HISTORY OF THE PIONEER CHURCHES OF SUNDRIDGE
Anglican CHURCH
In 1887, Rev. George Gander became an Anglican clergyman in South River, and in 1888 he held services in Sundridge. At least twelve families observed services in Sundridge. Names like Edgar, Crocker, Tripp, Davis, Aulkjo, Gillespie, Sloan, Reburn, Buckerfield, Grimmer, Smart, and Cowan were found on the register. About 50 men, women, and children attended the service officiated by the Bishop on March 2, 1890, and 26 adults received communion.
At a building committee meeting on January 13, 1888, it was decided to make plans to build a church as soon as possible. Mr. Joseph Edgar and Mr. John Cowan were elected church wardens.
The foundation was laid on April 2, 1888. The new church was officially opened on December 30, 1888. At which time the Bishop of Algoma named it St. Paul’s.
In 1890, Sundridge was separated from South River and connected to the parish of Burk’s Falls were Rev. E.A.Versey was in charge.
In December 1892, Rev. C. Piercy arrived from Sudbury. He took charge of the parish of Burk’s Falls and Sundridge.
In 1898, Mr. Piercy resigned. Once again Rev. g. Gander from South River took charge.
Below please find some of the following clergymen that had the privilege of serving in Sundridge.
C.J.A. Batstone - May 1900 to May 1901
Rev. E.J. NcKittrick - Jan. 1902 to April 1906
Rev. A.P. Banks - June 1906 to July 1907
Rev. L.A. Trotter - December 1907 to October 1912
Canon E.J. Pinnington - May 1913 to May 1916
Fred W. Clayton - July 1916 to April 1917
Rev. J. Norman - Sept. 1917 to 1921.
In September 1922, Joseph Edgar died. For thirty years he had served as Warden and Sunday School Superintendent. In 1904 a Church vicarage was build.
Today this church is still a vibrant spot on the history of our community. Without people with the courage to stand apart from the crowd our past would not be as spectacular as it is today.
On Saturday morning March 5, 1960 fire raced through St. Paul's Anglican Church and complete destroyed the building. A recently completed renovation of a new basement and entryway worth $7000 was also completely destroyed by the fire. Total damage was estimated at $20,000. The United and Presbyterian churches threw open their doors and donated money to help rebuild. The church reopened it doors on November 13, 1960 at a cost of $25,000.
St. Paul's Anglican Church March 5, 1960
St. Paul's Anglican Church Today
BaptisT
An active Baptist Church existed in Sundridge from 1884 to 1909. In 1884, Rev. Bosworth organized the church. From 1884 through 1886, the services where held in an old log school building, two miles from where the new church building was to be built. A lay preacher held the services until Rev. Bosworth was able to relocate to Sundridge. In 1891 the church building was erected. The church had to close its doors in 1909 because of lack of funds.
R. E. Bosworth was the pastor of the newly formed nine-member congregation; starting in and continuing from 1886 through 1888. The clerk of the session was Mrs. Mary Carter. She retained this position until she was replaced by her husband John in 1890. In 1898, the membership increased to eleven, with the appointment of Rev. F. H. Chadwich as pastor. It again increased to eighteen when Mr. W.A. Gunton took over. Rev. J. Blatherwick assumed the pastoral duties in 1891 and 1892. From 1893 until closing of the church in 1909, student ministers served the Baptist church in Sundridge.
They were: J.F. Vichert 1893-1894
D. Nimmo 1895
F.J. Scott 1896-1897
A.W. Gazely 1898
G.J. Menge 1899
W.J. Lorimer 1900
H.H. Bingham 1901
L.A. Vail 1902-1903
F.J. Vichert 1904
C.T. Holman 1905
H.F. Humphreys 1906
H.J. Bryce 1907
B.J. Davies 1908
J. Henderson 1909
Forty-two were the maximum number of members in the congregation during the years 1902-1903. At this time Mr. Vail was pastor.
In 1909 the church met hard time. A decreasing congregation, mounting bills. The Baptist Church was forced to close. The building was purchased by the then growing Presbyterian congregation. The Baptist Church was built on Albert Street, east of the arena and was moved to its present location. This Baptist Church building still exists today. At present it is the Presbyterian Church.
METHODIST CHURCH
Records for the Methodist Church in Sundridge-Strong area are not readily available. But we do know that according to the Wesleyan Methodist Mission Society for 1184-1885, work was going carried on in an appointment known as McGills listed as part of the Burk’s Falls Mission. The Burk’s Falls Mission was originally set up as the Magnetawan Mission. Miss McGill was mentioned as one of the missionary collectors at Sundridge.
The 1886 Methodist Circuit Mission with Rev. Philip Jones as pastor was composed of Sundridge forty-one members, Bloomfield thirty-two members, South River twenty-one members, New Hope sixteen members, Joly seven members and Eagle Lake six members.
Records show as new church was built in 1987-1888. In 1889, South River became as separate mission. In 1888-1889 Rev. Calvin Shaw was appointed minister in charge of Sundridge Mission.
There is no record o f the actual building of the Methodist Church in Sundridge, but on July 19, 1886, a special meeting was held and the following members became the trustees of the church property: Messrs. McGee, Willoughby, Scythes, Wm. Carter Sr., Wm. Carter Jr., John Carter, and Wm. Faulkner.
In 1890-1891,it was reported that, “Sundridge after long waiting and much toil has a church nearing completion. With six appointments on the new mission, there is only one church.” A report of 1891-1892 state, “At Sundridge, in the early part of the year, the new church was completed and opened, and during the year the parsonage has been greatly improved.”
The “one church” mentioned above was the first Methodist Church in Bloomfield, built in 1874 on a quarter acre lot, Part Lot 1, Concession 8 in Chapman Township. It served the pioneers well and was not replaced for thirty-two years.
The Bloomfield Methodist Church was rebuilt in 1906.
It is interesting to note that the two churches at Bloomfield, the Presbyterian and Methodist were built beside each other on the boundary between Strong and Chapman townships. These churches shared a common driving shed.
This monument is all that is left on site of
the
Bloomfield Presbyterian and Methodist Churches
The deed for a Methodist Church in Pevensey-Hartfell was obtained on March 12, 1890. The church was finally constructed in 1898 and on completion it became the Pevensey Methodist Church. It is now the Pevensey United Church.
Pevensey United Church Today (at one time was the Pevensey Methodist Church)
The ministers of the Methodist Church in Sundridge were:
Rev. P. Jones 188601887
Rev. Calvin Shaw 1888-1889
C.W. Reynolds 1894-1896
Rev. W.E. Baker 1897-1899
Rev. F.A. Nurse 1900-1902
Rev. E. Baker 1903-1905
Rev. J.W. Holmes 1906-1908
Rev. R.C. Kerr 1909-1916
W.E. Curran 1912-1914
In 1916, the Methodist Church in Sundridge had long been established. However, in a sparsely settled region, it appeared that a co-operative union of the two larger congregations in Sundridge, the Presbyterian and Methodist might prove to be a desirable way of promoting Christian doctrines.
The Presbyterian and Methodist Superintendents of Missions were enthusiastic about the union and after much consideration in the two churches, an agreement was made to form one charge. The Methodist church was chosen as the place of worship but the minister, but the minister, Rev. H.G. Moyes was to live in the Presbyterian Manse. The Methodist parsonage was to be rented. The first service of the newly formed Union
Church was held on Sunday, July 1, 1917.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Presbyterian Church in Sundridge, was created very early in our history. As early as 1887, Rev. A. Findlay, Superintendent of Missions for the Presbyterian Church was petitioned to provide a student missionary.
Mr. Mutch, was the first Presbyterian missionary student to hold services in Sundridge. This meeting took place in the upstairs area of James Dunbar’s sawmill. This sawmill was located on the shores of Stoney Lake, directly across from the present Public School. Presbyterians from Vavssour, Lynch Lake, and Pevensey-Hartfell area attended. The journey from Pevensey could be made by rowing across the lake.
After the Hartfell school was built in 1883, this building served as a church and meeting place for the Presbyterians on alternate Sundays.
At Lynch Lake, the Presbyterians held their church services in the log schoolhouse. This lasted until 1917.
On Sept. 3, 1880, Rev. A. Findlay, Presbyterian Superintendent of Northern Missionary Work organized a formal congregation in Sundridge.
On June 10, 1884, a congregational meeting was held in the home of James Dunbar, plans were made for the building of the Sundridge Presbyterian Church. The building was scheduled to start on July 12, 1884 with the arrival of the lumber.
Prior to the building of the Presbyterian Church in Sundridge, the Bethel Presbyterian Church had been built in Bloomfield on the northwest corner of Lot1, Concession 8, Strong Township.
In 1889, Rev. J.L. Robertson became the first ordained minister to offer services, but his time here was limited, he lasted only one year.
In 1891, the Presbyterian Churches in Sundridge and Bloomfield were organized as one pastoral charge, but had no minister until the arrival of Rev. J.J. Cochrane M.A. who remained until 1897.
After 1897 we had numerous ministers:
Rev. J. Becket 1901
Between 1904 and 1913:
Rev. Geo. Lamb
Rev. G.W. Thorn
Rev. P.W. Sinclair
Rev. Geo. L. Collins.
In 1914 Sundridge, South River, Bloomfield Hartfell and Lynch Lake became one pastoral charge.
In 1916, the Methodist Church in Sundridge had long been established. However, in a sparsely settled region, it appeared that a co-operative union of the two larger congregations in Sundridge, the Presbyterian and Methodist might prove to be a desirable way of promoting Christian doctrines.
The Presbyterian and Methodist Superintendents of Missions were enthusiastic about the union and after much consideration in the two churches, an agreement was made to form one charge. The Methodist church was chosen as the place of worship but the minister, but the minister, Rev. H.G. Moyes was to live in the Presbyterian Manse. The Methodist parsonage was to be rented. The first service of the newly formed Union
Church was held on Sunday, July 1, 1917.
The church began 125 years ago. Services were held at the James Dunbar Lumber Mill on Lake Bernard
(then known as Stoney Lake). There were only four Presbyterian families in the area then, the Wilsons, the Gibbons, the Cooks, and the Dukes. In 1884, a Mr. Bannerman gave a gift of land to the church, and the first structure was built on Main St. By 1901, the church's membership had grown to include about 43 people. In 1928, the Presbyterian Church and Johnstone's General Store burned down.
The present church building has a lengthy and very varied history. The building was originally a Baptist Church, then a dance hall, a public school, the Women's Institute and a hardware store, before it was bought by George Dunbar in 1929. When the second Presbyterian Church burned down in 1928, Dunbar offered his building to the congregation which they gladly accepted.
On Sunday, August 14th 2005, the Knox Presbyterian Church celebrated it's 125th anniversary. It had the honour of being the first church visited by Rev. Jean Morris, the new Moderator of the 131st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.
Knox Presbyterian Church July 1916
Knox Presbyterian Church Today
In 1916, the region was a sparsely settled area; it appeared that a co-operative union of the two larger congregations in Sundridge, the Presbyterian and Methodist might prove to be a desirable way of promoting Christian doctrines.
The Presbyterian and Methodist Superintendents of Missions were enthusiastic about the union and after much consideration in the two churches, an agreement was made to form one charge. The Methodist church was chosen as the place of worship but the minister, but the minister, Rev. H.G. Moyes was to live in the Presbyterian Manse. The Methodist parsonage was to be rented. The first service of the newly formed Union
Church of Sundridge was held on Sunday, July 1, 1917.
On July 26, 1917, in order to organize the newly formed United Church in Sundridge, the elders, Mr. Cornell and Mr. Murray along with the managers Messrs. Stewart, Faulkner, Duff and W.A. Johnston met in the Methodist Church. At that time Rev. W.G. Moyers read his official appointment as minister, and acted as interim clerk’
Many important decisions were made at that time among them:
1. That the Church services would be held each Sunday evening at 7 P.M. and every alternate Sunday morning at 11 A.M.
2. That necessary minute and cashbooks be purchased and that essential insurance policies and title deeds by obtained.
3. That Miss Lily Faulkner be appointed organist
4. The organ from the Presbyterian Church was to be moved to the United and other furniture for better equipping the United Church.
5. A caretaker was to be hired at $25 per annum, duties to include the quarterly washing of the interior, sweeping every two weeks and dusting weekly, and this person would also be in charge of heating.
6. Communion was to be observed four times annually on the first Sunday of February, May, August and November.
7. The Methodist parsonage was to be rented.
8. A new lock is necessary was to be put on the vacated Presbyterian Church.
9. John Harper was elected as recording steward and clerk of Session.
Those two churches founded in pioneer times co-operated fully and built a union that lasted to this day. The United Church of Canada is an intricate part of our community. Its members include some of our most elite citizens.
Zion United Church Today
Early setters came to the Pevensey area in the 1880’s. Church services were first held in a little log shanty built by the pioneers. Services were held by the local residents, a travelling preacher came periodically to administer church services. As the community grew two things were needed to complete the community a school and a church. The school was built and served both the communities of Hartfell and Pevensey until it closed in 1957.
The school was first used as a place of worship until the new church could be built. The land for the church was purchased on March 12, 1890. The building was not actually built until 1898 and finished the following year. When the church was finished the congregation moved from the schoolhouse.
The Pevensey church started out life as a Methodist Mission and later with the union of the Methodist and the Presbyterian Churches became a United Church. Today the church carries the name “ The Pevensey United Church”.
Pevensey United Church Today