.

1901-1910

A. As the new century unfolded we were hardly prepared for the changes it would bring. Our present Queen Mum was born and would live through it all spanning a whole century. A new talented young artist Pablo Picasso painted his self-portrait. Marconi communicated with America through morse code. Mrs Pankhurst thought it was time to campaign for womens rights. Lloyd George began his Liberal Reforms. King George took the throne. But Scarlet Fever hit.

B. Beckenham 1903. The vicarage was in quarantine, and Sunday School forced to close. The vicar John Rooker took leave in Egypt to recover. A couple of years after his return and at his own expense he bought the land for a church plant called Croydon Road Mission Hall which would become St. John’s Eden Park. When Rooker left he has so won over his churchwarden, organist and curate that he took them with him. The Revd Harrington Lees arrived in 1908. During this period the parish boundaries were extended as more houses were built.

Alec Carter reads Romans 8:28-39

There must be many people who, in the course of their Christian life, experience setbacks, perhaps family crises or other worries and who may feel that God is not as close to them as they would wish Him to be. To us who find ourselves in such situations the Bible offers ample hope and encouragement. The passage I have chosen for this reading is from Paul’s letter to the Romans in which we see that God knew us before we knew Him, and that suffering has always been part of the experience of God’s people. The whole gospel is presented in a grand revelation of past, present and future from creation to eternity with the final assurance of His everlasting presence with us.

1911-1920

A. The second decade of the century brought more changes in Beckenham, the creation of Kelsey Park and Manor Way, the first Motor Bus service was introduced, and the Chinese garage opened. But it was a decade dominated by The Great War.

B. Christ Church played its part by providing the Main Hall as a Military Hospital to receive wounded Belgian soldiers. Many of the nurses were from the congregation and staffed the hospital voluntarily. 53 men from the congregation died in action. The Revd George Bassett-Kerry took over as vicar after the war.

Alan Watts introduces a Song: This the day

Twenty-five years ago, at the church's Centenary, something new happened.

There was a gentleman named Martin Oram, and one Sunday morning he came along to the Children's Church and said he was going to teach us a Chorus. I was not very sure what a chorus was, and I have an objection to singing lessons. So I was not in favour. But he taught us as he had promised, and the first chorus I remember was THIS IS THE DAY. We soon had it off by heart, and went on to learn more choruses.

Martin Oram had to move away somewhere, but his place was taken by Madge Olby and Helen Oliver. From then on, choruses became a regular feature of our worship, so much so, that 1 don't think we are really aware that at one time they were a novelty.

So I thought it would be an excellent thing if we could remember that this is the day not only when the church was consecrated 125 years ago, but that it is the day that the Lord has made.

Being a poor singer, I have asked the Singing Group to assist me in leading us in ...

This is the day, this is the day,
That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made ....

1921-1930

A. The Twenties featured Garbo, Al Jolson and the first Marx Brothers film as Hollywood introduced sound. We were dancing the Charleston. At home the Irish were granted independence, and the Great Depression hit. Unemployment rose to almost 3 million, and the country was shut down by strikes. Over the next few years Governments collapsed and our country headed towards unemployment and deprivation. In 1929 Wall Street crashed.

B. In the midst of this what can be done but point people to the Saviour. The prayer book was revised to make it more accessible. CC’s Jubilee was marked in by expansion as we purchased land for a new hall and what is now the garage. They were purchased for gospel ministry into Beckenham. Today we are seeking to reclaim that gospel vision. Children were increasingly a priority for mission. The children’s church opened in 1928 and hundreds of kids and families heard the call to faith through this targeted ministry. Despite the economic times we were encouraged to give to the only cause that can free the human soul from depression. Free will envelopes were introduced as a new means of giving to the work. The chimes were installed to call people to worship Christ. Anthony St. John Thorpe was vicar. John Stott and Jim Packer were born and the Christian Union Movement, Inter Varsity Fellowship was founded.

Audrey Anderson introduces Song:
Here is love vast as the ocean

1931-1940

A. The 30s were dominated by Depression and rebuilding. In adversity the human creative spirit comes to the fore. The troubled Thirties were full of life: the sounds of jazz and swing, Duke Ellington and his band, George Gershwin, and the first movie in Technicolor. High fashion and glamour. Douglas Jardine took on Donald Bradman toured Australia on the Bodyline series. Billy Butlin opened a holiday resort in Skegness. Ella Fitzgerald topped the charts. King Kong A B topped the Empire State Building. Fred & Ginger said ‘Shall we dance’, and Dorothy met the Wizard of Oz. But as we came out of economic depression war broke out again following the German invasion of the Low Countries. Chamberlain stood down and on May 13th 1940 Winston Churchill faced the commons for the first time as prime minister with his policy: “to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us”. “Victory – victory at all costs”, he declared.

B. During the War church services were affected. The iron railings around the church were taken for the war effort. The Jubilee Hall was made available as a dressing station, and the communion cloths were stolen. In the Thirties as a whole, New Bible colleges were founded: at Clifton, Bristol and Oak Hill A B , London. Back in the parish in Beckenham (map) Canon St. John Thorpe reflected on the thirties. “Our biggest undertaking was the building of the daughter church and the establishment of the parish of St. John the Baptist, Eden Park”. St. Johns was consecrated in 1936. The previous year Guy King arrived and was told “there are three things necessary to be a successful Vicar of that Parish: get married, write a book and support the Church Missionary Society”. He wrote much, he supported CMS but Guy King never married.

John Langley reads Psalm 91

As I look back I realise that some of my early encounters with God came through music which took me into some beautiful places where I joined with others in uplifting worship incorporating what I regard as some of the most inspiring and poetic literature of the English language.

An annual highlight was as a choirboy to join with other choirs for a festival service in Canterbury Cathedral: magnificent music in a magnificent setting and some magnificent language. But these individual elements were as nothing compared with the growing awareness that over and above it all there was something greater and that something was the Lord speaking to me. The memories of the place the music and the particular occasions may have dimmed but what I felt God was saying to me has been a companion over the years.

One of those gems has been Psalm 91. Its theme for me has been that whatever life brings God's protection is there. He doesn't promise a life free from danger, sorrow, disappointment, failure illness but he does promise help and encouragement if we trust in him and look to him as our rock, our fortress.

I also think that this is something we can look to as a church. He doesn't promise us an easy life but if we continue to look to him and trust him he will protect us, he will answer our concerns , he will honour us and as we look forward we can have confidence in a life for our church until He comes.

1941-1950

A. War. In 1941 the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbour. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope & Rita Hayworth were some of the entertainers who kept our spirits high during the war effort. We were disgusted by the holocaust, and appalled by concentration camps. In 1945 the first atom bomb devastated Hiroshima. Post war we had our first Labour Government, and the creation of the NHS. Post Hiroshima we had the start of the ‘cold war’ with new nuclear technology. It was a time of decline of the Empire, we remember Ghandi’s resistance in India independence was granted to India and Pakistan.

B. John Stott starts his ministry at All Souls – a ministry which would define a new era of Biblical confidence. The Mens Institute is started at Christ Church. On 5th January 1945 Christ Church was devastated by a flying bomb. On 8th May Germany surrendered and a special service was held in the ruins as thanksgiving for V.E. day. Caleb Club was founded 1946 for fellowship and Christian growth for young people. As well as providing this, in the 70s it would provide wives for 4 consecutive curates. In 1950 five years to the day of its destruction the new church building, built on the foundations of the old church, is opened. Pew rents were abolished so you could hear the gospel for free. The PCC acquired the land alongside the church and leased it to the Council as a car park.

Jane Pocknall reads 1 Peter 2:4-10

1951-1960

A. In the fifties, Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, and modern pop music was championed by Elvis. We were hit by the Suez Crisis, and a declining economy, but Europe had hew hope through the European Union. The fifties are Mickey Mouse, Superman, "my fair lady", American drive-ins, Marilyn Monroe, Bermuda shorts, and West side story. Late this decade an unknown Liverpudlian boy band plays at the Cavern.

B. At the start of the decade the Te Deum window was unveiled, and a young Chris Strover arrived as our newly appointed organist and choirmaster. We celebrated the 25 anniversary of Sunday School. The headline in the local paper read: “laughing children learn in this church. Canon King held up a card with the letter C – and a hundred voices shouted ‘C stands for Caleb!’”. Guy King was known as a great ‘saint’ by the congregation with a warm sense of humour. He died after preaching his retiring sermon one week before he was to leave. He’d been with us for 22 years. Herbert Cragg’s incumbency started in 1957 and he’d be with us for 21 years. The drive is purchased by the PCC to house a curate.

Andy Cornish prayers

We looked back, prayed for current missionaries spreading the word, for the future mission of Christ Church to Beckenham, and closed with the Lord’s Prayer

1961-1970

A. welcome to the swinging sixties. We enter an age of modernism, freedom and people power. Some of the icons of this age are The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King, and Big Bird (from Sesame Street). The cold war is all around and the Iron Curtain grows stronger. James Bond represents the unruffled British Hero against the Red villains. Concorde is launched into the stratosphere, and the space race is in full swing. Neil Armstrong takes “one small step” into the history books. We won the World Cup at Wembley! Beckenham was flooded in 68.But where were you when JFK was shot? Were you a hippie – did you believe in flower power – did you ever wear a mini skirt? It was a time of drug experimentation and sexual revolution: in the sicties the government legalized homosexuality. War broke out in Vietnam, and people took to the streets in America to protest. Or to party.

B. In the 60s the modern charismatic movement begins with Anglicans such as David Watson at the forefront. At Keele in 67 evangelical Anglicans dedicated themselves to working within the Church of England for change. Herbert Cragg is still vicar and Richard Bewes the new curate and displays his talents with a group called The Travelers. The spire gets an overhaul and 25 rectory road is rented for the housing of a second curate. The RSV is introduced into the church pews replacing the Authorised Version.

Jo Gale introduces Song:
O God beyond all praising

1971-1980

A. 70s were the days of disco. John Travolta wore those white flared trousers, and Elton John those platform shoes. In the states were Oil Crises and Political crises: Over here we had the Labour Governments of Heath, Wilson & Callaghan, rising unemployment, Trade Union power and the Winter of Discontent. In America they had Watergate. They also opened McDonalds restaurants. The star wars and Godfather trilogies began and Billie Jean King was playing a lot of tennis rather well. The Moscow Olympics was heavily boycotted. John Paul II visited in his Pope Mobile. And we celebrated the Silver Jubilee in our streets. The European Community was formalized and grew. Margaret Thatcher the Iron Lady closed out the 70s and opened the 80s.

B. The seventies and children's missions. An outing to Broadstairs. The childrens church choir. And new vicar: Tony Baker. We had new temporary liturgy the Alternative Service book, which took us into the Millennium. The centenary of the church was celebrated with the publication of “Seeing and Serving Christ”. Sermons were now recorded on tape each Sunday. The vicar takes up residence at the new vicarage at 18 Court Downs Road.

Jonathan Poole reads a Poem entitled
My Christian life as a race

1981-1990

A. The Eighties was a time of revolution in Home Entertainment. The video cassette recorder went on sale, Home computers and video games were the new thing for teenagers, and people started putting TVs in bedrooms. We had the film Tron and the Space Shuttle. They were prosperous times for some with private enterprise and Trickle Down Economics under Thatcher and Reagan. It was trendy to be a Yuppie. Bjorn Borg was winning the trophies; ABBA and Michael Jackson were top of the charts. MTV was launched and we started to see the changing faces of Madonna. The trilogy of the 80s was Back to the Future. And skateboards were in. The Thames Flood Barrier was opened. Of course we had the war in the Falklands, Michael Gorbachev and new openness. There was African famine and Live Aid, the Exxon Valdes oil spill, the beginnings of the Gulf War, and AIDS. There was Maradona's 'hand of God'. But who shot JR?, where were you during the ‘87 hurricane and at the fall of the Berlin Wall?

B. In the 80s the Churches thought it would be nice to meet in large numbers in damp 30s pre-fabricated buildings over Easter. So Spring Harvest began. Billy Graham 1 2 visited with his Mission to London which saw churches work together in following up this evangelism. At Christ Chuch, the ASB book of prayer was launched, the childrens church closed in ’83 and family services began. In ‘83 home groups have been running for a year and accommodate 170 members of the church. Coffee outreach begins on Fridays in the Lea Wilson Hall and Marion Raikes arrives in ’86. The West End is re-designed to make it more approachable for people to enter our building, and keep the heat in.

Jenny Batt introduces Song:
Blessed be the name of the Lord

1991-2000

A. At the end of the 20th Century we found we were now Post Modern. Answers to the world’s questions were not so black and white, more people than ever were lost and finding meaning in relationships rather than ideas. John Major took over from Margaret Thatcher, before New Labour swept in on a tide of public opinion and change. Icons of the 90s are Nelson Mandela, Diana, Mother Theresa, Gazza, and the Spice Girls. The Maastrict Treaty brought further European Integration and the should we/shouldn’t we of European Currency was first asked. Peace in N. Ireland seemed a reality for the first time, but there was war in the Gulf and Kosovo, The Millennium Dome was opened, slightly over budget.

B. In this last decade, the ordination of women was passed by General Synod George Carey becomes Arch Bishop in 1991 in the Decade of Evangelism stating the “urgency of witness to our nation”. The Alpha Initiative takes off and is marketed for use in any church. We take it on after the arrival of Nick Wynne-Jones in 1995. The spire needs more work. Caleb club celebrate 50 years and almost 500 attend. In 1997 the CC mission statement published, breakfasts for women start, the site development committee is established, we start a childrens football team and Christ Church enters the new millennium.

Nicholas Wynne-Jones preaches a sermon on 1 Peter 2:5

20 May 2001

A. The world today: it’s a world at our fingertips through the internet or over the phone, or through the television. But it is still the same world of peace and conflict, of hope and disappointment, of pain and relief, of exploration and discovery, of triumph and tragedy. Despite advances there is still war and hunger and pain and death. In Britain we have a multi-cultural sophisticated society, but an ever-shrinking understanding of the Christian faith. The gap to God is widening. This, the church needs to bridge.

B. Christ church today: is… crèche, baby and toddler club, Sunday school A B C, caleb club, choirs A B C, 20s&30s, Alpha and after alpha, newcomers groups, home groups, MP1 & MP2, women's breakfast, mens bible study, pastoral care, marriage prep, Sunday congregations, mission sending, staff increases, and building proposals to grow our work and increase our impact on Beckenham in the decades to come.

At the end of our presentation of history, and our challenge for the future let us take this moment to commit ourselves to the task. God is faithful and proved that over these years, for he has kept us in this ministry and brought gospel fruit from gospel work. In the light of this and Gods word preached this evening may I invite you to pray this prayer of commitment along with me.

Congregational Commitment prayer

Almighty God, our heavenly Father we thank you for the wonder of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, rejected by men, but raised by You, to be the sure foundation of your church. In response to your great mercy, by which you chose us to be your people and called us into your marvellous light, we offer you ourselves afresh in faith and hope. Build your church with us, we pray, as 'living stones', that we may worship you with holy lives and with our praises proclaim you to the world for the glory of your name - Amen

2001 and beyond

Jamie Crumpler introduces

Song: Shine Jesus Shine

It’s a great song to finish with for we would ask God to shine his light in the darkness , send his spirit to bring life to or hearts and make us more like Jesus – so our lives would tell his story. Don’t we want to shine for Jesus? And don’t we want to see Jesus to shine in glory? He will so let’s celebrate this. This is also our collection song.

Closing blessing