The Echo

Leura Then & Now
On Sunday 15th March at 9.30am the people of St Alban’s Anglican Church Leura will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the church building. Bishop Peter Watson will be the guest preacher at the celebration service. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The foundation stone of the present Church was laid by Archbishop Saumerez Smith on 13th March, 1909,  his last official act as he died shortly afterwards.  In the cavity under the stone were deposited a copy of The Sydney Morning Herald, the Daily Telegraph, the Blue Mountains Echo, the Parish Notes, a copy of the appeal for the new church, a coin of the realm, together with a statement on a scroll of parchment.
The Rev. G.A. Chambers conducted the first service on 25th July, 1909. It replaced the first Church of England Church in Leura which was a small timber structure next to “The Ritz” in The Mall. The church building was extended in 1932 with the Peace Memorial Sanctuary. Fire gutted the Church on Friday 8th November, 1991. Only the walls of the original building remained but restoration work was carried out and it was re-opened on Sunday 20th June, 1993.
The present minister of St Alban’s Church, the Rev. Greg Olliffe, said “this building has served the community well over the past century. It holds a special place in the lives of the many who come in Jesus’ name to worship God within its walls. Long may it be here to offer hope and comfort to our community.”