Happy 90th Birthday St Nicholas Church, Burnage!

St. Nicholas Church celebrates its 90th Birthday on Saturday 8th December.

On Sunday 9th December 2018 we will hold a Christingle Service and 90th Birthday Celebration with Bishop Mark.

This will be followed by a celebration lunch, everybody is mot welcome!

On 8th December 1928, during a snowy afternoon, the Bishop of Middleton dedicated a temporary church and hall. On the following day, Sunday 9th
December, the first service was held.

The church we now know was completed in 1932.

For more information buy a copy of our Visitors’ Guide, available in church for 50p, or ask Bevan Taylor: if he
doesn’t know it’s probably not worth knowing!

Bevan has written a few words looking back on 90 years at St. Nick’s.

Looking Back – 40 years and 90 years!

On Saturday 9th December 1978 The Church of St Nicholas, Burnage, Manchester, celebrated the ‘golden jubilee’ of the Formation of the parish on Saturday 8th December 1928.

Earlier in the year of 1978 the then Rector from 1971, Revd Brian W Barker, had written to all the previous six Rectors, inviting them to contribute to a booklet to celebrate this great occasion in the life of the church. Prebendary Herbert A Barnett wrote as follows:

FROM PREBENDARY HERBERT ARTHUR BARNETT, B.A., B.D. of Wells Cathedral

A period of fifty years is a short time in the life of a parish, but it forms the greater part of the life of an individual . It is, therefore, with a thankful heart in gratitude to God that I am permitted to greet you in this Jubilee Year of “Saint Nicholas”.

I well remember the dedication of the temporary Church and Hall on the snowy afternoon of December 8th, 1928. We were all new friends together looking forward with hope to the future.

The life of what I soon called “The Beloved Community” flourished with such vigour that before four years had passed the Parish Hall proved inadequate for the needs of the people for worship and for fellowship.
Thus in September , 1932, the Church of Saint Nicholas was consecrated by the then Bishop of Manchester, Dr .Warman.

I look back with gratitude to all who with God’s blessing helped me to build up the life of the parish in those early years. Many of them now worship God in a fuller light , but some of us are still serving Him here on earth.

‘

One family we dwell in Him,
One Church above, beneath;
Though now divided by the stream
The narrow stream of death’

Many others have come to join in the life of the parish. I hope to meet you all next December. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. May the blessing of God be with the Rector , his
family, and you.

HERBERT A. BARNETT

If I may ‘look back’ 40 years to 9th December 1978 my abiding memory is the fact that all the previous rectors were able to be present:

Herbert A Barnett: 1928-1938
Wilfred Garlick 1938-1944
George V H Eliott 1945-1951
John E R Williams 1951-1958
David A Edwards 1958-1965
Dennis Baggaley 1965-1971

Bevan Taylor, 26th October, 2018