History of the Church
History of the Church A Little History For more than a thousand years Hythe was just a very small settlement; ‘hythe’ is an Old English word meaning a gravelly landing place, and Hythe has a history as a shipbuilding settlement and a landing place as far back as 1295. Until 1823 Anglican worshippers in Hythe had to travel to either the church in Fawley or to the church in Dibden. In 1823 a small chapel (seating 250) was built to serve the local congregation, but as the population increased, a larger building was needed, and the present one was built in 1874. Accessed from St. John’s Street, it became a parish in its own right in 1841. The first curate was the Rev the Honourable Augustus Irby. The chapel was really too small for the whole of the new parish and at the first opportunity a new church was built to the rear of the old chapel but now facing into New Road and was consecrated in 1874, the church still provides an impressive backdrop as you enter the village. A walk around the church building If you walk along the back of the church past the notice boards (often with items of interest to all), until you come to the To your right, you will see the lectern - a wooden stand with a flying eagle at the top. During services, the Bible is read here. The Bible describes how God created the world, and that all he made was very good. God created human beings to love him and the world around, but they turned their backs on him. God sent various messengers, the prophets, to call people back to him, but they refused to listen. In the end he sent his own son, Jesus Christ, who through his life, death, and resurrection brought us back to God. The Bible invites us to make our own response to this story of God’s love for us. You will also see a stand with some small candles. People often like to light a candle as they pray for an individual or a situation which is on their heart. You might like to do this too. To the left, you will see the stone pulpit. This is where preachers explain the Bible, and suggest how we can respond. Beyond the pulpit to your left, is a small altar-table, and a large stone font. This is used for baptisms. Water is poured on the person being baptised, as a symbol of God washing away the effects of wrongdoing in our lives. Promises are made by those being baptised (or on their behalf) - ‘I turn to Christ’, ‘I repent of my sins’, ‘I renounce evil’ - and they are then assured of God’s forgiveness. Ahead, you will see the main altar-table in the church building. Here the Holy Communion is celebrated several times Behind the altar-table you will see a cross. It is one of a number in the church, and is there to remind us that the death of Jesus on the cross for human sin is at the centre of our faith; its presence also invites a response from us to his love. In the middle ages, before many people could read, stained glass windows told in pictures the story of our salvation. They still have the same purpose, even though almost all of us can now In the right panel of the window, you will see John the Baptist (after whom this church building is named) both alone and baptising Jesus, while on the left you can see John’s mother Elizabeth, both on her own, and with Jesus’ mother Mary. Look on the wall on the left of the main window. There you will see a smaller On the same wall, but behind choir stalls, is another window in which you can see another picture of John the Baptist. If you walk in front of the font, heading back towards the main door of the church. If you stop halfway down and look back and up, you will see a small modern stained glass picture of the If you walk towards the door, you will pass a windowsill cared for by the Mothers’ Union, and At the back are the church library (from which you are welcome to borrow a book), and finally the children’s corner. Children are of course quite as welcome as adults in the worship of almighty God; but if they begin to get restless, there are things here for them to play with or read.
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