The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

10 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, January 14, 1986 Much has happened within United Church walls in last century Ne ~ Church celebrates 100 year On Wednesday, Jankary 22, the "Port Perry United Church at the corner of Queen and Lilla Streets will mark its Centennial with .a rededication service at 7:30 P.M. of the Methodist Church. As 1986 is the Centennial Year for the Church, there are numerous special eveiits 'planned throughout the year. The following article, on the history of the Methodist and United Church in Port Perry was written for the Star by, Doug Farndale, a very active member of the United Church in this community. by Doug Farndale In the early pioneer days, the building of churches was hindered by poverty, indifference, and the distribution of the meager popula- tion over vast areas. Many pioneers had abandoned religion entirely and claimed no religious affiliation at all. It was difficult to form con- gregations large enough to con- struct the necessary buildings and support a resident minister. Only in compact settlements such as Ux- bridge, where this area's first meeting house was erected by the Quakers in 1809, was this possible. Rather than expect people to travel to the major centres for their' spiritual needs, the Methodists began sending out circuit riding ministers to carry the gospel to the settlers as early as 1802. A few neighbours would gather in so- meone's home or an open air meeting would be organized. Perhaps no other aspect of the - Methodist ministry had as great an impact on our early religious life as the open-air camp meetings. A strong revival in the activities of the established churches began to take place in the 1820s. The Presbyterians sent out circuit riding missionaries after 1829 and the Rev. J. Carrothers commenced his cir- cuits in Ontario County in 1832. Although the 1830s and 1840s show- ed a significant increase in the building of churches in the southern lakeshore communities, the nor- thern townships lagged somewhat behind. In the 1851 census, only one church was listed in Scugog Township. On February 8th, 1852 a - Wesleyan Methodist Church was dedicated in Prince Albert, follow- ed by a Presbyterian Church in 1859 and a Bible Christian Church in 1862. SITE CHOSEN In 1858 Rev. John Wesley Savage started preaching services in Port Perry which was part of the Wesleyan Methodist 's Prince Albert Mission. These services began and stopped several times until the Mis- sion, under the Ministry of Rev. S.C. Philps, decided at its August 1872 quarterly meeting to erect a church at Port Perry. The town, with a population of about 2,000, was incor- porated in 1871 and many members were moving front Prince Albert as a result of the completion of the Port Whitby and Port Perry Railroad. Messrs. W.T. Parrish, S.E. Allison and William Brock were appointed to look into the matter. A site was chosen, a building committee established and a church built on the northeast corner of John and Casimir Street. (This was subse- quently sold to the Roman Catholic Church and has since been demolished). The Methodist Episcopals first entered Port Perry around 1850 but the exact date is not known. Rev. George Jones was the pioneer preacher and their first church, situated at the rear of the combin- ed elementary - high school was built in 1856 during the pastorate of Rev. C. Taylor. (Later, the building was used for shop work at. the High School). A larger church was built in 1873 on the corner of Queen and Caleb Streets. The two Methodist congregations continued to worship separately un- til the union forming the Methodist Church of Canada in 1884. This brought together the Methodist Episcopal, Wesleyan Methodist, the Primitive Methodist, and the Bible Christian Churches. Since neither of "the churches was large enough, it was decided that a new, larger building should be erected to accom- modate the 165 members of the com- bined congregation. The enormity of this decision and the courage of the members can orily be understood when one realizes that two disastrous fires had wiped out the business section of Port Perry on November 26th, 1883 and July 3rd, 1884. Preparations for erecting an 800 seat building began in 1884 and the lot at the southeast corner of Queen and Lilla Sts. was purchased in November of that year. Tenders were called and contracts signed. The builders were Messrs. John Powers (Port Perry) and Thomas Deverall (Whitby). Smith and Gem- mell of Toronto were the architects. CORNER STONE The corner stone was laid by Mr. Aaron Ross on June 29, 1885. Rev. J.F. Ockley was the pastor and among those present were Revs. William Briggs, N.R. Willoughby, J.J. Redditt, R. Roberts and Messrs. Hassard and McMechan. The church, whose centennial we celebrate this year, was constructed of red brick with Ohio cut stone dressings. The original cost of the building . including the pipe organ was less than $14,000, an enormous sum when -- 7 COURSE DINNER -- Limited Seating -- Reservations Only! Monday, February 3rd CONWAY PLACE rORT PERRY 985-7631 WINTER HOURS: | Sun. to Thurs. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. We have daily luncheon specials, weekend dinner specials and Sunday all day buffet. HWY. 1A - you consider that labour costs were only $1.00 a day. The church was free of debt within ten years. The 'Ladies Aid Society paid for the organ and the mortgage on the building was retired on January 21, 1894. Rev. H.M. Manning and Mr. Aaron Ross were largely responsi- ble for clearing off the debt despite the hard economic conditions. Two beautiful stained glass win- dows were donated - the large round window over the main entrance by Mrs. Aaron Ross and the window at the south-east corner of the sanc- tuary by the Jones family in memory of Rev. Geo. Jones. The other windows were glazed with a tinted enameled glass. a January 17,1 The church, opened on Sunday, January 17, 1886, was dedicated on Friday, January 22. Rev. William Briggs, founder of the- Publishing House preached the dedication ser- mon. Among the special speakers were Rev. John Potts, Rev. A.C. 'Courtice, Rev. Dr. Stafford and Rev. Dr. Sutherland. Three special ser- vices were held on Sunday, January 24, 1886. As reported in the Thurs- day, Janaury 28th, 1886 edition of the North Ontario Observer: "The sermons were elegant, forceful and inpressive. The music was charming and most ap- propriate. The appeals to the pockets of the generous people were not made in vain; the congregation evinced their practical piety in a more tangible manner, by then and there contributing the sum of $2,600 towards the building. The feast of the dedication was on Friday evening, January 22nd. Here too, the public took hold witha will and turned out over 900 strong to take part in the joyous services, which consisted, first of an excellent tea, got up by the ladies of the con- - gregation; and through their persevering efforts is due much of the success, not alone of these ser- vices but of raising funds for building Zion's walls. The previous subscriptions and donations amounted to $6,300 so that the total amount secured towards the payment of the edifice is $9,500 leaving only $3,000 to be provided, for paying off the whole cost..." Ten years later, 1896, a Jubilee service was held, Rev. H. M. Man- ning and Rev. L.W. Hill being the speakers. In 1906, the holding of the Bay of Quinte Conference in Port Perry was an important event in our history. Rev. B. Greatrix was pastor at that time. ; During 1920, under the pastorate of Rev. W.D. Harrison, extensive renovations were made at an ap- . proximate cost of $6,000. Churches Unite On June 10, 1925, The Congrega- tional Church, The Methodist - Church and The Presbyterian Church in Canada united to form The United Church of Canada. An- ticipating the forthcoming union, Rev. AE. Thornley, M.A, six elders and over one hundred members and adherents of St. John's Presbyterian Church united with "their fellow Methodists in Port Perry on Sunday, February 1, 1925. Rev. Thornley continued as Associate Pastor for the next two months. Prince Albert was added to the Port Perry Pastoral Charge on Ju- ly 1, 1926 during the ministry of Rev. Wm. Higgs. The fiftieth anniversary of the building of the church was celeprated with special Sunday ser- vices on January 12th and January 19th, 1936 when Rev. J.J. Black of Lindsay and Dr. Jas. Semple of Belleville were the guest preachers. A turkey dinner, served by the ladies of the church on January 22nd, was followed by a program of music ai addresses. Rev. D.N. McCamus, who was the minister from 1895 to 1898, reviewed the past with many reminiscences of the peo- ple and what they accomplished during the early life of the church. Rev. R.T. Richards (the minister from 1927 to 1933) addressed the future of the church. Letters and telegrams from former ministers and members were read by the in- cumbent minister, Rev. W.J.H. Smythe. During 1936, the choir, in addition to providing leadership in music, financed the remodelling of the choir loft. (Turn to page 15) : = Sptcials 4 5 Shampoo and set included Reg. $15.00 12. JANUARY 15th through 21st LADIES FASHIONABLE CUTS 00 ¢ JANUARY 22nd through 28th Shampoo and blow dry included Reg. $10.00 STYLISH CUTS FOR GENTS '1.00 fl. isomers mga ALAS dl . of Por?