St. Barnabas

We meet every Sunday morning at St. Barnabas Chapel from 9.00am. This is a service of Holy Communion followed by morning tea in the Parish Centre.

On the first Sunday of the month this service is held at All Saints Kingston. 

St Barnabas Chapel was the mother church of the Church of England’s missionary work in Melanesia. The mission operated between 1867 and 1920. During that time thousands of students from the Pacific Islands came to the Mission College to live and study, living apart from the rest of the island’s population, and being mostly self-sufficient. In 1920 the Mission headquarters were moved to the Solomon Islands.

The chapel was dedicated to Bishop Patteson, the Bishop of Melanesia in 1880. It is a charming chapel and is considered one of the finest old buildings in the South Pacific. The stained glass and especially that in the rose window is particularly beautiful and is reflected in a polished marble floor. The timber work is decorated with pearl shell inlays and the massive beams in the ceiling reflect the craft of the builders – shipbuilders.

The church is still used for regular services.