St. Andrew's United Church
Sault Ste Marie ON

Our Mission Statement:

St. Andrew’s United Church is a part of God’s family.

It is our purpose to provide spiritual guidance and support for all. We are called by God to offer a place of learning, renewal encouragement, comfort and challenge. We will demonstrate our love for God in our worship, our music, our relationships in society and in the world. We recognize that, in Jesus, each of us is called to a personal relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. In our endeavour to build this relationship, we will seek guidance from the scriptures, and strength through prayer.

 

http://www.standrewsunitedssm.ca/  

 

In 1866 Donald McKerracher, a young divinity student from Queen’s University organized the eight families as the nucleus of what became St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Services were held for four years in the old schoolhouse on Wellington Street, between Pim and Church Streets. In 1874 The Rev. Wm. Kay became minister and Mr. Henry Pilgrim donated the land for the church building at the corner of Wellington and East. The foundation stones were hauled in the winter by sleigh from the American side where the second ship canal lock was under construction. The building was completed in 1875 at a cost of $2,500. The original elders were John Garson, Charles Nixon and Peter Brown with C.P. Brown as Sunday School superintendent. The church seated about 70.

In 1891 St. Andrew’s opened a mission which later became St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. During this period the ship canal and some of the present industries were in the course of construction and others were being planned. In 1897 Bruce Hill was fast becoming the centre of a thickly populated community and it seemed as though something should be done about a Sunday School. This was at once taken in hand by St. Andrew’s Session who with the cooperation of those interested in the locality opened the Bruce Hill Mission. Thus St. Andre’s has always been in the forefront in ministering to the spiritual needs of those on the outskirts of our city and has made it its aim and effort to concentrate on missionary activities and to further in every way the Kingdom of God within and without the bounds of our congregation.

In 1892 it was felt that the church edifice was inadequate for the needs of the ever growing congregation and an addition was made, making the church in the form of a cross. A tower was also added, the gifts of Professor Peter Bell of the Hudson’s Bay Company, which together with several large subscriptions enabled the congregation to compete the work leaving only an unpaid balance of $1,700. A Ladies Aid society was organized and the church debt was soon paid.

During the ministry of the Rev. A.D. Reid, the city was in a period of prosperity and St. Andrew’s membership exceeded 700. The old structure could not hold the congregations, so the present St. Andrew’s building of solid stone was completed in 1908 at a cost of $42,000.

In 1912 and during the first World War The Rev H.J. Pritchard was minister, and in spite of difficult times the church expressed its missionary zeal in the appointment of Rev. and Mrs. S.J. Proctor to Korea as St. Andrew’s missionaries.

The United Church of Canada was born across the Dominion on June 10, 1925 and St. Andrew’s voted by a narrow margin to become a part of it. It was with sincere regret that many old loyal members moved to the formation of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Simultaneously St. Andrew’s received a splendid group of enthusiastic members form St. Paul’s.

The present narthex was added to St. Andrew’s in 1929, the work supervised by Mr. W.S. Wilson who was at that time the clerk of session.

In 1928 the Women’s Missionary Society of St. Andrew’s sponsored Miss Ruby McCarrell of the congregation as missionary to India. The church’s close association with Missionary activity was further enhanced by the call of The Rev. Charles Donald, who had succeeded the Proctors as missionary, to the Ministry of St. Andrew’s. Rev. and Mrs. D.K. Faris were then appointed as the St. Andrew’s missionaries abroad – this time to China. St. Andrew’s made unique history in Canada by having one brother minister succeed another. In 1939 The Rev. Alex Donald was inducted and for 16 years a “Donald” was minister of the church. In 1965 on the occasion of St. Andrew’s 99th anniversary, the downstairs auditorium of the church was officially named “The Donald Hall’ to honour the two Donald brothers who ministered in our congregation form 1931-1947. On May 10, 1941 St. Andrew’s was stunned to realize their beautiful church had been gutted by fire. Despite wartime shortages of skilled craftsmen and materials, the renewed and re-designed church was dedicated in May, 1942 by The Rev. J.R.P. Sclater, Moderator of The United Church of Canada.

A reproduction of Holman Hunt’s “Light of the World’ dominates the beautiful stained glass window in the chancel, dedicated on the occasion of our 81st anniversary in 1947 to the memory of those from the congregation who made the supreme sacrifice in the two world wars. In 1958 the “Good Shepherd” memorial window was installed in the east wall of the church, a tribute from the McMulkin family.

Mrs. Elizabeth DuBois taught in St. Andrew’s Sunday School for more than 50 years and on her death in 1951 in her 99th year bequeathed very substantial estate to St. Andrew’s with the expressed wish that it be used for the erection of a Church School. It was during The Rev. George Soutar’s ministry that our spacious Christian Education Wing was constructed at a cost of $180,000., financed by Mrs. DuBois’ legacy, a donation form the Women’s Association, and three-year pledges from the congregation. The large auditorium was named to honour Mr. J.C. Pinch for his many years of dedicated work in St. Andrew’s and the Christian Church at Presbytery and Conference levels.

In 1967 property east of the church was purchased and a 96-slot parking lot constructed at a cost of $153,307. In 1979 this parking lot was debt free and additional property on Oakland Avenue was purchased at a cost of $40,000., for the purpose of squaring off the parking lot. Thanks to interest-free loans and donations from the congregation, this property was free of debt in 1983.

In 1980 landscaping enhanced the appearance of St. Andrew’s. In 1982 the Christian Education Wing was re-roofed and the following year the main part of the Church was re-roofed and repairs were made to the gables. In 1984 the interior of the sanctuary was painted and new front doors were installed. In 1986 extensive repairs were made to the organ and tot the exterior stonework.

In May, 1981 we welcomed Janet Hamilton, a newly commissioned minister to our staff. In 1982, after a 13 year ministry in St. Andrew’s, The Rev. Irvine Johnston accepted a call to Cooks-Portsmoth in Kingston and The Rev. Edward Hampson came to St. Andrew’s. During his three-year ministry much interest was stimulated in adult education courses. For ten months St. Andrew’s was well served by our two diaconal ministers, Janet Hamilton and Susan Butler-Jones.

In May, 1986 The Rev. Philip D. Miller was inducted to the ministry of St. Andrew’s and under the leadership of Phil and Janet the rich heritage of our church in Christian worship, education and service is being perpetuated.

From: https://www.algomapresbytery.ca/churches/st-andrews-united-church-0/