ST JOHN'S CHURCH
162 Arawata Street, Te Awamutu
ABOUT ST JOHN'S
ABOUT
INTRODUCTION
St John’s church was designed by Professor R Toy with architect F.O> Jones and built by Jack Rissel Ltd. of Te Awamutu. It was completed and dedicated on 6 March 1965. The church is situated alongside and blends in with the historic Old St John’s and graveyard. A feature of the interior of new St John’s is the Belgium slab glass in abstract design in the Baptistry. The beautiful woven wall hangings add further colour.
Seating 410 people, with an upstairs gallery, the church is one of the largest in the Waikato Diocese, so has a history of being able to host various diocesan occasions.
A ROYAL VISIT
When the new St John's church building was opened in 1964 it was intended the Queen Mother would open the building, but she was forced to postpone her much anticipated visit due to poor health.
The visit, along with the rest of her New Zealand tour, was rescheduled for 1966 and on Sunday, May 1 she visited Te Awamutu to join Sunday worship at St John's. To commemorate the visit a vinyl record was produced containing excerpts from the service - including the hymns Praise To The Lord, The Almighty, The King Of Creation and Fill Thou My Life, O Lord My God.
2021 marked 55 years since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, visited Te Awamutu. You can read more about this occasion in this article from the New Zealand Herald:
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and Reverend Ron Bambury wave to the children and parents lining St John's Church entrance.
Photo / Te Awamutu Courier