sunnyside church » centenary

centenary

our centenary events

2009 was the 100th anniversary of our current church building, and we held a number of special events to celebrate the vision and faithfulness of those who have gone before us, and the lively vibrant faith that we celebrate in a contemporary way today.

The picture on the left gives some clues about the nature of Sunnyside church today – note the table, fresh flowers, the open Bible, the music stands and microphones, and the Powerpoint screen.

This is what it looks like when we populate the same area with musicians and singers. This photo is from one of the centenary services.

We are delighted that so many Sunnysiders old and new were able to join us for many events.

centenary calendar

We started the year with a New Year’s Eve dinner and dance in the style of the 1920s, and visited every home in the parish during March and April, delivering a bookmark highlighting the key events of the year.

photovoltaic panels

In January, during heavy snow, we were finally able to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the church hall. This project had been planned for two years, so we were especially delighted that the work was completed in under a week, in the first month of our centenary. You can read details of this green initiative on the Church of England’s web-site under the banner “Shrink the Footprint” , and here.

book – the way of the cross

We published the Sunnyside Lent Book on Ash Wednesday, written by members of the church. Can you work out who wrote each day’s reflection?

worship weekend 21st - 22nd march

Worship weekend led by Music & Worship Foundation

songs of praise 5th april

Centenary Songs of Praise

parish fete 30th may

Parish Fete, George Street

centenary weekend 28th and 29th june

We held two Centenary Thanksgiving Services on 28th June, at 10am and 3pm, with guest preacher Bishop John Taylor, a retired Bishop of St Albans and long-time supporter of Sunnyside. Parshioners from St John’s Bourne End, our sister church, joined us in the afternoon.

angie’s picture

This picture was painted by Angie during the two services and is her response to the text of Isaiah 43, one of our readings for the day. The picture has now been framed and is on display in the church.

radio coverage

Several reports were broadcast on Three Counties Radio on Sunday 28th June and on Sunday 5th July.

photographs

The pictures below are snapshots of the church as people were arriving. The 10am service was full, and the 3pm service only had a few seats left. It was lovely to see so many old friends and visitors.

centenary exhibition 26th June to 2nd July

This charted the history of the last 100 years as recorded in the extensive church archives, and also included many recent photographs showing the changes in our worship styles over this time.

book – the story of sunnyside

An illustrated book, “The Story of Sunnyside” was published to accompany the exhibition. This charts the history of some of the key people and events which have brought us to this point; it is our task now to carry this forward into the next 100 years.

holiday club 25th august

Our holiday club took place on 25th August in George Street playground.

action day 20th september

Read more about our Parish Action Day on Sunday 20th September here. This was practical work in the community and a chance to meet more of our neighbours.

harvest weekend 3rd - 4th October

All the users of the church halls, and our neighbours, were invited to contribute to our Creative Arts Harvest Weekend, and to join us for our All-Age Harvest Service at 10am on Sunday 4th October. The preparation work took three days, and the church and halls looked splendid, with examples of creativity that amazed and impressed many. After the service, we were able to spend time with each other, and help each other. One example was the unplanned mass ‘shoe-box filling’ for Task Force Romania, which included our visiting Police Community Support Officer.