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St. John Presbyterian congregation set to celebrate church expansion St. John Presbyterian Church in Port Perry is about to open its new addition. Extensive renova- tions, additional office spaces and a new kitchen in the basement are all part of a six month expan- sion program at the church. Ata cost of $500,000 the 2,400 sq. ft. addi- tion 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 or- ganized members of the congregation in various projects in order to reduce costs. This group of a dozen men volunteered to install all the insula- tion and carry out minor trim work. They also did all the furniture moving necessary and car- ried out the cleanup. All these volunteer activities y , centre, i here in front of the expanded Presbyterian Church with co-building chair- men Rick Neil, left and Alex Williamson. 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 re- solved 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 refurbish- ing 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 handi- capped 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 _ =u Concession near the old Brock Road in 1848. That same year the Presbyterian parishio- ners 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 4 was built. It was also opened in 1848. Z aes In 1857 another Presbyte- - rian 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 Angli- cans to use their church until the Anglicans began build- ing their own church in Port Perry. This was opened in 1867. Rev. Monteath was lat- er replaced by Rev. Jamieson who directed the building of St. John Presbyterian Church in Port Perry. See ‘Presbyterian expansion’ Port Perry Presbyterian Church circa 1900. FOCUS - APRIL 2010 29