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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-05-20, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Seaforth's St. Thomas Anglican Kids' Church to celebrate 160th anniversary Cooking Marco Vigliotti Huron Expositor Nestled neatly into a quiet tree - lined street near Seaforth's busi- ness strip, along rows of aging two- storey homes, St. Thomas Anglican Church remains just as firmly rooted in the community as it did when construction concluded in the 1860s. The backdrop to numerous hom- ilies, weddings and baptisms over the years, the Jarvis Street church is being readied to host a very special celebration next month over a cen- tury in the making: its 160th anni- versary serving parishioners in the Seaforth area. "We've been talking a lot about the history in service... and trying to inform people of what we have for our history because you forget about our history " said Joanne Rowcliffe, chairperson of the church's anniversary committee. "We have people that haven't been to St. Thomas all their life, so it's nice to refresh and to learn these things." The festivities, set to start at 2 p.m. on June 7, will include a spe- cial sermon, refreshments, a cake and a roast beef dinner catered by Bon Vivant. The Blyth Festival Orchestra is set to serve as the musical guest. There will also be a display made up of photos from events hosted over the years at the Anglican par- ish, which maintains the support of a dedicated core volunteer group even with church attendance continuing to fall - a scenario facing many places of worship across the nation. Organizers are eagerly looking to fill the pews for the anniversary sermon and dinner, inviting every- one - Anglican or not - to drop by and at the very least enjoy what is expected to be a mouth-watering meal. "We want to fill the church on the day. We will not turn anybody away - if we have to dig out chairs, we will dig out chairs," Rowcliffe said. "Times our tough in church, attendance is on the decline. We need a boost, we need to have a good feeling." Funds collected during the anni- versary sermon will be used to send local children to Huron Church Camp in Goderich this summer. The cost to send a child to the camp totals about $571, Rowcliffe said, noting that the church covers all but $100 of that amount. The parish, though, covers the entirety of the camp fee for chil- dren who parents cannot afford to fork over $100, she said. "We don't keep anybody away from going to camp," Rowcliffe added. St. Thomas' lengthy history in eastern Huron County means the church even predates Seaforth's transformation from an unassum- ing, windswept outpost to a thriv- ing, railway -fuelled boomtown. In fact, early Anglican leadership in the area originally set its sights on constructing a church in nearby Marco Vigliotti/ Huron Esposito Joanne Rowcliffe, chairperson of the church's anniversary committee, reflects on St. Thomas Anglican Church's 160 years of history in Seaforth and eastern Huron County. Harpurhey, even raising funds to purchase a plot of land in what was then a flourishing community, according to former Rev. James R. Broadfoot's extensively researched pamphlet tracing the history of St. Thomas. In 1854, an immigrant English schoolmaster named William Creswell was awarded a license from the church's Canadian hierar- chy to be the first priest of the area's Anglican congregation. Plans to extend the Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railway, however, would effectively spell the end of Harpurhey. The railway company bypassed OFFICE HOURS The Office Hours for The Seaforth Huron Expositor are as follows Mondays - 9am - 5pm Tuesdays - CLOSED Wednesdays - 9am - 5pm Thursdays - 9am - 5pm Fridays - 9am - 5pm Seaforth 1ifl�n Expositor 8 Main Street, Seaforth ON PH: 519-527-0240 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com ,.e. srthh rin xi' iter. o the thriving community in favour of the then burgeoning village of Seaforth, which would soon out- strip Harpurhey in population and prominence. Following the lead of many mer- chants and residents, the congrega- tion shifted its attention to Sea - forth, with leadership in 1862 making constructing a permanent church in the community a top priority. Prior to having a permanent facility, sermons would often be conducted at the homes of wel- coming church members and even occasionally at the Queens Hotel, Rowcliffe said. With money still scarce, a promi- nent landowner named Edgar Jarvis generously donated the land that would later host St. Thomas, with the street it rests on later named in his honour. In a newspaper article from March 1877 cited in Broadfoot's trim historical sketch the church is described as boasting "a strange mixture of Gothic and Greek Architecture." Over the years, the building has expanded in size, with new entrances added, colourful stained glass windows installed and its pew layout completely reworked. It also survived a close brush with destruction, when lightning struck its bell tower in 1928, spark- ing a fire that ravaged a section of the church. The rest of St. Thomas, however, was spared. And since then, it has ably weathered the elements and shift- ing religious climate to remain firmly anchored as the heartbeat of the Anglican community in Seaforth. Camp returns Summer is just around the cor- ner, and so is the Kids in the Kitchen travelling summer day camp. Across Huron County, six United Churches will host the pro- gram, which teaches children age eight to 12 basic cooking skills through a morning of preparing fun -filled, healthy recipes. But there's more to this weeklong pro- gram than just cooking and eating: thoughtful discussions about where food comes from, what "healthy" food really is, games, stories and more. The last day will feature a Master Chef cooking challenge for all participants, which will be shared with the par- ents over lunch. Additionally, the travelling day camp is offering another program for older youth, ages 10 to 15, called MasterChef: The Ultimate Diet. More advanced cooking skills will be introduced and the themes and discussions will focus on critical thinking and exploration of current diet trends such as Paleo and vegan - ism. To accommodate potential summer jobs, this program will be held in the evening at two church sites - one at Blyth United and the other at Lake- shore United, Goderich. Both of these half-day pro- grams ask for a $20 donation for the week to help cover grocery costs. Registration is advised and participants are encouraged to contact the church nearest them to attend. Kids in the Kitchen Travelling Summer Day Camp will run in the following churches. For more information, call your local United Church or Kathy Douglas at 519-523-4380. July 6 to 10 - Blyth United Church, 519-523-4224 July 13 to 17 - Grand Bend United Church, 519-238-2402 July 20 to 24 - Clinton United Church, 519-482-9553 July 27 to 31 - St. Andrew's United Church, Bayfield, 519-565-2854 August 4 to 7 - Brucefield Com- munity United Church, 519-233-7225 August 10 to 14 - Lakeshore United Church, Goderich, 519-524-2103