Today we take time to celebrate the origins of our united Fellowship in order to remind ourselves of the faithfulness of Almighty God and to let the richness of the past awaken in us a new hope for the future. Indeed, such a hope needs to be our travelling companion during the days that lie ahead. For no longer are suburban churches like St Margaret’s almost guaranteed a steady flow of new members as church families move into the neighbourhood. Those days have long since gone and St Margaret’s is continually learning how to become involved in new aspects of mission.
The task is often a daunting one, and we look for the prayers of many as we seek to find fresh ways of making the good news of Jesus visible, intelligible and desirable.
The two embroidery panels hold a special place in the life of our congregation and in many ways symbolises our journey and mission. In celebrating the past they also remind us of those who went before us, like the heroes of faith often ‘venturing on vision’; colour and design they speak of the joy and vitality which originates in God Himself. They are very much the visible representations of the history of our church.
Finchley Presbyterian Church was inaugurated in 1893 and was situated in Ballards Lane at the corner with Redbourne Avenue. It took the name of St Margaret’s in 1932.
Church End Finchley Congregational Church was founded in 1905 and the church was built in Victoria Avenue.
In 1969 the two congregations came together as Union Church Finchley Central, worshipping at Ballards Lane. When, in 1972, the formation of the United Reformed Church brought together in National Union Congregational, Presbyterian and Churches of Christ Churches in England and Wales, the Church took the name of St Margaret’s United Reformed Church and moved to Victoria Avenue, the present premises.
The two embroideries were dedicated on Sunday 13th September 1987 in a special celebration, and as such marked a special day in the history of the congregation of St Margaret’s, Finchley.
The two embroideries dedicated that day encompass the past and the present of the two congregations and their United hope for the future.
Each has in the background the outline of one of the original churches. The tapestry portraying St Margaret’s Presbyterian Church includes an outline of the memorial window while a Celtic cross springing from a rainbow (a reminder of the Covenant with Noah) underlines its Scottish roots.
The tapestry from Church End Finchley Congregational Church, now St Margaret’s, shows a window which casts a shadow: its rays of light form a cross and a road along which to travel, a symbol of our journey with Christ.
A trail of vine referring to John 15:5 ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches’ which extends from one panel to the other links the roots of the past to the growth of the present. There is also a chain representing all the people who, in their time, have been the church – ‘they are like links of gold in a perfect chain of platinum’.
After over one hundred years of worship and witness covered all too briefly here, many of the regular worshippers now know only the present St Margaret’s. For those who have gone before, for the present congregation and for the congregation of the future.
If we today have the faith and vision in the Lord Jesus Christ that characterised past generations then surely He will guide us and be our strength in the future.
Today, after three and half year, the redevelopment of St Margaret’s was completed and the church reopened for worship in October 2021.