Hackney Seventh-day Adventist Church celebrated its 45th anniversary on 22 February 2025 with a full-day event, including an evening concert. Special guests included Diane Abbott MP and SEC President Dr Kirk Thomas. The programme featured historical reflections, musical tributes, and honours for founding members. Former pastors shared their experiences, highlighting the church’s growth from the Windrush generation’s efforts. The celebration reinforced Hackney SDA Church’s legacy of faith, service, and community impact over four and a half decades.
Pastors, Elders and Church Members and Friends both past and present came together in person and online to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the formation of the Hackney Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. The full-day celebration, which included an evening concert at its end, took place at the Bridge Academy, opposite Hackney SDA Church on Sabbath 22nd February 2025.
Among the special guests invited were Britain’s First Black Female Member of Parliament and the current serving Mother of the House of Parliament, Diane Abbott MP, and our very own South England Conference President, Dr Kirk Thomas.
The adult Sabbath School Lesson was presented by Hackney’s former First Elder, John Mathieu, alongside former Pastor of the church, Simeon Esson. The Sabbath School Mission Story highlighted snippets of Hackney’s 45-year history presented by Founder Members of the Church, which told of how those from the Windrush generation came together, often working two jobs to secure a place of worship on 12th February 1980 for themselves and their families and how they pulled together in serving the physical and spiritual needs of both the church and community around them. A pre-recorded video came from Jamaica, where Pastor Humphrey Walters spoke fondly of the years he had spent in leading Hackney Church before taking up an appointment as the SEC President – which would also be repeated during the tenure of his successor, Pastor Sam Davis, a former Pastor of Hackney.
Hackney’s Legacy Choir, led by Lloyd Reid, sung Marvellous while a slideshow was played in remembrance of those who had been lost during the 45-year span of the church. The Junior Sabbath School told the story of Hackney’s 45-year journey with the Lord, including insight from one of the Founder Members, Petra Constantine, via a pre-recorded video which was shown.
Myrtle O’Keefe, daughter of Hackney’s very first Head Elder, the late Curtis Bruce Snr, then rendered the song, Faith That Reaches the Unreachable, before Pastor Stephen McKenzie, a son of Hackney Church through the Mother Church (Stoke Newington SDA Church – out of which Hackney came), presented the word, which encouraged members to look to the past as a means to move forward in the present and future to the mark of the high calling through Christ Jesus, the Lord.
While three members had, in the previous week, been recognised for their years of service to the church during a special prayer meeting held on 12th February 2025 (Sister Yvonne Waithe for being the longest-serving Interest Coordinator; Sister Ruby Merchant for being the longest-serving Church Clerk; and Sister Ann Williams for being the oldest living Founding Member of the Church at 94 years old), another three Founding Members were honoured in the same way during the Sabbath afternoon programme. Sister Marguerita Bruce, wife of the late Elder Curtis Bruce Snr, alongside Elder Dorina Williams and Sister Petra Constantine, who all hail from the beautiful Caribbean island of St Lucia, all received an award, presented to them by Diane Abbott MP, who thanked them for their service to the church during its 45-year history along with words of commendation given by SEC President Dr Kirk Thomas and tributes given by family members as well as the current pastoral team. Patsy Reid, a Founder Member, presented a colourful bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation to Diane Abbott MP.
Pastor Joojo Bonnie, a former Pastor of Hackney who now serves as the SEC Teens Director, offered a prayer for the special ladies, all of whom also received a bouquet of flowers, and for special invited guest Diane Abbott MP, which they all graciously received.
The evening then came to an end with a concert with various artists, including Hackney Legacy Choir, Myrtle O’Keefe, Deborah Waisome, Pastor Vaughn Thorpe, Generation X, The Lewisham Worship Team, Representatives of His House, Gill Francis, Tara Goddard, and Clive Brown & Urban Sound, giving praise and thanks through music and song in recognition of God’s leading of Hackney Church for 45 years and beyond.