150 Years of Grace and Growth

For 150 years, All Saints’ Church in Taradale has been a home of worship, community, and renewal. As we celebrate this milestone, we look with joy to the past and with deep hope to the generations yet to come.

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This year, we celebrate an extraordinary milestone — 150 years of worship, witness, and community at All Saints’ Church, Taradale. For a century and a half, this sacred place has gathered the prayers, songs, and stories of generations. It has stood through earthquakes and renewals, through times of flourishing and times of struggle, always as a light in the heart of Taradale — a sign that God is faithful and still at work among us.

Our church’s story is one of enduring grace. The first faithful who built here could never have imagined the shape of the world we live in today — yet their courage and faith echo through everything we do. Their vision was simple but profound: to build a community where the presence of God would be known and shared. And through the decades, that vision has endured — through the laughter of children in Sunday School, the solemnity of Good Friday gatherings, the joy of weddings, and the quiet dignity of funerals where we have commended our loved ones into God’s keeping.

All Saints’ has been a place of gathering — of worship that lifts the soul, of fellowship that strengthens hearts, of service that transforms lives. It has been a space of shelter and renewal for those who have lost hope, and a launching place for those who have found it again. We celebrate all who have prayed here, sung here, wept here, served here, and dreamed here. Each of them has left a mark upon the story we now tell.

Yet we do not simply look back. We look forward — with joy, hope, and deep commitment. As we step into the next 150 years, we do so as a living, breathing community of faith. The world around us continues to change, but the call remains the same: to be light in our city, to be people of grace, and to speak hope into a weary world.

Our hearts are full as we see new generations rising — children and youth discovering faith, families finding belonging, and older members sharing wisdom and love. We are sowing the seeds of the future now: nurturing discipleship, deepening prayer, and building connections that reach far beyond our walls. The celebration of our history becomes, in this way, a commissioning for what comes next.

We give thanks for all who have made this community what it is — for every vicar, every lay leader, every volunteer, every unseen act of service that has kept this place alive with love. And we give thanks, most of all, for the faithfulness of God, who has carried us through the years and will carry us still.

So as bells ring and stories are shared, as laughter fills the hall and candles are lit in remembrance, we stand together in gratitude. The same Spirit who moved our ancestors moves in us today — calling us to be courageous, generous, and full of joy.

All Saints’ Taradale — yesterday, today, and forever — a people walking in the light of Christ.