St Magnus Presbyterian Church in Duntroon which was built
in 1897 and is closing for good next month. Photo supplied.
Declining attendance numbers have led to the decision to
close St Magnus Presbyterian Church in Duntroon.
The church was built from Oamaru stone in 1897 to accommodate
the growing parish of Duntroon which then stretched from
Omarama in the west to Tokarahi in the south.
The name St Magnus came from the church on the island of
Egilsay in the Orkney Islands. Many families living in the
district at the time came from the Orkneys.
The church originally had a bell tower but it had to be
removed as it caught too much wind and was weakening the
structure.
Horses were the mode of transport when the church was built,
with meetings often being organised for the full moon period,
as carriage lights were ineffective for lighting the way.
Over the years, the church has closed its doors twice
temporarily - once for the 1919 influenza epidemic and again
in 1998 when numbers were low.
Duntroon is part of the Waitaki parish, which will still have
worship centres at Tokarahi, Papakaio and Eveline.
Sixteen long-term and many short-term ministers have called
Duntroon home. The future of the building has not been
determined.
All past ministers and members of the congregation were
invited to a service of thanksgiving at St Magnus on March 28
at 11am, preceded by morning tea.
The service of closing will be held on April 25 at 11am.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.