This weekend, Christ Church Warwick will mark a milestone that stretches back more than three centuries.

Founded in 1719 on land gifted by Thomas Gilbert, the church has long held a quiet but enduring place in Bermuda’s spiritual landscape. Now, for the first time, it will begin celebrating its “birthday” as an annual occasion — an intentional pause to reflect, give thanks, and look ahead.

For Martin Fair, the minister of the church, the decision to formalise the celebration is both simple and meaningful.

“Most of us look forward to annual highlights and I’m no different,” he said. “Celebrations lift our spirits and encourage us to be thankful, so having such a moment in the life of the congregation is something we’re all looking forward to.”

While the church marked its 300th anniversary in 2019, Mr Fair questioned why such milestones should be reserved only for major dates.

“I’d be annoyed if I only got to celebrate my birthday every ten or 25 years,” he said, with characteristic warmth. “And similarly, my wife would be disenchanted if I only bought her anniversary flowers and chocolates every decade or so. Some things are worth doing regularly, and there’s no time like the present for us to start.”

Christ Church Warwick’s origins reflect a blend of early English Puritan influence and longstanding ties to the Scottish Church. It is the second oldest Presbyterian church in the Western Hemisphere in continual use, still standing on the original half-acre of land given by Thomas Gilbert more than 300 years ago.

“Though additional land was acquired along the way, and additions and alterations made at various stages, the Church still stands on that original piece of land,” Mr Fair said. “And the congregation still retains the deeds and related documents from those simple beginnings in 1719.”

Yet while the physical structure has endured, it is the continuity of faith that stands out most. “Nothing changes, yet everything changes,” he said. “The Gospel of God’s love is timeless and is preached now as it was in 1719.”

At the same time, the way that message is lived out has evolved. In recent years especially, the church has become more intentional about engaging with the needs of the wider community.

“As far as I can see, the biggest change has been in the way the Church now is much more focused on meeting need and making a difference in the wider world — starting on our own doorstep,” he said. “Meeting on Sundays to sing hymns and pray counts for not much if it’s not backed up by Monday to Friday outreach.”

That conviction has translated into action. The church currently provides around 750 hot meals each week to Bermudians in need — a reflection, Mr Fair said, of a deeper understanding of what it means to live out faith.

“The putting of faith into action is much healthier now,” he added. “Christ Church lives that out as well as any congregation.”

Sunday’s service will centre on giving thanks for the past, but Mr Fair is clear that the church is not interested in nostalgia for its own sake.

“It’s right to look back with an attitude of gratitude,” he said, “and from a faith perspective, to do so with ‘thanks be to God’ on our lips.”

At the same time, he cautioned against becoming anchored in tradition to the point of stagnation.

“There’s a narrow margin between tradition and traditionalism,” he said. “The latter leaves us stuck in the past and therefore liable to miss the new thing that God is doing and is going to do.”

For Christ Church Warwick, this moment is about holding both perspectives in tension — honouring what has been, while actively embracing what lies ahead.

“We will always be thankful for the past,” Mr Fair said. “But this Sunday we’re making it clear that we’re not stuck in it.”

A key part of the celebration will be the unveiling of a new vision document, developed by the church’s leadership as a road map for the years ahead.

“The role of those in Church leadership is to discern where God is calling and to be obedient in following,” Mr Fair explained. “That’s what Christ Church’s elders have been doing — prayerfully sensing what our priorities need to be as we move ever further into the 21st century.”

While the full document will be shared with the congregation, he outlined several guiding themes, including a renewed commitment to caring for members, building a more diverse and multigenerational church, and growing in confidence when it comes to sharing faith.

“I’ve been very clear since coming here as minister that I’ve no interest in just keeping the show on the road,” he said. “Standing still, keeping everything as it’s always been, is in the end a recipe for slow decline till eventual closure.”

Instead, the focus is on meaningful growth — both within the church and beyond it.

“Of course that means we’d love to see more people coming to Church,” he said, “but our motivation is primarily to see people, not least young people, encountering the living God through Jesus Christ.”

The anniversary weekend is also being used as an opportunity to extend a broad invitation — particularly to those who may feel disconnected from church life.

Mr Fair reflected on his own earlier years at Christ Church, when large numbers of young people and families filled its halls.

“In those days we had over 100 teens every Saturday evening,” he recalled. “Not now.”

He acknowledged that this shift is not unique to Bermuda, but part of a wider cultural movement away from organised religion. He suggested the consequences have not always been positive.

“Church isn’t about ticking a box or continuing a hollow habit,” he said. “It is a place to belong, a place to find belief and through that meaning and purpose.”

For those who feel something is missing, his invitation is simple and direct.

“Why not come and see for yourself or give faith and Church another go?” he said. “There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Visitors attending Sunday’s service can expect what Mr Fair describes as “the warmest of welcomes”, along with a service that blends tradition with relevance.

“Our services are straightforward,” he said. “The minister guides the congregation through hymns and songs, prayers, Bible readings and — importantly for Presbyterians — a carefully worked-out message tying the Bible to the realities of life today.”

There is also, he added, a sense of joy. “There are usually smiles and laughter in the mix, and a guest is unlikely to leave feeling that it was dull or had been a waste of time.”

Following the service, the congregation will gather for lunch and birthday cake, offering a chance for fellowship and connection.

“What people will see,” Mr Fair said, “is a congregation that is very much alive and well, and which has a deep desire to be all that it can be in the days to come.”

As Christ Church Warwick begins this new annual tradition, the emphasis remains not only on longevity, but on purpose.

“Principally, thankfulness for yesterday and hope for tomorrow,” Mr Fair said of what he hopes people will carry with them.

For some, he believes, the day may mark the beginning of something new.

“It may be that there will be some who will join us as guests but who will decide that they want to be part of the family,” he said.

After more than 300 years, the message at the heart of the church remains unchanged — but its invitation is as timely as ever.

“We may not know what the future holds,” Mr Fair said, “but we have confidence in the One who holds the future.”