LYNESACK’S St John the Evangelist Church has celebrated its 175th anniversary.
To mark the occasion church officers showed off local people’s exceptional talents during a two-day exhibition held last weekend.
The church building was completed on October 14, 1848, at a cost of £800. A fundraising campaign had been launched in the August of the previous year.
Churchwarden Allen Armstrong said: “[Before that] everybody went to Hamsterley – all the services were there. There is an ancient funeral path from here to Hamsterley – it is a long way to carry a coffin.
“As I understand it, it was a chapel attached to Hamsterley, and then we got a parish of our own.“
The idea for the exhibition came from a previous harvest celebration where people were encouraged to display crafts and art they had created.
Fellow churchwarden Joan Simpson said: “Coming out of lockdown I realised we were going to celebrate 175 years because this year is the year the church was completed.
“This is also the time we have our harvest festival weekend, so we thought it would be a good idea to involve the community and we know there are a lot of talented people.”
Local schools, playgroups, Scouts packs and individuals were invited to take part.
Church organist Barbara Scott displayed her knitted art depicting The Last Supper as well as a wedding scene.
Ms Simpson said: “She is absolutely amazing, and then there are other things, there was flower arranging, needlework, Ken Cook (of Copley Met Office Weather Station) brought some weather instruments, and we had a felting demonstration.
“We feel it is a community event in celebration of 175 years of worship here.”
Also on display was a souvenir booklet printed to celebrate the church’s 150th anniversary, which contains the entire history, vintage photographs and lists of vicars and people involved in the church over the years.
While the congregation has shrunk over the years, the officers said the church continues to enjoy good support.
Treasurer Kathryn Walton, along with fellow parochial parish council member Angela Thompson, heads fundraising activities for the church.
She said: “When we do something, it isn’t often, but when we do there is amazing support. Last year we tried for the first time an afternoon tea in Butterknowle Village Hall, which was very successful.
“We served 80 teas and it was a lovely social event. We couldn’t believe it, we couldn’t fit more people in.
“That was our main fundraiser.”
Mr Simpson concluded: “There is a faithful congregation, you get a baptism and the church is full, some funerals the church is full, some weddings the church is full – so the church is needed.”
