Life at Christ Church: 1958 to 1968

King's Own

Kings Own Bible Class continued to thrive during these years under the leadership of Douglas and Barbara Hill, who led its young people from 1957 to the end of 1972. A number of photographs of King’s Own during this era show it vast numbers, and the fun that was especially had on its annual Houseparty at Herne Bay Court, the first of which was held after Easter in 1959.

Christ Church curates usually took a leadership role within King’s Own and in the photo below Colin Jee (Curate 1962-1966) and Pat Dearnley (Curate 1964-1968) can be seen.

Pathfinders

Pathfinders was a group for 11-14s which began at Christ Church in 1959. Originally the boys and girls groups met separately; the photo below shows the Pathfinder Girls group outside the Parish Halls.

Another photo shows the Pathfinder Boys Group with Brian Underwood, curate at Christ Church from 1961-1964.

Pathfinders met on a Sunday afternoon until 1975, when it transferred to the morning. In 2008 it became our current group for early teens – Encounter.

Campaigners, Brownies and Guides

It was in 1962 that Campaigners started at Christ Church lasting until 2008. Llewellyn Roberts was instrumental in this decision, being concerned that there was no uniformed organisation for boys.

The 1st A New Malden Brownie Pack had started at Christ Church in 1928 and a second pack was established in 1973. The 1st A New Malden, Christ Church Guide Company was also formed from 1924. Church Parade later became a regular part of the activities of these groups with this finishing at Christ Church in 2007.

Centenary

In 1966, Christ Church celebrated its centenary. Unlike our 150th anniversary, this celebration marked the time since the original foundation stone was laid at Christ Church rather than the completion of the original building, and so took place in June 1966.

A Centenary Brochure was produced including an exhortation by Llewellyn Roberts and the Churchwardens David Burton and Reg Ellis to maintain and build upon the spiritual foundation passed on by the earlier pioneering years of Christ Church. A small exhibition of the earlier history of Christ Church with pictures and prints also took place!