THE COBOURG DAILY STAY, MONDAY, MAY 9, 1983
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Cobourg, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this Sunday, May 15.
Presbyterian services were held in the community as early as 1812 but the first Presbyterian congregation—St. Andrew’s—was only formally organized in May, 1833. The first church was on William St. south of University Ave., and where the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church is now situated.
In 1862 the congregation moved to a much larger building on the present King St. West location. This building’s high steeple stood as a landmark until destroyed by fire in the year 1937, an event remembered still by many in our community. Amazingly, the present structure was built within the year and in December was opened for worship.
In 1962, a start was made on the Christian Education wing and was dedicated the next year. Earlier, in the late 1950s the manse was built on Burke St. In the late 1970s, the congregation has seen to many repairs and improvements to the church: a new roof, a new heating system, a new organ, plus many other changes and additions have been made in the past decade.
The congregation is a very active one. It enjoys a vigorous church school led by Jane Greathead. A large senior and junior choir are skillfully directed by Deirdre Morrell. Peter Greathead is clerk of session and Richard Jones, chairman of the board of managers. Marg Jones is president of a large and busy women’s association organized into the six working groups. There are three women’s missionary society groups all with their own programs and leadership, along with the St. Andrew’s Club and other activities.
This Saturday, May 14, the congregation is having a special sesquicentennial banquet at the Cobourg Motor Inn. Former ministers and friends of the congregation will be present including the Rev. and Mrs. G. Malcolm, the Rev. and Mrs. J. Jack, the Rev. and Mrs. A Bethune, and the Rev. and Mrs. M. Barron.
Rev. Stephen Hayes has been the minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Cobourg for the past ten years.
Ordained in 1962, he came to Cobourg after spending eight years at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul in Montreal. While there, he served as the Chaplain of the Black Watch, and the Chaplain of Sir George William College.
He has studied at the University of Toronto, Westminster College at Cambridge and McGill University, and holds B.A., B.D., and S.T.M. degrees.
He married Moira Carmichael in 1967. They have two children, Catherine now 13 and Jonathan age 11.
Mrs. Hayes is the president of the Victoria Hall Volunteers, serves on the board of directors of the Northumberland Orchestra and sings in the Northumberland Philharmonic choir.
CELEBRATES-- This is the 150th birthday year for Cobourg’s beautiful St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The congregation was founded in 1833, and built its first church that year after worshipping earlier in a workshop owned by stage coach operator William Weller and in a cabinet shop owned by pioneer cabinet and chairmaker F.S. Clench.
The first church was at the corner of William St. and University Ave. The second, destroyed by fire, was on the present site, and was replaced in 1937 by this attractive stone building. The congregation has its anniversary services here next Sunday.
The present minister, Rev. Stephen Hayes, in Cobourg for the past ten years, stands at the front door.
The speaker at the service on May 15 is Dr. Eoin MacKay of Leaskdale Presbyterian Church. Dr. MacKay has served various congregations including ones in Tisdale, Sask., St. Andrew’s, Saskatoon, and Rosedale, Toronto. He was with the Canadian Council of Churches for many years. He is an MA from University of Toronto and DD from Knox College. Dr. MacKay is a widower, his wife having died in 1974. His two daughters are active in academic life. One is a professor of Scottish studies at the University of Edinburgh and another studying for her Ph.D. in music at the University of Toronto.
The public is warmly invited to join with the congregation in its celebrations this Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
A committee chaired jointly by Peter Nowee and Ethel Young has been meeting for well over a year to plan the various activities that have marked the celebrations of the congregation.
Celebration began with a variety night directed by the St. Andrew’s Club in mid-January. Topped off by a “fashion-show” and highlighted by four top models said to be imported from Paris,” the congregation is still laughing at the hilarity of that particular event. (The names of the “models,” for the discerning critics of high fashion, are Chris Powell, Ian McConnell, Peter John Greathead, and Bill Jeffrey.
In February, the congregation held an indoor picnic directed by Cecilia Morris. Those attending were grouped into teams named after Presbyterian notables, including “the Wayne Smith team” (named after the current moderator). The picnic closed with the children letting off helium-filled balloons. The sight of many colourful balloons rising at once and then disappearing in the late afternoon […]
[…] presented by the Knox College Choir. The proceeds went to the college.
The congregation has also produced special anniversary teaspoons along with buttons of the church. Special photographs of the church have been donated by Parken Photo and these will be distributed at no cost to those […]
[…] to help others as part of its own celebration and hence is aiming to raise $9,000 over a period of three years to help restore Knox College, Toronto. The fund is making excellent progress and already over $2,500 has been raised. A tour of the college was held in early April.
To share the celebration with the community the church has invited Northumberland Players to produce "Murder in the Cathedral" in the church. This group will stage this important play - one of the great pieces of English literature in this century – at the end of November. The connection between the church and the arts is an ancient one and the congregation is pleased to unite its efforts with this active theatrical group to make this presentation.
The central events of the celebration are the banquet this Saturday May 14 and the service next Sunday, May 15.
Banquet speaker is Col. Gordon King, a beloved former high school principal in the town, and a discerning historian of local events. He will speak on the history of the congregation. Former ministers will be present, and the entertainment offered will be the "Canadiana Singers." The banquet will be at the Cobourg Motor Inn.
The anniversary service speaker the next day is Dr. Eoin MacKay, now of Leaskdale and formerly with the Canadian Council of Churches. Howard Sheppard, MPP Northumberland, will present a scroll to the congregation from the Province of Ontario.
Special music by the Junior and Senior Choirs under the leadership of Deirdre Morrell will be featured. The Junior Choir will present a […]
[…] The congregation is happy to invite all members of the community to its weekly services and
[…] and its anticipation of future service will all the residents of Cobourg.
BEA LILLIE --The great British comedienne, Bea Lillie, later Lady Peel and now living in England, sang in the choir of the old St. Andrew’s Church when her mother was choir leader before the First World War. Here sister, Muriel, was organist. The Lillies lived on George St., north of the present Denton Florists.
Bea was then attending school in Belleville, but spent weekends with her mother and sister in Cobourg. Muriel later married John D. Burnet, who became mayor of Cobourg.
FIRE! --This was the sad scene at the peak of the blaze that demolished the old Presbyterian Church early in January, 1937.
The event was seared into the memories of Cobourg people. “It is a bit like the death of John Kennedy,” says the present minister, “Everybody who was in Cobourg that night has total recall as to exactly where they were at the time of the fire.”<>/p>
The day after the fire, church officials met to plan for re-building on the same site. By July, construction of the present church was well underway and the cornerstone was laid. In December –less that one year after the fire –the present church was in use for worship by the congregation.
Minister: Stephen Andrew Hayes, B.A., B.D., S.T.M.
Organist: Deirdre Morrell, Lic. Mus., B.Mus. Ed., M.M.
Caretaker: Kathy Powell
Clerk of Session: Peter Greathead
Chairman of the Board: Richard Jones
Chairman of the Trustees: Alex Irvine
Representative Elders: Floyd Abrams, Lorne Patrick
Clerk of the Communion Roll: Bill Woods
Sesquicentennial Committee: Peter Nowee, Ethel Young
Committee Chairmen (Session):
Ushering: Chris Powell
Reservations: Dick Turpin
Christian Education: Ross Johnson
Music: Peter Nowee
Planning: Bob Carley
Budget: John Vickers
Missions: David Jones
Committee Chairmen (Board):
Property: Roger Pearce
Secretary: Ann Matthews
Treasurer: Tom Robinson
Centre: Ian McConnell
Manse: Douglas Carruthers
Envelopes: Helen Bowler
Women's Association: Marg Johns
WMS Groups: Margaret Ferguson,Inez Harvey, Beth Saini
Church School: Jane Greathead
Envelopes: Phylis Smith
St. Andrew's Club: Audrey Jeffrey and Chris Powell
Newsletter: Audrey Jeffrey and Jean Abrams
SECOND CHURCH – The tall spire of the second St. Andrew’s Church (1862-1937) dominated in the west side of Cobourg for 65 years until its destruction in January, 1937. Early photos of Cobourg taken from the lakeshore show its magnificent spire as an early landmark of the town.
