Methodists build new
church in 1885

Port Perry United Church plans year-long
celebration to mark its 125th anniversary

Port Perry United Church celebrated a milestone as a place of worship on January 23, 2011. This proud and elegant structure at the corner of Queen and Simcoe Streets stands as a microcosm of the community’s history.

The history of Port Perry’s churches really begins in Prince Albert which was a much larger community until the late 1860s.

In 1868 the community went through a dramatic change as the construction began on the railway from Whitby to Port Perry. It made its inaugural run in 1871. With Port Perry at its terminus, all the Prince Albert businesses and their owners had moved to Port Perry by 1873 and with them, all but one of the churches and their congregations.

At this time there was a re-organization of the numerous denominations of Methodists in Canada. The Episcopal Methodist Church, the Wesleyan Methodists, the Primitive Methodists and the Bible Christian Churches combined to form the Methodist Church of Canada.

Port Perry United Church - about 1953.

In Port Perry the Wesleyan Methodists had built an impressive, elegant structure at the corner of John and Casimir streets in 1871. The Episcopal Methodists had built a simple wooden building on the site of the northern section of the present High School and then moved to a larger building at Queen and Caleb in 1873.

When the Methodist churches formally united on June 1, 1885, the Port Perry Methodists immediately set about building a large place of worship needed to accommodate the enlarged Methodist congregation.

The present building rose as a symbol of the rebirth of the community after the fire and the union of the various Methodist denominations. The corner stone was laid by Aaron Ross on June 28, 1885 and the first service was held in the 800 seat building on January 28, 1886.

The old Episcopal Methodist church was torn down and the Wesleyan Church was sold to the Roman Catholics in 1885 for $4,500. This building was torn down in 1972 when the Roman Catholics built a larger place of worship on Highway 7A.

In 1925 another union took place as the Methodist Church, the Congregational Church and some of the Presbyterian Churches of Canada, joined to create the United Church of Canada. A special service to commemorate this event washeld in the building on February 1, 1925.

The east and north faces of the building remain as they were when first opened, however the other sides show evidence of additions and revisions.

Ted Griffen recalled a number of remodelling projects during his lifetime. In the late 1940s a massive project involving changing the old heating system. “There were two huge octopus-style coal fired furnaces which heated the church, one at the north end and the other at the south. Art Brock, Merle Letcher and my dad, Sam Griffen tore out the old furnaces and replaced them with one efficient furnace, a hot water steam unit,” he recalled.

“At the same time Grace Davis and Mrs. Howard Stone paid for new lights in the church – lights which are still in use today,” he said.
The biggest change was the addition of the new Christian Education Centre to accommodate the growing community. Ted continued, “This was built in 1963. My father won the contract but the greatest driver for fund raising was Wes Lane, who was the chairman of the Board of Stewards at the time.”

The addition contains a lounge, library, Sunday School classrooms and administrative offices. The lower level has a huge auditorium and kitchen along with more Sunday School rooms and washrooms. There were even plans for an indoor swimming pool but this was dropped. The addition was officially dedicated on October 27, 1968.

Zula Hall, wife of former Scugog Township mayor, Howard Hall, recalls with great pride that her family has played an important role in the building’s history. “My grandfather, the Reverend Wesley Elliot, was the minister of this church from 1917 to 1919,” she states. Today Zula is the church’s archivist.

“The chairman of the centenary celebrations in 1986 was also a relative, a cousin. He was the minister at that time, the Reverend Glenn Jackson.” She continued, “My grandmother Zula Jackson, was the Superintendent of the Primary Department of the Sunday School for fifty years: from 1901 to 1951. In those days we had over a hundred kids in Sunday School. My mother played the organ and the piano for many years” she beamed.

Celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the church took place on Sunday, January 23. The service included a celebration of hymn singing, acknowledging the long tradition of excellent choirs at the church.

Today the elegant red brick building with its 80 foot high bell tower stands as an attractive portal to the downtown section of the community, complimenting Town Hall 1873, directly across the road with its corresponding bell tower.

By Paul Arculus
Focus on Scugog

Port Perry United Church - January 2011.