The St Paul’s Story ~ Our Home and Our People

First Church Home Street between Mississauga and In 1865, the church board sold the Colburn was donated by Andrew Peter Street South property and St Paul’s Church date back to an Moffatt, and a frame church building Frame Church and the proceeds 1831 Methodist Mission amongst was erected and dedicated on this were used to help fund a much more the First Nation’s peoples of “The site February 13 1859. ambitious building – The Brick Narrows”, 36 years before the town Unfortunately, we have no Church. The Brick Church, located to of Orillia was incorporated. In that photographic record of this first the south of the Parsonage, was year of 1831, the Methodist Mission, building which was the first home of built at a cost of $5000 and was which was located on Snake Island at the Orillia Methodist opened on January 19 1870. It the south end of Lake Simcoe, was boasted seats, pulpit, five moved to “The Narrows”, (the In 1864 funds were raised to chandeliers, communion rail, gallery, original name of the village which is purchase a ½ acre lot at the North- 60 by 40 foot basement, a hot air now the City of Orillia). The Mission East corner of Peter Street and heating system, and a 100 foot high House was located on the south side Coldwater Road (for $300), the spire. of Mississauga Street, between present site of St Paul’s United Matchdash and Peter Streets. Church. By March of 1866, on the Associated with the Mission House north portion of this lot, where the there was a school and some duplex church hall now stands, a housing and a home for Chief substantial brick parsonage was Yellowhead. Statistics recorded at built. the time show that the active adult members of the church were 54 people of European decent and 203 First Nations People. Second Church Home In the late 1830’s the First Nations people were “persuaded” to move to a new location on the East side of Lake Couchiching at Rama. The town of Orillia grew substantially, with the people of European decent becoming the predominant Third Church Home population. In 1857 a lot 100 feet by In the years to follow, the 50 feet on the west side of Peter First Manse congregation grew and prospered. In 1890, The Orillia Methodist architectural integrity of the building Methodist churches were both Church congregation was the largest at this time in the history of our healthy, strong and within a block of in Orillia, with 245 active families. church. The sanctuary was airy and each other, the advantages of Additions and improvements were open, not much different than it is church Union were not obvious. made to the church building, now. None-the-less, on February 3 1925, adding: a 1200 pipe Edward Lye and the board of Orillia Methodist Sons organ, a 25 foot by 75 foot Church gave unanimous approval to section to the front of the sanctuary; Union. Up the street at the Orillia and three new entrances, bringing Presbyterian Church it was quite the seating capacity to an estimated different. The Presbyterian Church in 1000. Canada had made provision for individual churches to make their own decision. At the Orillia Presbyterian Church, when the votes were counted there were 732 against and 184 in favour of Union. Of course, the Methodist congregation welcomed the Orillia Methodist Church Sanctuary Unionists from the Presbyterian circa 1900 congregation with open arms, thus increasing the size of the new St By 1911, the Sabbath School was Paul’s United Church. More facilities bursting its seams. This necessitated were needed and the basement of the construction of the two storey the Church Hall was completed, church hall, with basement. It was adding a kitchen, a banquet hall and erected to the North of the church, three new Sunday School class on the site of the parsonage. At the rooms. same time, a choir room 18 by 24 feet was built between the hall and Further major modifications to the the church. The project was church structure were made in the dedicated on March 5 1911. 1950’s. Unfortunately the attractive spire was lost, after being damaged In the early 1900’s, the three major by a windstorm in 1950. The one Orillia Methodist Church circa 1900 Protestant church bodies, Anglican, story addition at the Coldwater- Methodist, Presbyterian and street end of the church provided a Congregationalists were talking much larger narthex. Unfortunately, Note the beautiful Maple trees, the seriously about church union. In due to the widening of Coldwater impressive spire and attractive Orillia, where Presbyterian and Street to four lanes we lost all those beautiful maple trees! The architects circa 2000 photo below, we did not activity in the South Ward towards a in the crowd must surely wish for get the matching brick work. church building there as well. Along the return of good-ole-days. the same lines, properties were In the late 1940’s St Paul’s was bought and sold until finally on In 1955, a major fund raising experiencing rapid growth and September 22 1957 the “Regent campaign was initiated under the foreseeing the need for church Park” building was dedicated. As direction of the Wells Fund Raising expansion, purchased properties in well, during this same time there Organisation. It was a successful both the South Ward and the West was plenty of progress being made campaign; having a target of Ward of Orillia. The West ward was at the “home church” of St Paul’s. It $140,000 with pledges exceeding seen as the greatest need and plans was during this same time frame $205,000. Included in the wish list for a new structure were approved in that the Narthex was added at the were: a new pipe organ; a new June of 1952. However the lot south end of the St Paul’s building. chancel; replacement of the exterior purchased was too small for the brick to match the Narthex brick. proposed structure, resulting in the All of this frantic activity in the 1950 The following year (1956) a new 3 purchase of a second property on decade, involving over $250,000 in manual Casavant organ was the West side of Westmount Drive. capital expenditures, was inspired purchased. Accompanying the The new hall of the “Westmount by the dynamic leadership of Rev. installation of the new organ was a Mission” was dedicated on Roy Webster, from 1951 to 1958. major renovation of the church September 11 1955. Around this Around the time of Rev Webster’s sanctuary. But, as can be seen in the same time, there was large scale departure, there was a strong “Lets- Make-Westmount-A-Congregation” movement formed. On May 20 1958 the Official Board of St Paul’s approved of the transfer of the Westmount property. The Regent Park facility followed the same path 2 ½ years later. On January 1 1961 Regent Park became and independent Pastoral Charge.

It can be truthfully said that St Paul’s United Church spawned the growth of our two sister United Churches in Orillia; Westmount United Church and Regent Park United Church. So, you see, the congregation of St Paul’s United Church has always been (and continues to be) a forward-looking, adventuresome, In the late 60’s and early 70’s, St and compassionate community. Paul’s was reaching out to the Speaking of music, excellence in and rebellious youth, even though the enthusiasm for good and varied The 1960’s and 1970’s were also problems associated with this music has always played a strong interesting decades in St Paul’s outreach were difficult to handle. role in the life of St Paul’s. history. While there was strong Almost from its start, The Way opposition to it, the board approved Inn Coffee House experienced the hiring of a third full time problems and had to be minister. In October 1964, temporarily closed until program Rev.Victor Dell was called as the and policy decisions were Minister of Christian Education. At hammered out. Running such an that time Rev. Alan McCuaig was the enterprise placed tremendous “Senior Minister” and Rev. Perley demands upon the time and Lewis was the “Assistant Minister”. energy of both adult advisors and Alan McCuaig was a powerful the youth themselves. To their preacher who strongly supported credit, after a heated debate and the ecumenical church movement; a secret ballet vote of 33 to 5, on having set up joint Sunday evening Feb 3 1970, the board decided to services with the St Andrews continue the program. Another Presbyterian Church, a pulpit example of St Paul’s exchange with St James Anglican adventuresome spirit! Church, shared in a wedding service Here is the sort of thing that at Guardian Angels Roman Catholic In July of 1972, all the Orillia United happened in Memorial Hall in 1908. Church, and enthusiastically Churches, including St Paul’s, were supported the proposed union of the transferred from Simcoe Presbytery The orchestra took on a little more United and Anglican Churches in to Muskoka Presbytery. When it upbeat and jazzy look in 1935 Canada. When Alan McCuaig left St came turn for Muskoka Presbytery to Paul’s in 1968 for Fairlawn United host the Toronto Conference in May Church in Toronto, the popular of 1974, St Paul’s was the Victor Dell was called to the position designated location. A feature of of Senior Minister. this conference was the presentation of Franz Josef Haydn’s “Mass In Time During another of the many of War” by the Chancel and Lyric renovations at St Paul’s, sections of Choirs under the direction of the old furnace room at the northern Charles Woodrow. That performance end of Memorial Hall were used to was recorded and put on a 33 1/3 create “The Way Inn” Coffee House. RPM disk for all to enjoy.

And here is the 1972 Carol Choir, with Charles Woodrow, Back in those days, the choirs were always front and the organist and choirmaster, in the top left corner. centre. Here for example is the Orilllia Methodist Choir of 1928.

The choirs for the younger set were large and enthusiastic. Here is the 1945 Carol Choir of St Paul’s United Church.

Maintaining our historical church structure continues as a Leslie Frost’s parents, William Sword Frost and Margaret work in progress. In the early 1980’s renovations were Jane Barker, were active members of the congregation of done which provided the Resource Centre. In the middle St Paul’s United Church. In 1967, to honour the memory 1990’s, major renovations of the sanctuary were of their parents, Leslie and his brothers commissioned the completed. This provided a movable organ console, installation of a magnificent stained glass four panel allowing the chancel area to be used as a stage. Much window, depicting The Road to Emmaeus. This window improved chancel lighting and major upgrades to the adorns the West Transept of St Paul’s United Church. sound system were also done at this time. In 2002 the office area was completely renovated, providing comfortable office space for clergy and administration staff. Access to the building was also greatly enhanced at this time with the addition of a wheel chair accessible elevator which services each of the church levels.

Orillia has had and continues to have many accomplished and successful people. Here is an interesting little vignette extracted from the York University archives:

Leslie Frost, lawyer, politician, premier of Ontario 1949- 61. Born in Orillia, Ontario on the 20th of September 1885, died in Lindsay, Ontario, on May 4th, 1973. After service in World War I and convalescence from a severe wound, he graduated from Osgoode Hall in 1921. With his brother he purchased a law practice in Lindsay and became an active member of the Conservative Party. Elected to the legislature in 1937, he was appointed provincial treasurer and minister of Mines in the cabinet of George Drew in 1943. Six years later he became Conservative leader, inheriting the premiership. A genial master of pragmatic politics who personified the values of small-town Ontario, he led his party to 3 sweeping electoral victories. His governments initiated progressive legislation in health, education and human rights, and encouraged growth in the private economic sector through fiscal policy and public investment. He resigned as leader and premier in 1961.

St Paul’s has another claim-to-fame: The Lightfoot Family were members of the congregation and in the early 1950’s, Gordon Lightfoot was singing in the Youth Choir. It was in those years, in high school at Orillia District Collegiate Institute (ODCI) that Gordon teamed up with Terry Whalen from Washago to begin his career as one of Canada’s foremost singer-songwriters.