Church of the Good Shepherd, New Zealand Anglican church at Lake Tekapo
The Church of the Good Shepherd is a small Anglican church on the shore of Lake Tekapo, built in 1935 to a design by Christchurch architect Richard Strachan De Renzy Harman based on sketches by local artist Esther Hope. Its concrete walls are clad in local stone with lichen left on the surface, and a large east window frames the lake and mountains. The church seats a congregation of 85 and is shared with Methodist and Presbyterian denominations.
The church was built in 1935 to serve as a memorial to the area's first settlers. The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Gloucester in January of that year, and later in August the Bishop of Christchurch officially dedicated the building, establishing it as an important site for the local community.
The church is Anglican but is shared with Methodist and Presbyterian congregations, and its 85 seats are often filled for services. The name refers to Christ as the Good Shepherd, and the large east window was placed so that the lake and mountains form the backdrop to the altar. Photography inside is no longer allowed because it disturbed worship.
A fence installed in late 2017 surrounds the church grounds, with access granted during daytime hours only. Photography inside the building is no longer permitted because it interfered with worship. The church stands on the shore of Lake Tekapo, and the surrounding grounds were deliberately left with their native vegetation.
The first wedding held in the church was that of Doug Rodman, one of its two builders, who married Peggy Trott on 14 December 1935. The roof was originally covered in Australian oak shingles, but these did not withstand the Mackenzie Basin climate and were replaced with slate in 1957.
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