The Goderich Signal-Star, 1972-06-08, Page 15u
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Historicalgroup still very active;
The MacGillivray Mission
Band • of Knox Presbyterian.
Church is an active group of
youngsters with a history
•stemming well into the
background of that church. r
What is today .known as the
MacGillivray Mission Band' was
first organized in 1886 under the
name of the Maple Leaf Mission
Band, with a Miss Jeannie as its
first president. The following
year the name was changed to, the
Little Gleaners.
In 1899 it was reorganized as
the MaeGillivr-a Mission -Band fn-.
honour pf Rev. Donald
• MaeGillivray,.a Goderich boy who
went in 1888 to China as a
missionary ofathe Presbyterian
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Church. The president at that
time was Miss 'B. Wilson (Mrs.
Walter Kelly).•
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Donald MacGillivray, M.A.
•D.D. L.L.D� graduated from
Goderich Collegiate Institute and
became a G IdMeda.iist° in
classics from the University of
Toronto, He v pt ` to China as a
missionary to Honan in 1888 and
later became general secretary
of Christian., Literature in
Shanghai. He died in May of 1931.
Donald wag' the' son of Rev.
Ardhil ale MacGillivray who 'was
born in Scotland in 1824,and died in
Goderich 1n`1899. He Was the first
Gaelic minister to preach to the
Scottish folk in Gqderich.
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Three years after its
reorganization, Miss Lottie
Polleytook charge and under her
leadership the band ,became in
1895, the banner Mission Band of
the Presbyterian Church, with a
membgrship of 167 of whom' 53
were boys. That year. the average
attendance was 78 with the total
contribution being $152.25 with
few of the members being over 15
years of ag'.
That year the activity of at least
0.4e. member of .the ,.band,.. Lizzie ,
MacLean (Mr.s.. M..Re_dding), a
girl of 131was shown by ° the fact
that from a talent"- of gone cent
which had been given to each
Member, she earned in 10 months
the handsome sum of $25.0Q thus
making herself a "life rnetpber of
the Women's Missionary Society.
The officers of that ,year were,
president, A. .Palley,'` vide
presidents, Caroiine. A. 'Fraser„
May Allan and Mamie Dickson,
secretary. Margaret Strang
Assistant ' secretary, Grace-
Strang,
race 'Strang, treas.urer, Lizzie
1thaea.n, organist Lizzie Smith
and editor. J. Ure Stewart,
-The MaeGillivray. � ..Mission ,: .
Band is'still active today at Knox "
Presbyterian Church after nearly,
100years. .It now operates,under`i
the strong and dedicated
leadership of Roberta Hays.
The MacGillivray Mission Band of Knox Presbyterian Church in
Goderich turned out on Saturday to, vigit §hut -ins around the
community with candy favours. Members of the group are, seated,
Richard Worsell, Karen,and Brenda Smith, Shelley McLean., Kim
Dobbie, Jennifer Doiibie, Pam Alcock,Steven Rock and John Dobbie.
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Standing„ Kim Young,' Jennifer Dunn, Lynne Ryan, Debbie Good,
Lisa Ryan, Angela Goddard, Timmy' Goddard, Mark Gaynor. and
Michael Worsell. Group Leader Roberta Hays is seen standing
behind the youngsters ;==staff photo
Goderich Historical Churches
The architecture of Knox
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Presbyterian Church..on Victoria
Street is bold modern simplicity.
It is today'°s building with a
purpose, one that has no use for
needless trimmings and
ornamentation covering its
But this building is by no means
the first structure for the church
in Goderich. The Canada
• Company donated two village lots
and 20 pounds towards the newly
conceived •• church building
movement around 1840. The
Company's books shovJ'that -the
no
lots were given to the Church,
,. under the superintendency of the
' United Associate. Synod of the
Secession of Scotland.
Mention of the new building is
not made until 1843, the
sacrament ofthe• dts : - ear•
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was celebrated in the new 'church,
Rev. Janles'Skiruier.assi-sting in•
the service with . fifty-seven
communicants present."
7- A%building committee for a new
church•was appointed in 1856, but
nothing came.of it ,and a new one
was appointed an January 14,
1857.The cost of the building was
1 2 5 YEAR - 23.
From ashes bac
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• $9918 and the work to be
same .year the basement of the
completed by May 1,1858. When. it ,,church was finished for use. '
was completed, depression times The union of various branches
had set in and there wasn't money of the Presbyterian Church came
available to pay for the churcfl. about in 1875. St, Andrew's
" Church, of the Church of Scotland
4.fter 1isciting fend '
other sources in Canada wi� y iirCi�rett-;~-be'��� 'ori �'�
thout Knox Presbyterian Church.
success, Rev.. - John" Fraser,
• minister of.Khox at that time, sent St. Andrew's Church, before it
toScotland for help and succeeded
in handing the committee $1800
when he returned.
In 1861, when the new church
was completed and opened, the
average attendance at w the
services was 500. Later in the
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This was Knox Presbyterian Churchbefore itwas reduced fd ashes b a fire.
the church and 'has gone ahead despite the •tragedy, y
he congregation rebuilt
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became one with Knox Church,
was granted sift lots by the Canada
Company, along with a cash gift of
50 pounds, 'and tenders were 4
called for a church edifice 50 feet
by 36 feet, - between Bruce and
Nelson streets.
Subscribers•to the building fund
were designated "shareholders"
by the records.,Mr. Thomas Kydd
obtained the contract to build,
while James Bisset had the
contract of building the pulpit,
clerk's desk and 'pews.tThe price .
paid Mr. Bisset for his work was
80 pounds, and it' was in 1846 that
his work was Completed. He also
had to finish the building work
undertaken -by" Thomas Kydd.
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Rev. Mr. McKid 'was the first
settled minister of St. Andrew's
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``shareholders" show, dated Ji ne
2.7,1848.• The following facts at t e
beginning of the . story of . St.
Andrew's are informative:
The square pews at the front of
the church rented for six pounds.
five shillings; the next three pews
to the front brought three pounds, •
two shillings, six pence, and.. the
remaining ones were ten shillings
per sitting: All renters were
given twelve months to pay:
The stipend to Mr. McKid was
. 125 pounds, plus any grant from
the Clergy Rx serve Fund.
The stipend was generally in
arrears and new committees of
Church finance were quite the
rule.
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buggy purchased forA him by
.special subscriptions.
Advertisement in The Signal,
1868, for a precentor, for St.
•.Andrew's found response in one`
being secured` for three months
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In 1869•- subscriptions were
'"taken for the purchase of a new
manse for the minister, but Mr. °
Camelon did not occupy it, his
resignation taking place that
year.
° THURSDAY, JUNE 8; '1972
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Improvements of a major type
we're c,ompleted•on Knox
Presbyterian' church in 1928, '
when" the gallery wa's
reconstructed at a cost of over
$1,00.0, and the ..interior
ccs ely r d fora t aii'd'a new -
modern electric lighting system
installed, costing in the
neighborhood of $3,000.
In 1932, the whole basement was
remodelled, ° and a new steam.
rose
heating plant installed at a cost of
$12,000.
In 1950, the church that had a
seating capacity of 1600, andhad
every seat filled when King
George V died in. 1936, burned.
down.
The 'present building was" built
in place of the old church and -
opened in September of 1952.
This church,holds 800 :people,
taking in"members from other
SECOND SECTION
areas where the.• Presbyterian
church ceased or became united,
The Auburn Church closed in 1970
to become amalgamated with the
Knox.. Church in Gode icha
celebrates 100 years of union with
various branches of the
Protestants in 1975,
This Church , stands as a
reminder to Goderich of its.past
and future progress,
In 1849 a public auction of pew
sittings was resolved upon, at
which notes, farm produce, and
• firewood at market prices, were"
all accepted in lieu of cash.
In 1850 a levy of one shilling,
twopence on each pew was made
to 'provide an insurance on the
Church property,
In 1860 the land orl'which the St.
Andrew's manse stood, and, the
land also in front of the manse
(part of the glebe) was sold to
Mrs. McKid for 840 pounds, or
which amount 500 pounds was paid
by the congregation to the loan
company on the deal ' and 300
pounds went to pay for a lawsuit in
which the Church had been
involved.
Mr. McKid'resigned in 1866 and
was succeeded by Rev. D.
Camelon in 186'7 anda house
rented for a man: ;,;ome time
previous to 1867 a boll had been
;placed on the, church and served ,
not only as St. Andrew's Church
bell, but as a general cernitunity
one. Mrs. Cattle/di hada horse and
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Here stands Knox Presbyterian Church as it appears today, adding a building got a complete-facelifting and now is more stately than
modern touch to the pretty, historic town of Goderich. Last year, the ever.
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The second ina *series of
historical items about
0. Goderich's churches
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Bv'1. 1.1....0da MacGilllvary
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