By Gillian Vine
The generosity of two Dunedin families was remembered in March when extensions to church buildings were named in their honour.
Young people in the Mosgiel area are now better served with the opening of The Hub at East Taieri Presbyterian Church. The first stage of redeveloping the Kinmont Hall complex, the $180,000 Hub project involved refurbishing the hall and adding an extension, named the Finnie Suite to generous funding by the Finnie Estate.
“This is a journey that started in 2004 when the Finnie Estate trustees invited the church to submit a project,” parish minister the Rev Michael Schwass said at the opening on March 2.
It was fitting The Hub, “the permanent home, or hub, of our youth work”, was chosen to commemorate Andrew and Irene Finnie, because the parish’s emphasis on youth activities was in line with their wishes. “This is a fantastic resource for youth ministry,” Dr Schwass said.
He thanked those who served on the Saddle Hill Foundation Trust – the group that overseas the parish’s youth work – and the many volunteers who worked on The Hub project. A plaque was unveiled by Ian Pheloung, who explained that The Hub was the final project to be funded by the Finnie Estate and it was “marvellous to see this finished”.
Prayers to dedicate the building were led by a former Moderator of Dunedin Presbytery, Russell Gillions, who concluded: “Presbytery entrusts this facility to you … to nurture all who enter here.”
East Taieri Church youth worker Andrew Harrex said: “The great bonus of the whole complex is it’s multi-use.”
Mr Harrex is one of three youth workers employed by the church, which last year saw 131 children from Year 5 to Year 13 attend nine programmes offered. In additional, Mr Harrex and co-worker Carolyn Hooper are chaplains at Mosgiel’s Taieri College, while the third youth worker, Brendon McRae, is Outram primary school chaplain.
Proper facilities for ministry with children and families, and for renewed mission to the community” were the driving force behind the decision to build an extension to St Margaret’s, Green Island, replacing a hall demolished in 2001, Coastal Unity parish minister the Rev Bruce Hamill says.
The old parish hall dated back to 1906 and was funded largely by a donation from the Kirkland sisters: Agnes, Margaret and Janet. Because Presbyterians then officially discouraged dancing, the hall was built with a sloping floor. By the 1970s – when plans were being drawn up for a replacement building –it was estimated 11,000 children and adults were using the building each year.
However, it was not until after St Margaret’s became part of Coastal Unity parish in 2002 that rationalisation of property, including selling the land where the hall had been, made the project feasible, Dr Hamill said at the opening on 3 March.
“Session agreed that the name Kirkland Lounge provided a poignant link to the past and to the generosity of Margaret Kirkland who started this all off,” he said.