The Lucknow Sentinel, 1973-03-14, Page 16jitrik#1141
THE LUCKNOIN SENTINEL
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PAGE. SIXTEEN '
THE LUCKNOW SENTINEL, ocicsow,. ONTARIO
lifgpNEOPAY, MARcki.
•11410.Iva Carr
ErSkilOt Pres b y terians
. closing -church
„..
ti
Erskine " 'Presbyterian
Church. Dungannon, was built
•
in 1885 during the pastorate of'
Rev. Cameron ,who came P3
Dungannon in 1884,- '
The pioneer Presbyterians
Worshipped in a little log
church situated about 0/2
miles south of Dungannon. It
was a community church which
was used' by. Methodist and:
Anglicans also. The ministers
were . usually from Goderich
and, there were local'preachers.
The first manse was a small
house on, the west side of the
• present church, which Is now
occupied by Mr. and Mrs,
George Riveit and formerly
owned by the late Mr. and Mrs.
. Robt. Moore and family.' .
Later a new manse of white.,
brick structure was built on the
front street of the. village: This'
was the residenCe of the
ministers until 1925 when
1 Dungannon joirsed. with
Lucknow to, form a two-point
charge, with the minister living
in. Liicknow,
The manse was rented for a
' nnmber, of years and finally
sold. It 'has changed 'hands ,
about four' or five times. The
present owners. are Mr: .and
Mrs. : Leonard ChiSholm and
family.
A new franie Presbyterian
church was built at Port Albert
about the same time and one
Minister served -the two
,congregations. With the pasaing
of the Church Union Bill in
1925 this church became a
United • 'Church ,' which was
closed a few years ago and later
torn down. .
A .few Presbyterian• families
joined with the remaining
Presbyterians in Dungannon as
they too had lost•some faMilies
throughlhe Church Union Bill.
A few more Presbyterian
families came -from the St.'
—Helen's Presbyterian Church
. which had votedfor the United
. Church in 1925.
Rey. R. Fairbairn B.A. suc-
ceeded Rev. Cameron and
during his pastorate the first
W.FM,S. was organiied in
1894 with a,.membership of 1',1.•
Mrs. Fairbairn was the first
president.
•Rev. C.M. Rutherford, a
native of St. Helen's, succeeded
Mr. Fairbairn, a very,
missionary-minded man, and
'during 'his ministry in .1907 he
organized the first 1N/fission
Band an endeavour to' instil '
a Missionary spirit into the
• young. ,
Miss Jean Sturdy, later Mrs,
Ernest Duff, 'was the first
president. And in 1909 Rev.
Rutherford organized .the FirSt
Home Mission Society with 1 1
members.
, Rev. Gilbert Gomm was the
next minister, who: came to
. Hamilton, Ontario, frOM
England, • in 1902. He was
married in England in 1901. He
went back tOcollege 'to study
for -the ministry and in 1912
was inducted into the Dungan.
non Church where he served• for
six years: His work. among the
young people was a feature of
his ministry: His wife, a very
genial woman, posseSsing much
talent, shared his labours. He
remained until 1918. ,
In 1925 he became a United
Church Minister until he
retired,
.minister`
spent his . Iasi years
in a Nursing Home in Goderich
where he and • his wife'
celebrated their 65th wedding
anniversary• in 1966. A couple
Of years later he passed away.
His widow lives in Goderich
yet, also one daughter, a nurse.
The same year, 1918, a
Scotch couple came to Dungan- •
non', Rev. •and. Mrs. P.M. Craig,
but owning to, ill health retur-
ned to Scotland in 1920: That
same year. in June, 19,20, Dr.
H.R. Campbell came, a
'scholarly and well educated
man who 'rekindled and en-
couraged missionary •work and
cottage , prayer meetings.
In 1922 the Maitland .
Presbyterial 'was held in: Er-
ekine Church with three
sessions; . one in the forenoon,
one in the afternoon and an
evening session. Dinner was
served. in the church basement at 12 o'clock and tea : at 6 •
o'clock. -The church was Well
filled: ,
A' missionary from China was,
the guest speaker. Rev. Gilbert.
Gomm. froM Pine River brotight
greetings from Presbytery Rey.
Walden brought greetings from
the Methodist Church and Mrs.
Regerson from the. Anglican
Church, Dunga.nnon. Rev.
Colin Young •D.D.., Superinten-
dent of work among the new
Canadians, give 'an interesting
address on his work. Rev.
Gilbert Gomm' closed the
meeting. Dr. Campbell thanked
all who had taken • part. Dr.
Campbell passed away in 1958, -
and his widow passed' away in
1970 at 'St. Thomas, the home
'of their daughter. c-•
Rev. A. Gordon Rintoul,
B.A., succeeded Rev. Campbell.
Although his pastorate 'was'
short he kept up the missionary
effort. He was greatly assisted
by 'his wife, Margaret Perrie, a
daughter Of ReV. David and
Mrs.' perrie of Wingham, and a
graduate of Missionary and
Deaconess . Training Home,
Toronto. He was a veteran , of
World War 1' (1914-1918): He
resigned at Dungannon for
health reasons. They moved to
Toronto where he -passed 'away
a few years later,
• In 1914 the W.P.M:S, and the
W.H.M.S. ( the• Women's
Foreign Missionary Society. and
the 'Wornen',s Home Missibn
Society) amalgamated to form
the Women's Missionary
Society tW,M,S.)
A:student Bruce Gray of
Knoi College, Toronto, oc-
cupied the manse during the,
summer months of the year
1924. He ministered here until
he returned to College 'in the
autumn. Later he, was ordained
a United , Church minister. He
was retired living in London
where he, passed away about
1971.
Rev. Mr. Martin came in the
autumn of 1924 and" remained .
until the next summer when
the Church Union . Bill was
passed, whiCh changed his
ministry and . Dungannon
becarne a part •of the Lucknow
charge. •
In .1925 Rev. C.H.
MacDonald, a native of
Teesw.ater was extended a call
to Lucknow and Oungannon
pulpits where he served for 25
years. He Was spoken of as a
beloved --pastor, loyal friend,.
and a tower of strength. He
-held many, offices.
He was Moderator of
Maitland. Presbytery,.
MOderator of • Huron' and
Maitland ' Presbytery,
Moderator of Synod of
Harnilton and London; Clerk of
Synod in' 1938, member Of the
Board and Senate of Knox
College, Toronto, member of
the Board. of Administration,
member of • the Board of
Missions, member of Board of
Evangelism and Social Action;
and of Missionary and,Deacon-
ness Training School, 'a mem-
ber of Sabbath Schools, and
Young People's Society:
He was elected Moderator of
the General Assembly of •the
Presbyterian Church in Canada
(the highest offiCe' in the church)
in 1947 - 1948, and in 1948 Knox
College conferred the honor of
Doctor of Divinity.
During his • ministry'three
yoUng men from his Lucknew
congregation ,entered the minis-
try to become ordained minis- .
ters; his son, Douglas Mac-
Donald, George Douglas and
William HendersOn, Mr. Mae-
Donald passed away in 1951:.
The next minister was Rev.
C. Winn, a native of Toronto,.
who came to Lucknow in 1950
and 'remained until 1954, In
September 1954, Rev. Wallace
McClean became minister of
Lucknow and Dungannon and
remained for 5 1 /2 years, He was
Ail the early records of
Church's activities were los)
a. fire in the home of Mr. Di
the clerk, before the year 19
The' Missionary. Socie
Mission' Band and 'You
Peoples' Society disbanded a
re-organized many times do
through the years.
Two ladies from• Dungan
Minh, Mrs. Richard Mai
ney and Mrs,. Robt. David!
served as Presidents of M
land Presbyterial of 'the Prey
terian Church in Canada.
,And now in 197:3 it has
found' necessary to close 1
,skine Presbyterian Chur
Dungannon, due 'to the dw
filing membership and sm
attendance at services. Many
the older members have retie
and moved' to some other tor,
some are in nursing homes, a
with the change :in
educational system the yot
people 'receive a heti
education and find employ/ail
in larger centres. So the chur
membership has declined am
is difficult to 'carry on.
Two ministers from
Presbytery, Rev: Robt, Ai
strong, Wingham; and Rev:
Bell, Kincardine, met with i
Dungannon Congregation
February The corigregati
voted to amalgamate with
Lucknow congregation 'al
decided to hold the last regul
'service the last: Sunday
March. A Service arranged
the Presbytery will be held
May.
LANGSIDE
Glad to, report Mrs. Visser
Langside has been released r
the Wingham and District. Ho
al and Clifford Young has be
released from Victoria'Hosp'
London. ,
Mrs. Orr is presently a pat
in the Wingharn and District
'Hospital. The community it
her a speedy recovery.
The student minister from
more and Bluevale was guest
Minister.at Langside arid Wht
church Presbyterian Church&
day. Their minister, Victor'
benga .took the services at
more and Bluevaie.
Mr. and 'Mrs. Bob Struther
Sharon and Cindy of Ludo,
Mr. and Mn.i Don Wall, Ho
rood Were week end vlsitorsi
Mr. and Mrs. Din Young and
Hy.
a native of Ireland. In 1959 he
accepted a charge in the Barrie
Presbytery where he passed
away a few years ,ilater.
• In . 1960 Rev. Roderick
MacLeod was eitended a call
and he remained for eight
years. He was a native of
Scotland. He accepted an. ap-
pointment in a suburban.
• Chatham congregation. Rev.
MacLeod came to Canada 'in.
' 1936' and later graduated front
Presbyterian College, Montreal.
He served as an ordained
Missionary. in Saskatchewan
before . being called, to Cape
Breton. in Nova Scotia. He ser-
ved 'as a Chaplain in the
Canadian Navy during World
War H and saw overseas ser-
vice. Following—the war he
returned, to' Cape Breton and in
1957 accepted a call' to' Tiver,
ton where he ministered for
three years 'before coming •to
Lucknow; He passed away sud-'
denly ,'in 1972.
The present minister, Rev.
Glenn Noble and his :wife are
• natives of Unbridge, Ontaillo.
He ministered ,at Kittimat, B.C.
before coming to, Lucknow-
Dungannon.. Mr. 'Noble makes
the fifth \ minister to serve the
Lucknow-DungannOn 'Chtirches•
in 48 years, since Church
Union.
• .,"141.
81 •