The 150th Celebration was held at City Recital Hall, Angel Place and was also the launch of the fundraising campaign. Our first million dollars was raised from this event!
150th Anniversary Celebration
A Million Reasons to Celebrate - 27th September 2009
"They didn’t ask for people from the 1940s to stand," was the comment from one gentleman who attended the St Barnabas Broadway 150th Celebration at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place, on Sunday 27 September 2009. We now think there were two people there from that decade, so our apologies that they didn’t have the opportunity to be applauded along with those from the 50s, 60s and so on. It was a great occasion with many former Barneys members travelling long distances to be there.
Barneys former minister Ian Powell and student minister Andrew Robinson chronicled the church’s history. Starting with Tom Smith’s appointment to the parish in late 1857, then the opening of the building in February 1859, the eras of RBS Hammond and the church’s ministry amongst Sydney’s poor and unemployed in the 1920s and 30s through to the beginning of student ministry with Howard Guinness in the 1950s, the history vividly described all the years in between and since. What a thrill it was to have Mary Jones, daughter of Howard Guinness, read one of the bible passages!
For many people one of the highlights was the gathering of four ministers: Paul Barnett, Allan Blanch, Robert Forsyth and Ian Powell.
The foyers were crowded beforehand and afterwards with people catching up with old friends, mingling with those who make up the 'DNA' of Barneys, sharing a wonderful afternoon tea, looking at the displays of old photos and the model of the new building.
In true Barneys style, people stayed and stayed, and talked and talked. "A taste of heaven" someone commented. Indeed it was!
The 150th Celebration raised $1,000,000 in pledges!
Thankyou to all those people who pledged to the rebuilding of St Barnabas Church.
