Local preacher steps
away from the pulpit

After 17 years at St. John Presbyterian Church in Port Perry, Sandy Beaton is stepping down from the pulpit. Sandy accepted the appointment as minister to the church in 1993 after serving for five years as minister at Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Catherines.

He was born in Windsor and while attending high school there he met Jean, the girl who would later become his life partner. After attending Assumption University he operated a steel company before making the decision to become a minister. He then attended Knox College in Toronto and served a number of parishes before his appointment in St. Catherines. Sandy and his wife Jean have two sons, Drew and David, both are married. Drew is a vice principal in Peterborough and David works with the Credit Valley Conservation District in Guelph.

Sandy and Jean have been particularly happy living here in Scugog. “All ministers enjoy a honeymoon with their congregation, but here in Port Perry mine has lasted for 17 years,” Sandy said. “The congregation here has given me the freedom to be involved in community affairs,” he stated.
Sandy has always been interested in fishing. This interest led to his involvement in the creation of the founding of the Kawartha Fisheries Association in 1995. He became its first president. He then initiated a Scugog Chapter of this association which in 2003 evolved into the Scugog Lake Stewards Incorporated.

In this position he helped to raise awareness of conditions in our lake and led the $2 miillion inventory of the Lake Scugog Watershed and the Millennium Project which was responsible for the cleanup of the lake front and the creation of the Joe Fowler Memorila Park and the Baagwating Park. These parks involved the creation of waterfront trails and sediment basins. In retirement Sandy plans to continue his involvement with the Scugog Lake Stewards.

“This church is a marvellous facility and it is full of great people,” he added. “I hope to continue my friendship with them for many years.” When asked about some of the down sides to his duties at St. John he said, “One of the unfortunate occurrences is that you get incredibly close to a number of people and you also get to see them pass on. People like Grant Macdonald, Matt Dymond, Art Richardson and the Christie boys; their passing was particularly difficult.”

“Although my retirement officially takes effect at the end of April, I will be continuing to serve my church until a replacement is found and will be happy to preach here when invited,”he said.

In addition to looking forward to the official opening and dedication of the new renovations, Sandy is looking forward to the “Kirking of the Tartan,” here in Port Perry on May 16 when the ceremony will be led by the pipe band of the 78th Highlanders of Toronto. This will be the first time that this ceremony will be held away from a cathedral church.

When asked how he felt about retirement just as the church’s biggest renovation was just being completed, he responded with a quote from St. Paul; “He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.”

BY PAUL ARCULUS
FOCUS ON SCUGOG

Rick Neil, Rev. Sandy Beaton and Alex Williamson

St. John Presbyterian congregation
set to celebrate church expansion

St. John Presbyterian Church in Port Perry is about to open its new addition. Extensive renovations, additional office spaces and a new kitchen in the basement are all part of a six month expansion program at the church.

At a cost of $500,000 the 2,400 sq. ft. addition and renovation fulfills the long-time wishes and needs of the congregation of this landmark building. A unique aspect of this project is that the church members elected their own building committee to act as a general contractor and hired a project manager.

The chair of the building committee Alex Williamson and property manager Rick Neil organized members of the congregation in various projects in order to reduce costs. This group of a dozen men volunteered to install all the insulation and carry out minor trim work. They also did all the furniture moving necessary and carried out the cleanup. All these volunteer activities aided in keeping the project within budget and on time.

One aspect of the planned renovations included moving the elevator inside the building. The old elevator provided full access to the main sanctuary, alleviating the need to climb stairs. But in wintertime, the elevator was frequently inoperable due to the cold weather. Ground level access to an interior elevator has resolved that problem. Placing the elevator inside has also returned the exterior facade to its original appearance. Also inside are new washrooms that meet handicapped and family style standards.

When asked about the ambitious renovation project Rev. Sandy Beaton said that there had long been a need to bring the building up to the latest standards in order to meet the needs of the congregation. “The refurbishing is a sign of the renewed belief in God’s place in our congregation and in our future,” he said.

A variety of fund raising events have been held over the past years in order to raise money for the project. These funds were aided by a grant from New Horizons and a Trillium grant to pay for the handicapped facilities. Many generous donations also aided in the project.

The St. John Presbyterian Church can trace its origins back to the earliest days of this community. The Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists were the first to build churches in Scugog. The first Presbyterian Church was erected on the 12th Concession near the old Brock Road in 1848.

That same year the Presbyterian parishioners of the Utica area had sent an appeal to the Marquis of Breadalbane in Scotland to ask him for funds to help in the building of their own church. He responded with a donation of £20 and the first Breadalbane Church at Utica was built. It was also opened in 1848.

In 1857 another Presbyterian Church was built, this time in Prince Albert and its first minister was Rev. R. Monteath. During his tenure, the Prince Albert Presbyterian Church allowed the Anglicans to use their church until the Anglicans began building their own church in Port Perry. This was opened in 1867. Rev. Monteath was later replaced by Rev. Jamieson who directed the building of St. John Presbyterian Church in Port Perry.

The first service was held here on Queen Street on January 3, 1869. The Presbyterians kept both the Prince Albert and Port Perry churches in operation until the Prince Albert church was demolished in April 1893.

As part of extensive renovations in 1921 the original tall steeple was removed and replaced by a much smaller one. The present renovation is the largest in the history of the Queen Street church.

The official opening of the new addition and renovations will take place on Sunday, April 11 at 3:00 p.m. Invited guests include elected officials from all levels of government. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Terry Ingram from Oakridge in London Ontario.

To further help in the financing, a fund raising concert, will be held in the church on Saturday, April 17 at 3:30. In what promises to be a notable concert entitled “A Haydn Celebration”, the concert will present music written by Haydn for piano, trumpet and voice. Tickets are $15 each and can be bought at Books Galore & More on Perry Street, Port Perry.

By Paul Arculus
Focus on Scugog