St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews St. Albans Methodist Church and Sunday School Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(2&3) 1953 Page 1 St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews FOREWORD In compiling this history of the St. Albans Methodist Church, it was enjoined upon me that it must be confined to some thirty-six to forty pages. In this respect I find my greatest difficulty for there is such a wealth of interesting material available, incidents serious and amusing, that must be omitted in order to record historical facts, and these too in abridged form, much as one would like to enlarge upon them. The matter for this brochure has been obtained mainly from authentic records preserved by the Church and the Methodist Connexional Office. For the latter I am indebted to the 'Story of the St. Albans Methodist Church', compiled by the late Rev. M. A. Rugby Pratt, F.R.H.S., former Connexional Secretary, on the occasion of its ninetieth anniversary, and especially to Mrs. Vernon Bedwell, grand-daughter of that fine pioneer, Mr. Isaac Philpott. Mrs. Bedwell provided much of the material for Mr. Pratt's story and for this brochure, with numerous reminiscences from the store-house of her wonderful memory, for she has been connected with the Church continuously since her christening in the old Church over eighty years ago. There are many others- ministers, laymen and descendants of pioneers-one would like to acknowledge, but even if space permitted, the names are so numerous that I must ask them to accept our tribute en bloc. One would not omit a reference to the hundreds of faithful souls, who have passed to higher service, whose names do not appear in official records, but which in faith we believe, are written in the 'Book of Life'. Ernest H. Andrews Sir Ernest Andrews, the author of this brochure, is a highly respected citizen of Christchurch, having served with distinction over a period of more than thirty years, first as a member of the City Council and later as Mayor. He has also occupied many other positions in public life. As a trustee of St. Albans Methodist Church his experience and advice have at all times been of inestimable value in the administration of Church affairs. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(2&3) 1953 Page 2 St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews St Albans Methodist Church 1853-1953 In a statement made recently by the Anglican Dean of Christchurch, he said that the Canterbury pioneers of the first four ships were not sent out officially by the Church of England to found an exclusive Anglican Community, though the scheme had the approval of many Bishops, Vicars and Officials, but rather they were a body of Anglicans collected together to form an Anglican Settlement. True, they were supposed to be members of the Church of England, but it was soon found that amongst them were a number of sturdy Wesleyan Methodists. An explanation of their presence amongst the Pilgrims was given by one of them. He said that the Methodists were often a source of worry to the vicars of small parishes in England, who saw in the proposed expedition an opportunity for transplanting these troublous ones overseas. Most of these Methodists were certified by the vicars as Church members, and so they were; for they had been christened and confirmed in the Church, though some of their methods were not approved by the vicars. The ships had not been long at sea before it was found that these people were holding prayer meetings and singing hymns. In some cases other passengers protested and threatened dire penalties. One captain even went so far as to say he would put back the ship and land them. Be that as it may, it is on record that the Wesleyan , pilgrims held a service at Gravesend just before the ships sailed, and that Isaac Philpott conducted a service in the immigration barracks at Lyttelton, immediately on arrival. Mr. Isaac Philpott Mr and Mrs John Quaife Many of the immigrants settled temporarily in V huts, tents and whares in Hagley Park, and amongst them were the pioneers of St. Albans Methodism—Isaac Philpott, Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(2&3) 1953 Page 3 St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews Joseph Pattrick, John Quaife and their families; also a young single man, John Broughton. Mr John Broughton Mrs. Quaife opened the first Sunday School of any denomination in her whare in Hagley Park and was assisted by her husband and Mr. Pattrick in the work. A memorial pillar bearing a plaque to mark the site was officially unveiled during the Canterbury Centennial Celebrations. In October 1851 the Rev. James Watkin, then stationed in Wellington in charge of Maori Missions, visited Christchurch. He conducted Divine Service at Lyttelton and other centres, and preached in Mr. Philpott's whare in Hagley Park. This whare or hut had been built with timber from Riccarton Bush, cut, trimmed, and conveyed by the personal efforts of himself and his son. During his visit the Rev. Watkin baptized fifty-five Maori converts, the results of missions established and conducted by Native Teachers at Port Levy and other Maori pas. He also baptized two half-caste Maoris and seven European children at Lyttelton, and four children of Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Hay at Pigeon Bay. By the end of 1851 most of the Hagley Park settlers had removed to their allocated holdings—the Quaifes to Papanui, where they conducted a Sunday School until their settlement on their holding in St. Albans in 1853. The Philpotts, Pattricks, John Broughton, and other Methodists had already settled in St. Albans. These included Mr. Henry Flavell who had arrived with his family in 1851. He was a Primitive Methodist Local Preacher, and he established the first class meeting in Mr. Philpott's house and continued its leader for some years. Early members of the class included Messrs. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(2&3) 1953 Page 4 St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews Joseph Pattrick, Isaac Philpott, John Quaife, Samuel Bradley, with their wives, and a little later Messrs. Grisbrook, Griffiths and Lewis. The Philpott house was situated on what is now English Park, and the Pattricks' on the present St. Albans School grounds. Religious intolerance was not absent in those days: Mrs. Quaife was threatened with citation before the Church Courts for her action in founding a Sunday School, and she and her husband were offered situations on condition that they renounced Methodism, and attached themselves to the Church of England. One clergyman instituted a boycott, but neither threats nor bribes availed with these determined and faithful souls. Of course the purpose was to make Christchurch a purely Anglican community, but this was an impossible ideal; for new settlers were constantly arriving from England, Scotland, Ireland and Australia. What a difference pertains today, with the ecumenical spirit ever growing in strength amongst the various Protestant Churches. In March 1853, the Rev. William Kirk, who had been appointed to Otago, was travelling on a ship to his new sphere of labour, when it was compelled to put into Port Lyttelton for repairs. As soon as the little group of St. Albans Methodists heard this, they journeyed to Lyttelton and brought him over the Bridle Path, on foot of course, and he held the first service in St. Albans in the kitchen of the house of Mr. Pattrick, situated as already stated on the site of the present St. Albans public school. The women had made a path through the swamp with a rough foundation of tussocks and nigger-heads, and along this path Mr. Kirk was conducted, supported on either side by Messrs. Pattrick and Quaife. Rev. William Kirk Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(2&3) 1953 Page 5 St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews The group of enthusiastic St. Albans Wesleyans were really the founders of the Church in Christchurch. The Maori Missions in Canterbury were under the supervision of Rev. James Watkin of Wellington, having been transferred there from Waikouaiti in 1851. These pioneers—Quaifes, Philpotts, Pattricks, Bradleys, Cresswells, Guilfords, Flavells and others—appealed to the Rev. Watkin to appoint the Rev. Kirk to minister to the Christchurch district. This was agreed to, and until January 1854 he preached on alternate Sundays, morning in Christchurch and, after a tramp over the Bridle Path, evening in Lyttelton; but he was in delicate health and was unable to continue. Mr. Joseph Pattrick In March 1853 the Rev. John Aldred was appointed minister to the Christchurch Methodists, but he did not take up his appointment until 1854. He built a house in Aldred Street, which was named after him. (Unfortunately the name has recently been changed to Beveridge Street, by a Local Body and Post Office Committee, that evidently had no knowledge of its historical association.) In 1852 services had been held in the home of Mr. T. Lewis, in Cashel Street, near the present Bridge of Remembrance. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(2&3) 1953 Page 6 St. Albans Methodist Church Centenary by Sir E.H.Andrews The congregations were rapidly increasing in numbers, for they were attended by members of other non-episcopal churches who had as yet no established spiritual home of their own, so a move was made to the carpenters' workshop of Mr. John Ferguson, a Presbyterian. This was situated on the site of the present Chamber of Commerce building in Oxford Terrace, near Worcester Street bridge, and then Mr.