After six years of planning, St John Presbyterian's new $1.4 million church hall was dedicated and formally opened with scores of parishioners flocking to the historic site on Saturday afternoon to mark the occasion.
"The hall is one of the most important new public buildings to be opened in Arrowtown for some years," building committee chairman Bruce Patton said.
The opening cements the end of six years of planning, fundraising and construction to replace the 139-year-old wooden hall.
The service of dedication was conducted by the Rev Richard Dawson, minister at Leith Church in Dunedin and Moderator of the Southern Presbytery.
"The high-tech new hall, which has been in use by church and community groups since before Christmas, has been described as a `wolf in sheep's clothing' - a reference to its stylish retro design which hides a modern interior with state-of-the-art audiovisual aids," Mr Patton said.
The hall features a main auditorium, a large kitchen and two committee rooms or lounges with soundproofed sliding doors.
The church envisages a facility to be used by the wider community for group activities.
"It is fully wired and equipped with modern audio and visual equipment with three large screens and cameras which can link activities in the church with an audience in the hall," Mr Patton said.
