125 years of Anglican Church in Coffs Harbour Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - October 11, 2024 Rev Nathan Dean at St John’s Anglican Church, Coffs Harbour. ST JOHN’S Anglican Church will celebrate 125 years in Coffs Harbour on the weekend of 19 and 20 October. There will be a celebration dinner for parishioners past and present on Saturday night while the Bishop of Grafton Reverend Dr Murray Harvey, will preside at a special church service on Sunday morning at 9am. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Everyone is invited to attend this service which will be followed by a morning tea featuring 125 cupcakes made by parishioners. Reverend Nathan Dean has been the Rector since 2023. “It is a great privilege to be a part of such a celebration for something that has had a profound place in the life of the community over so many years,” he told News Of The Area. The first Anglican Church in Coffs Harbour was situated on the corner of Coramba Road and Moonee Street. It was dedicated on 6 April, 1899. Attendances were small due to another church at Coramba being well attended, and the poor state of the roads, which kept people away. The second St John’s Church was dedicated in 1911, located at the corner of McLean and Elizabeth streets. The congregation increased because Coffs Harbour was becoming the central hub for the area. Shortly after the dedication, the original St John’s Church was moved to High Street at the Jetty and was renamed St Aiden’s by the Sea. This church, which served the Anglican community in the Jetty area for 60 years, was amalgamated with the new and bigger St John’s. The old St Aidan’s was demolished in January 1973. St John’s Hall in McLean Street was built over a period of two weeks in 1927. It was used as a meeting place for many organisations and for wedding receptions over the years. More recently it has been converted into the parish Op Shop, making good use of the hall for the community. The current church building was dedicated in 1972. It was designed in the shape of the Star of David with the altar in the centre of the church under the spire. However, this proved to be impractical for large congregations, so the altar was moved in 1994 to create a central aisle. The acoustics in the church are excellent and the venue is often used for concerts. By Andrea FERRARI
