HomeMy WebLinkAboutYesterday And Today, A Salute to Blyth's 125th Anniversary, 2002-07-31, Page 18z wie444 ea
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28 Huron St., Clinton 482-3924
Fri. - Sat. 11 am - 2 am;
Sun. - Thurs. 11 am - midnight
Having renovated a building in
2000. the Blyth Community Church
of God has a new home situated on
Blyth Road (County Rd. 25) just east
of the village.
The Church of God, having just
passed its 50th anniversary, began
simply with the meeting of three
families and Rev. and Mrs. Glen
Beach of Grand Bend. on Jan. 22,
1951.
One of the basis of the Church of
Home to another
In 1934 after unification, all properties of the Presbyterian
Church passed to the United Church.
Manse rebuilt after fire
Continued from page 17
An organ was finally allowed for
the service in 1892 after the session
had previously stated that they were
"of the opinion that the introduction
of instrumental music into the
public worship of God is uncalled
for".
The Book of Praise was
approved in 1899.
Rev. J. L. Small served as
minister after Rev. McLean's
retirement in 1906.
The manse, stables and church
sheds were rebuilt after a
devastating fire in 1909.
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
became St. Andrews United Church
in 1925. The ministers were: Rev.
George Telford, 1925-1927; Rev.
George Weir, 1928-1932 and Rev.
George Oliver, 1932-1934.
All properties passed to the
United Church in 1934 during
unification.
The remaining Presbyterians
worshipped at other locations until
purchasing the vacated Methodist
Church in 1936.
Many of those Presbyterians
went to the United Church when the
building was sold to the Christian
Reformed Church congregation in
1969 or joined the Presbyterian
congregation in Belgrave.
New home
The Blyth Community Church of God found a new home in
2000. Among the earliest members of the church after it
formed in 1951 were Russell and Marion Cook.
Gordon McGavin at the 1926 International Plowing Match in Niagara Falls
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PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, YESTERDAY and TODAY, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2002.
Church of God finds new home in old restaurant
God is that it is non-denominational,
but serves the spiritual needs of
everyone.
Prayer meetings began in March
then two weeks of meetings were
held in April at the Blyth town hall
when three more families joined.
By October of that year, the home
of Ethel Ball on McConnell Street
was purchased for the construction
of a permanent house of worship.
Though services had been held in
the new church since January 1952,
the official dedication service was
held on May 4.
The congregation remained under
the guidance of Rev. Beach until
1955 when Rev. Harold Stewart
assumed the role of pastor until
1958. During his ministry, the
mortgage for the church was paid
off.
Rev. Eric Cleave served the
community from 1967-68., Rev.
Dave Turner in 1969 and Rev. Floyd
Shantz from-1970 to 1971.
There was a long stretch of lay
speakers until Rev. Cecille
Marguette served as pastor from
May, 1977 until January, 1979.
The church almost dissolved in
1985 when there was only one
family left attending. As they could
no longer legally meet as a church
congregation, Emil Sonenberg, a lay
minister, and Pastor Art Krueger
and his wife Evelyn of Owen Sound,
took on the ministerial charge to
form a board and allow the Church
of God to continue.
No ' formal pastor served the
congregation again until Rev.
Barnhart (nee Marquette) returned
with her husband Bob in the late
1980s.
They served Blyth from their
home congregation in Grand Bend
for a period until returning to Blyth
full-time in Nov. 1986. She
remained until Nov. 1991.
Les Cook, who was ordained in
Nov. 2001, became pastor for the
Blyth Community Church of God in
1991 and remains today, overseeing
growth in the congregation and the
move to its new home.