St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Glace Bay
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian
congregation located in the community of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
, Canada
.
; MacLeod had come to Cape Breton in 1849 from the Free Church of Scotland
.
In March 1867, the Rev. Alexander Farquharson Jr., son of a pioneer Minister at Grand River
was inducted as the first minister of the newly formed (December 1866) congregation in Glace Bay. The following year, a church building was constructed by the congregation on the corner of Commercial and York streets. Farquharson left in 1876 to replace MacLeod in nearby Sydney
.
In 1881 the Rev. James Forbes was inducted as minister of St. Paul's and as the communities around Glace Bay grew, he founded the congregations of Chalmers
in Dominion
, and Gordon
in Reserve Mines
. In 1892 these congregations separated from St. Paul's and became a self sustaining pastoral charge, until they too, were self-supporting a few years later.
In 1902 a hall was built in nearby Caledonia.
In 1903 Knox (now Knox United Church, Glace Bay) congregation was formed by members of St. Paul's. Rev Forbes resigned, and the Rev. D.M. Gillies was inducted as Minister of St. Paul's.
In 1905, St Luke's Church in Donkin
became a separate congregation.
in 1908 a pipe organ was installed by the firm of Casavant Frères
.
In 1909 Warden Church, New Aberdeen, became self-sustaining.
In 1925, The Presbyterian Church in Canada voted to merge with the Methodist Church of Canada and the Congregationalist Union
to form the United Church of Canada
. St. Paul's congregation, and about 30% of other Presbyterian congregations in Canada, voted not to participate in the merger and remained independent of the newly formed church. The terms Continuing Presbyterians and Non-Concurring Presbyterians were then used by those who did not participate in the merger. St. Paul's and those other congregations regained the legal right to use the name "Presbyterian Church in Canada" in 1939 when the Supreme Court of Canada
found that the United Church, while initially holding the rights as the successor to the original Presbyterian Church in Canada, had effectively vacated the name through non use, and it was available to the non-concurring Presbyterians.
In 1950, a new hall was completed at St. Paul's and the Alexander MacDonald Memorial Hall was established in Caledonia. The pipe organ was rebuilt in 1964.
The 100th Anniversary was celebrated in 1966 with special services on Sept 27, Oct 2 with a gaelic language service, Oct 9, and Oct 16 with a Chinese language
service. As a special project of the congregation for the 100th Anniversary, new stained glass
windows were installed in the sanctuary. The windows were designed by Gerald E. Mesterom and built by Montreal Stained Glass and Art Works of Pointe-Claire, Quebec
. They were dedicated by the Moderator of the General Assembly, Rev. Dr. G. Deane Johnston of Brantford, Ontario
.
In 1970, St. Paul's entered a float in the Glace Bay Centennial Parade which won first prize in the historical category.
On November 6, 1983, the War Veterans Memorial Plaque was dedicated. Nova Scotia Premier
John Buchanan
was a special guest for the event.
Due to construction problems and financial issues, costs on the new church went far over expectations and the congregation faced a potentially crippling debt. Through sacrifices by the congregation and assistance from other Presbyterian churches, the debt was reduced from 1.1 million dollars to something just over $200,000 between 1995 and 2000. On March 23, 2005, the final payment was made on the loan. St. Paul's paid $600,000 towards the loan, and the Presbyterian Church raised $569,172. The joyous event, commemorated by a thanksgiving service in May, marked the end of what had once been a crushing debt that existed since 1993.
At present, the congregation meets at the church on Brookside Street and the old St Paul's site on Commercial Street was demolished and turned into a park.
On five occasions, Rev. Dr. E.H. Bean served as interim Moderator for St. Paul's.
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
congregation located in the community of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Early history
Between 1850 and 1866, Presbyterian services were held in Little Glace Bay by Rev. Dr. Hugh MacLeod, Minister of Union Presbyterian Church, Mira FerryAlbert Bridge, Nova Scotia
Albert Bridge is a Canadian rural community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Situated on the Mira River, the community was previously named Mira Ferry for the location of a small ferry crossing the river...
; MacLeod had come to Cape Breton in 1849 from the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
.
In March 1867, the Rev. Alexander Farquharson Jr., son of a pioneer Minister at Grand River
Richmond County, Nova Scotia
Richmond County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:Named in honour of Sir Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and Lennox, who was Governor General of British North America 1818-1819, Richmond County was created in 1835....
was inducted as the first minister of the newly formed (December 1866) congregation in Glace Bay. The following year, a church building was constructed by the congregation on the corner of Commercial and York streets. Farquharson left in 1876 to replace MacLeod in nearby Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
.
In 1881 the Rev. James Forbes was inducted as minister of St. Paul's and as the communities around Glace Bay grew, he founded the congregations of Chalmers
Thomas Chalmers
Thomas Chalmers , Scottish mathematician, political economist, divine and a leader of the Free Church of Scotland, was born at Anstruther in Fife.-Overview:...
in Dominion
Dominion, Nova Scotia
Dominion is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.It is located immediately west of the larger centre of Glace Bay....
, and Gordon
Gordon United Church, Reserve Mines
Gordon United Church in the village of Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia was founded as a Presbyterian church in the 1880s by Rev. James Forbes, as an offshoot of his nearby charge, St...
in Reserve Mines
Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia
Reserve Mines is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.It is located immediately west of Glace Bay and 10 kilometres northeast of Sydney. The J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport is located in the western part of the community...
. In 1892 these congregations separated from St. Paul's and became a self sustaining pastoral charge, until they too, were self-supporting a few years later.
Growth and expansion
In 1895, a larger church was constructed by the firm of Rhodes and Currie in the Romanesque Revival style at an approximate cost of $20,000 and the congregation officially became known as St. Paul's. The church was dedicated by the Rev. Dr. James Robertson who was a well known Western Canada Missions superintendent.In 1902 a hall was built in nearby Caledonia.
In 1903 Knox (now Knox United Church, Glace Bay) congregation was formed by members of St. Paul's. Rev Forbes resigned, and the Rev. D.M. Gillies was inducted as Minister of St. Paul's.
In 1905, St Luke's Church in Donkin
Donkin, Nova Scotia
Donkin is a Canadian rural village on the picturesque coastline of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. The smaller communities of Port Caledonia and Schooner Pond are directly adjacent to the village proper, connected by a single strip of road called the Donkin Highway.The people of Donkin are...
became a separate congregation.
in 1908 a pipe organ was installed by the firm of Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building fine pipe organs since 1879. As of 2008, they have produced over 3800 organs.- Company history :...
.
In 1909 Warden Church, New Aberdeen, became self-sustaining.
Fire and rebuilding
In 1912, a fire destroyed the interior of the church. Rebuilding the facilities took some time. The 50th anniversary of St Paul's was in 1916 but was not celebrated until 1918.In 1925, The Presbyterian Church in Canada voted to merge with the Methodist Church of Canada and the Congregationalist Union
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
to form the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
. St. Paul's congregation, and about 30% of other Presbyterian congregations in Canada, voted not to participate in the merger and remained independent of the newly formed church. The terms Continuing Presbyterians and Non-Concurring Presbyterians were then used by those who did not participate in the merger. St. Paul's and those other congregations regained the legal right to use the name "Presbyterian Church in Canada" in 1939 when the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
found that the United Church, while initially holding the rights as the successor to the original Presbyterian Church in Canada, had effectively vacated the name through non use, and it was available to the non-concurring Presbyterians.
In 1950, a new hall was completed at St. Paul's and the Alexander MacDonald Memorial Hall was established in Caledonia. The pipe organ was rebuilt in 1964.
The 100th Anniversary was celebrated in 1966 with special services on Sept 27, Oct 2 with a gaelic language service, Oct 9, and Oct 16 with a Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
service. As a special project of the congregation for the 100th Anniversary, new stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows were installed in the sanctuary. The windows were designed by Gerald E. Mesterom and built by Montreal Stained Glass and Art Works of Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. They were dedicated by the Moderator of the General Assembly, Rev. Dr. G. Deane Johnston of Brantford, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
In 1970, St. Paul's entered a float in the Glace Bay Centennial Parade which won first prize in the historical category.
On November 6, 1983, the War Veterans Memorial Plaque was dedicated. Nova Scotia Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
John Buchanan
John Buchanan
John MacLennan Buchanan, PC, QC is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1978 to 1990 and as a member of the Senate of Canada from 1990 to 2006.-Early life:...
was a special guest for the event.
New beginnings
In 1984 the future of the then current church building began to be discussed. Concerns about structural integrity, repair costs, and functionality were raised as the congregation struggled with the choice of trying to correct the problems in the existing structure or move to a new building. In 1991 a decision was made to construct a new church on Brookside Street in Glace Bay and in July architects Gavel and Associates began designing the new facility. In 1993, the sod was turned on the new construction site.Due to construction problems and financial issues, costs on the new church went far over expectations and the congregation faced a potentially crippling debt. Through sacrifices by the congregation and assistance from other Presbyterian churches, the debt was reduced from 1.1 million dollars to something just over $200,000 between 1995 and 2000. On March 23, 2005, the final payment was made on the loan. St. Paul's paid $600,000 towards the loan, and the Presbyterian Church raised $569,172. The joyous event, commemorated by a thanksgiving service in May, marked the end of what had once been a crushing debt that existed since 1993.
At present, the congregation meets at the church on Brookside Street and the old St Paul's site on Commercial Street was demolished and turned into a park.
Ministers of St. Paul's
- 1867-1875 Rev. Alex Farquharson
- 1877-1878 Rev. Alan McLean
- 1881-1903 Rev. James A. Forbes
- 1903-1926 Rev. Donald. M. Gillies
- 1927-1931 Rev. F. Wight Tingley
- 1932-1939 Rev. Charles S. Miller
- 1940-1944 Rev. W. Scott Duncan
- 1945-1954 Rev. Samuel Kerr
- 1955-1958 Rev. W.D. Nicholson
- 1959-1963 Rev. Rev. Murray Fraser
- 1963-1967 Rev. Wallace MacKinnon
- 1968-1972 Rev. Paul Walker
- 1973-1984 Rev. Angus MacKinnon
- 1985-1989 Rev. David Sutherland
- 1991-1996 Rev. James Skinner
- 2002- 2010 Rev. Michael W. A. Henderson
- 2010- Present Rev. Shirley Murdock
On five occasions, Rev. Dr. E.H. Bean served as interim Moderator for St. Paul's.