''You look at the names on the plaque and the photograph of the first vestry and you recognise the names from [Te Puke] street names.
''We have parishioners who are great-grandchildren of the original vestry members. This is a family church. We have parishioners who were baptised here, went to Sunday school here, were married here and there are some that have been buried from here.''
The newly painted St John the Baptist Anglican Church in Te Puke. Photo / Mary Alice Blackett
The main celebration will be a service on June 27 with the church open daily in the preceding week.
''All week we are going to have the church open for a couple of hours a day and we'll have some of the old records - baptism records, funeral books and wedding books, so people can find their family names.''
Ahead of the anniversary a fundraising drive was launched called ''paint a plank'' to pay for an exterior repaint and Ruth says the response reflected the affection in which the church is held by the community.
''We've raised $39,000 since October just from the community and families because they love this place.''
The repainting, in antique white to reflect its heritage, was completed recently.
The church is a category A building on Western Bay of Plenty's schedule of buildings and sites of significant historical heritage.
While St Thomas Anglican Church in Maketū and St Paul's on Rangiuru Rd are both older Anglican churches, St John the Baptist is the oldest church in Te Puke township.
The church and associated buildings have many uses.
''The Kauri Centre meet here every week, Oranga Tamariki have conferences here because it's so peaceful, we have JP clinics here and we have Kids Need Dads come in for supervised access.
''There's a lot of things go on from here as well as the usual funerals, weddings, church services.''
Since February 2019 when their own church was forced to close due to its poor earthquake assessment rating, Te Puke's Roman Catholic worshippers also use the church.
''There are two pastoral candles, their robes are in the vestry, this is their place and we love having them and we love sharing it - and it works.''
Ruth has been vicar at St John's since the beginning of 2014. She is the church's second female vicar, the first being Elsie Walker who was vicar when the church celebrated its centenary.
Ruth's predecessor Brian Hamilton is expected at the 120th celebrations, but she is unsure whether the other two surviving vicars, Bill Bennett and Tony Starbuck, will be able to attend due to their age
Prior to the church being built, services were held in the Mission Hall, on the site of the current library. The hall was built by the congregations of the Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist churches.
Anglican services were held once a month and led by Canon Charles Jordan, vicar of Holy Trinity in Tauranga.
On July 31, 1900 a meeting was held to discuss the need for a ''proper'' church. Many of those at the meeting were ancestors of current Te Puke families. A bank account was opened called Te Puke Church of England Building Fund.
In early September a committee was formed to find a suitable site for the proposed church and in October a deposit of £5 was paid for ''lots 31/3 and 52/3 of Sec 20 in Te Puke township''.
A meeting in January 1901 agreed that the amount of £50 for the land be paid ''forthwith'' and that a tender of £410 for the building of the church be accepted.
Mr EW Boucher raised £250 towards the cost of the church - and there was a subscription list of donations that came from members of Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches. The final cost of the church was £500.
