About St
Andrews Church
Welcome to St. Andrews
We are a thriving worship community, situated centrally in the heartland town of Gore, in the south of New Zealand.
Gore is a thriving, attractive town sitting picturesquely on the banks of the Mataura river. This river, which wends its way through some of New Zealand's most productive farmland, is famed for the excellence of its trout fishing.
The area is steeped in history. The town
is well-known for the diversity of its gardens - both community
and private ones. There are about 12,000 people in the town and
the surrounding regions.
There is an abundance of social and sporting amenities - for both the young and the elderly. We have an excellent art gallery, an historic moonshine museum, a picturesque golf course, an historical museum, and a variety of parks and walks. At present a new multi-sports complex is being completed. This will be a major asset to the town and the envy of many similar towns throughout the country.
We welcome you to our church web site. We invite you to share its contents.
The St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Hall
The
first building to be raised in the St. Andrew’s complex on the corner
of Ardwick and Devon Sts. in Gore, was the brick Hall building at
number 4 Devon St. The red brick, tile roofed
building has a main
auditorium 62ft. by 42ft. wide with a 30 foot stage and a seating
capacity of 450 people. The building also houses a large kitchen
area, several smaller lounges and meeting rooms and the administration
office.
The St. Andrew’s Sunday School Hall, built in 1928, served the Parish well as a centre of worship for over 30 years but there was always an intention to provide a more appropriate church building on an adjoining site.
However the Depression was making funds tight, and it was not until after 1935 that funds started to accumulate towards the construction of the church only for progress to be halted by the 2nd. World War.
Plans were finally approved in 1955 and the foundation stone of the new building was laid in August, 1958. The new Church was proudly opened on September 19, 1959 by the Rt. Rev. J.D. Salmond, then Moderator of the General Assembly, (not to mention an old boy of Gore High School and former Parish member in Gore!)
The
handsome brick church with its signature square brick tower was
erected at a cost of 43,500 pounds complete with furnishings, and
the pipe organ was installed a year later.
St. Andrew's Church features a number of beautiful stained glass windows, the most recent being gifted by the bequest of Miss Sheila Stevenson, which was installed in the 1980's.
The connecting Atrium building and latest refurbishments to link the church and hall were completed in 2002.
Today
Today St Andrews serves approximately 600 - 650 people in about 400 households, as well as supporting outreach commitments within the wider community such as pastoral visiting, Bible in Schools and children's programmes such as Mainly Music.
| Home | Services | Groups/Facilities | Youth | Stewardship | Newsletter | Events | Team | Noticeboard