St Michael’s church in the Waimea plains was named after the archangel Michael.
So who is St Michael?
He appears in Daniel chapters 10 and 12, as the guardian and protector of God’s people. In Jude verse 9 he is said to have disputed with the devil about the body of Moses and told him, “the Lord rebuke you!” In Revelation 12, John describes Michael and his angels fighting in a battle against the devil and his supporters, where “the great dragon” and his followers are all hurled to earth – overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of his followers who are prepared to die in the battle.
In church tradition, from early days, he was regarded as the angel to lead Christian armies against evil, and as a protector of individual Christians against the devil. In the Middle Ages he was believed to remove temptations from the dying, and to lead people to the next world. In art, he was often portrayed as a warrior, with helmet, sword and shield, and occasionally in a full suit of armour.
The first Anglican “church” in the Waimea plains – a gathering of people to worship God – was held in the brick barn of a Mr John Kerr. Services were held by visiting preachers.
In 1843, the first Anglican church building in Nelson was built on St Michael’s current site, on land donated by Charles Saxton. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a fire. The current building, designed by Thomas Brunner, opened in 1866.
Before that happened, however, on 7 January 1856, a meeting of the congregation was held. Mr Francis Blundell moved “that the Parish Church be called St Michael’s. And that we be called the Parish of St Michael’s Church, Waimea West.” The motion was seconded by Mr N.G. Norse and was carried. However, there appears to be no record of any reasons for the choice of this particular name.
Perhaps some of the settlers came from a home parish in Britain with that name, and therefore it gave a link to family roots. But given Michael the archangel’s portrayal as a defender against evil, and given the difficult life of the Pākehā settlers in establishing a viable community in a land that, while beautiful, had many natural and medical dangers, it is tempting to suppose that the congregation liked the thought of a defender prepared to fight for them, in this world as in the next.
Services are held every Sunday at 8:30am. You are welcome to come and worship God with some friendly people and enjoy the beauty of this much admired building.
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, 5th ed. 2011. OUP
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. 2005. OUP
St. Michael’s Anglican Church : Waimea West, Nelson, New Zealand : a centennial history. Palmer, Leonard Russell, 1903-1963.
St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Waimea West, Nelson, New Zealand : 1843-1993. (Unattributed leaflet.)
Check out other articles in the
Namesake Saints
series below.
More articles in the
Namesake Saints
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
St Michael’s church in the Waimea plains was named after the archangel Michael.
So who is St Michael?
He appears in Daniel chapters 10 and 12, as the guardian and protector of God’s people. In Jude verse 9 he is said to have disputed with the devil about the body of Moses and told him, “the Lord rebuke you!” In Revelation 12, John describes Michael and his angels fighting in a battle against the devil and his supporters, where “the great dragon” and his followers are all hurled to earth – overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of his followers who are prepared to die in the battle.
In church tradition, from early days, he was regarded as the angel to lead Christian armies against evil, and as a protector of individual Christians against the devil. In the Middle Ages he was believed to remove temptations from the dying, and to lead people to the next world. In art, he was often portrayed as a warrior, with helmet, sword and shield, and occasionally in a full suit of armour.
The first Anglican “church” in the Waimea plains – a gathering of people to worship God – was held in the brick barn of a Mr John Kerr. Services were held by visiting preachers.
In 1843, the first Anglican church building in Nelson was built on St Michael’s current site, on land donated by Charles Saxton. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a fire. The current building, designed by Thomas Brunner, opened in 1866.
Before that happened, however, on 7 January 1856, a meeting of the congregation was held. Mr Francis Blundell moved “that the Parish Church be called St Michael’s. And that we be called the Parish of St Michael’s Church, Waimea West.” The motion was seconded by Mr N.G. Norse and was carried. However, there appears to be no record of any reasons for the choice of this particular name.
Perhaps some of the settlers came from a home parish in Britain with that name, and therefore it gave a link to family roots. But given Michael the archangel’s portrayal as a defender against evil, and given the difficult life of the Pākehā settlers in establishing a viable community in a land that, while beautiful, had many natural and medical dangers, it is tempting to suppose that the congregation liked the thought of a defender prepared to fight for them, in this world as in the next.
Services are held every Sunday at 8:30am. You are welcome to come and worship God with some friendly people and enjoy the beauty of this much admired building.
Check out other articles in the
Namesake Saints
series below.
More articles in the
Namesake Saints
series are to come.
