McPhail Memorial Baptist Church
Ottawa ON

Welcome to McPhail Memorial Baptist Church. We are an historic church having just celebrated 125 years of mission and service in 2013. But while we grateful for our past, we also seek to be freshly relevant for today’s times. And we attempt to do that in offering preaching that doesn’t engage in the answering of questions no one is asking, but seeks to connect the issues and concerns of today with the timeless truths of the Bible, presented in a way that seeks to inspire as well as instruct. Our minister, Rev. Ernie Cox, delivers his sermons with humour, fresh illustrative material and a kind of thoughtfulness that comes from being widely read, leaving us with something from the sermon to think about Sunday by Sunday.

We are a diverse group of people, an intergenerational church, a church that has a friendly, family like feel to it, where people care for each other, where people are more important than programs.

We come together at 10:30 Sunday mornings to meet God, and to meet each other. Our style of worship leans toward the traditional, but our music is lively, where you will hear the grand old hymns sung with fervent joy, for we believe that the hymns of the faith with the depth of their music and poetry, transcend all trends and speak to hearts in a manner no other medium of music is able to do.

We have a lively group of children and young people who make up a vibrant Sunday school. There is a “Sunday School Time” within the service, led by Lynda Cox, who with winsome humour and joy gives to the children, to the young people, as well as to the adults, fresh spiritual insight every Sunday.

Our minister, Rev. Ernie Cox is well-known throughout the city of Ottawa for his musical talents. He has performed Black gospel music with the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, as well as performing in the Ottawa BluesFest, the Ottawa Folk Festival, and other venues. Every Christmas season he presents “A Christmas Gospel Celebration” at the NAC—Fourth Stage, two sold out evenings of Black Gospel music.

Check out his website at: erniecox.com

The people of McPhail Memorial Baptist Church will warmly welcome you for worship, and promise that when you leave the service you will feel like you’ve “been to church!”

We look forward to having you visit with us.

 

http://www.mcphailbaptist.ca  

 

By Bus:

OC Transpo Route 4
OC Transpo Route 85  

Street parking is available on both sides of Bronson and on Lisgar.  

McPhail is proud to be a fully accessible church.  

"Baptists" emerged during the Protestant Reformation as believers began re-emphasizing biblical principles such as believers' baptism by immersion (rather than infant baptism by sprinkling or pouring).

Throughout Canadian history, Baptists have been active in sharing the gospel, planting churches, and providing practical social justice ministries. Furthermore, Canadian Baptists have actively supported overseas missions for almost 200 years. As a family, we support missionaries in 15 countries, overseas relief and development projects, publishing, youth work, and public affairs initiatives.

The Canadian Baptist family includes Baptists in all regions of the country, which combined represent a federation of churches under the organization of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM). More than 130,000 people in approximately 1,100 churches hold worship services from Port Alberni, BC to St. John's NF and from Yellowknife, NT to Windsor, ON. On any given Sunday, services may be conducted in over 30 different languages!

Nationally, the Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) supports four seminaries, one Liberal Arts university, two lay leadership development programs, and dozens of camps and specialized ministries. Internationally, Canadian Baptists are part of a larger family, as they are members of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). Through the BWA, more than 42 million Baptists around the world share their faith, vision and ministries.

The History of McPhail Memorial Baptist Church

On November 1, 1886, a Sunday school was started in an abandoned stable known as Fisher Hall, About one year later, the Young Men's Mission Association of the First Church led the Maria Street Church to procure a lot on Bronson Avenue and erect a hall thereon, with a seating capacity of about 200.

For the first few years, students under the auspice of the Home Mission Board led the work of the ministry. However, in 1891, a call was sent to the Rev. W.T. Graham. Rev. Graham's ministry was short, but he was the first settled pastor and under him the foundation was well and truly laid.

Rev. A.N. Firth was the next minister and commenced his pastorate on September 4, 1892. During his ministry, the present church building was begun and in less than eighteen months from the time he took charge, it was completed. When the new church was opened, it was given the name it now bears, McPhail Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of the late Rev. Daniel McPhail.

Reverend Daniel McPhail

Daniel McPhail was born in Scotland, but he was raised in Quebec where his father preached the gospel in the town of Chatham. In 1838, at the age of 27, Daniel McPhail graduated from Madison University in Hamilton, New York.

Early in 1839, the young missionary came to the township of Osgoode (south of Ottawa) and began his work. People were converted; some were baptized and hundreds were influenced to the good. Shortly thereafter, a need for a church was realized and on July 14, 1839, a Baptist church was founded with 45 people as its first members. In 1840, McPhail was ordained as its minister and entered the pastorate for 24 years.

The church at Osgoode was the base from which he worked the surrounding country. Entirely forgetful of self, he toiled year in and year out for the glory of God and the good of others. Churches were founded by him at South Gower, Winchester, Kenmore and Ormond. Ormond was the last of the churches that he helped to found, and as it was not far from Osgoode, he assumed its pastoral oversight.

During his 24 years as pastor, great numbers of people were converted and he personally baptized more than a thousand of them. In September 1865, he accepted the call to Ottawa, and became the pastor of First Baptist Church (whose congregation was instrumental in establishing the congregation that would later become McPhail Memorial Baptist Church. After five years in Ottawa, Rev. McPhail felt called to leave pastoral ministry to do itinerant evangelism. He continued his work of church planting and evangelism, becoming known as "The Elijah of the Ottawa Valley".

On January 8, 1871, he was dispensing the sacrament of communion in the church at Winchester and in the midst of the service was stricken with a paralytic stroke. For three years his affliction was patiently borne and on August 23, 1875, he passed on to his glorious reward.