Community News

'THEY DON'T BUILD THEM LIKE THAT ANYMORE'

SIMON MARTIN smartin@yrmg.com

The oldest church in Stouffville sits at the prominent corner of Stouffer and Main streets across the road from Summitview Public School. The Stouffville Memorial Christian Church has been welcoming people to the site since 1874.

Pastor Jim Amy has served the congregation since 1989.

"Anybody who walks into the building is struck immediately

by the prettiness of it. It has stained glass windows on the north side. We are in the process of restoring the south side windows," he said.

This is a banner year for the church as it is celebrating its

180th anniversary in 2022. The church roots go back to another famous landmark in town, the Stouffville Cemetery. A congregational church was first established in 1842. At the time, the property included an acre of land for a cemetery, which is the modern-day Stouffville Cemetery.

Amy said it wasn't until years later that the community built a second, more permanent structure in 1874 where the Stouffville Memorial Christian Church is now located.

According to Amy, the total cost to build the church at the time was $6,000.

"It's striking inside. Many people drive by and wonder what the heck is going on there or what is inside. We have worked hard to preserve it," Amy said. "A lot of money has gone into upkeep, into maintenance, making it safe and comfortable."

That much being said, the church is still very much original inside except for a few modernizations such as washrooms. "It is pretty much original," he said.

Stouffville resident Bruce Macneil has been attending the church for a few years and said the building is a special place. "It has a gothic type architecture. They don't build them like that anymore," he said. "It is quite a lovely traditional church."

The importance of the building in the town's heritage building inventory is also prominent. In 1995, the Town of Stouffville designated the church building as its first heritage site.

In 1903, after the original church disbanded, the building was purchased and given to the Conference of Christian Churches in Ontario. At that time, Christian churches had been established in Keswick, Ringwood, Bloo

mington, Churchill, Altona, and Markham to name a few places. Because the building was a gift by a local benefactor, the members named it the Stouffville Memorial Christian Church.

In 1925, many "Christian

Churches" joined the United Church of Canada. Stouffville Memorial Christian Church, however, preserved its unique heritage as part of the Christian Church movement, Amy said.

The current congregation of the church is very small with a membership around 30 people. The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for a lot of churches, but Macneil said it has been good to get back to meeting in person.

The church will host a 180th anniversary celebration the weekend of June 3 to 5. On Friday, June 3, at 7 p.m., there will be a free gospel music night at the church featuring local musicians.

On Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., residents can see the historic building during Doors

Open Stouffville.

On Sunday, June 5, at 10:30 a.m., there will be a special anniversary service.

There will be 10 in-person Doors Open sites in Stouffville, including the Holy Theotokos Convent, Jean-baptiste Lainé Site, Latcham Art Centre, Ocean Nursery, Richmond Hill Live Steamers, Stouffville Junction, Whitchurch-stouffville Fitness Centre, WhitchurchStouffville Museum and Community Centre and the Whitchurch-stouffville Public Library.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Reporter Simon Martin went to find out more about the oldest church in Stouffville and why 2022 is special year for the Stouffville Memorial Christian Church.

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2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

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