"The Poor Old Church"

"The Poor Old Church"
(By The Rev Thomas Burns, 1865)

We recommend that you read this story in it's entirety :

"The poor old Church ! Never was there an honester, a more faithful, or a more useful servant. I may say that it was a good servant of all work. It could cleverly turn it's hand to anything. It's sacred service - it's proper work was on Sunday, but from Monday to Saturday it held itself ready for any service. It was a schoolroom; it was a public lecture room; it was the humble servant of the Dunedin Land Investment Company; it lent itself to many a stormy political meeting; it was the willing servant of the Horticultural Society; with patriotic zeal it accommodated the Provincial Council; it lent itself to many a concert, to many a musical party; and then it was without pride, and it had no ambition; from the highest to the lowest. It was equally at the command of all. It was possessed at least of one great quality that should not be left untold - it utterly disdained a mercenary spirit, it never would work for wages - and it was this great quality that hastened it's fall.
Adversity came, and so soon as it's last trials began, they came thick and fast. The first trial was indeed hard to bear - our congregation turned it's back on it for ever. A handsome new church rose under it's very nose; and, last of all, it was itself let out for hire. For seventeen long years it had occupied, with the utmost credit to itself, the high and honourable position of the First Church of Otago. In one sad hour it fell from it's high estate - the First Church of Otago was converted into a woolshed - it sank down to the level of a common hired drudge of the lowest grade. The poor thing never recovered the blow - it died of a broken heart - it perished like a martyr at the stake - it breathed it's last in the midst of devouring fire. Peace be with the ashes of our poor old church".

The remaining stone portion of the burnt out Church is in foreground, with the new (temporary) First Church building rising up directly behind. This area is now the western side of the lower Dowling Street carpark. An archelogical dig of this are was made during 2006 but failed to find any foundations for the original stone Church.

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