Guthrie in the News

Researching history is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle; it’s comprised of many little pieces. As one puts these individual pieces together, a picture emerges gradually. Similarly, this blog will not be a chronological one in which Guthrie’s story is told from start-to-finish. Instead, it will feature a range of eras, events, people and activities that, when put together, help to tell the story of Guthrie Presbyterian Church. As anyone who has assembled a jigsaw puzzle knows, every single piece counts.  

One important source of information is the various local newspapers which have been microfilmed and are housed at the Lambton County Archives in Wyoming, Ontario. In an era when the church played a central role in the life of the community, it was typical for numerous news items relating to the church to be placed in each week’s edition of the local newspaper. Today’s concerns about privacy were not relevant; the day-to-day business of all the churches was splashed on the front pages of the newspaper for everyone to read. 

For instance, in the July 11, 1890 edition of the Watford Guide Advocate, the Minutes of the Presbytery of Sarnia were published. In these minutes, it was mentioned that the Rev. J.R. Johnston had resigned his charge at Alvinston and Napier. During the discussion that followed, it came out that “the utmost harmony existed between Rev. Mr. Johnston and his congregation,” but that the “wideness of the field” and the “state of the roads” compelled him to “desire a change.”  According to the minutes, the resignation was tabled until a committee could study the possibility of re-arranging the “field” around Alvinston and Napier.





Watford Guide Advocate July 11, 1890

 



In this modern era of cars, how many of us have stopped to think about the logistics of travel with which the early ministers of the church had to contend? In her book 100 Years in the Life of Guthrie Presbyterian Church Alvinston 1874-1974, Helen Armstrong alludes to this fact when she writes, that “Rev. R.J. Johnston, M.A. was called by the congregation in 1881 and remained for nine years doing faithful work over a large and difficult field.”  She indicates that Rev. Johnston served until 1890 so in the end, his resignation must have been accepted. It was also around this time that Presbytery separated the congregations of Alvinston and Napier and the Cameron congregation was added.  

 

Official minutes were not the only items that appeared in the local papers. On February 24, 1915, a marriage announcement appeared in the Alvinston Free Press for Sadie Ann McPhail and Duncan D. Livingston. As one reads through the news item, one discovers that the officiating minister was Rev. R.G. McKay who was the minister at the Presbyterian Church at that time. It also states that the couple “have been faithful and capable members of the Presbyterian choir of which the bride was organist for a term prior to her marriage.” 

 



Alvinston Free Press, February 24, 1915



Details such as these are noteworthy for several reasons: one, it would be rare for a modern couple to include this level of information in their marriage announcement; two, it provides important information about individual church members which might otherwise be lost and three, it was not uncommon for women to give up their “jobs” once they married.  

On June 9, 1915, the Alvinston Free Press included a small news item that read, “Come and hear the good program at the Presbyterian garden party on June 18^th. Admission 25c.”  Normally, this might not appear to be too significant in the overall life of the church.

 

Alvinston Free Press, June 23, 1915



However, on June 23, 1915, a larger item in the Alvinston Free Press reads, “Alvinston People Had a Close Call.”  Apparently, while returning from the Presbyterian garden party at the home of A.B. McNeil, the bus team (a form of local public transit?) ran away and threw the occupants into a deep ditch along Concession 7 in Brooke Township. The article states that Mrs. Annie McPhail was seriously injured, but improving. It is unlikely that stories of this nature would appear in the official minutes of the church, but they help provide an understanding of events that took place that would have had an impact on the congregation of its day.  

Although photos from this era are limited, these kinds of stories are not and will continue to be featured in future blog articles.

History of Guthrie Presbyterian Church

As early as 1866, student missionaries held services in Cameron Church (Euphemia Township) and the Log Church (Brooke Township) as well as in the school and homes of Alvinston, Ontario. When the new railway drew more people to Alvinston, London Presbytery appointed Rev. Archibald Stewart of Burns Church, Mosa Township to moderate a meeting of the above-mentioned sessions to start a congregation in Alvinston. The first church, a white frame building, was built on Church Street in 1873; the first sacrament observed on June 7, 1874. In 1879, the first Alvinston Elders were Peter McDiarmid, John McPhail, Neil Campbell, E.G. Elliott and Angus McKinlay. 

The first church was moved to the back of the new brick and stone church which was built in 1897 at a cost of about $5000. The January 1898 dedication service drew capacity crowds during three services.

Sadly, both buildings were destroyed by fire on February 2, 1914; however, plans were soon underway to build the church we are in today. 

They purchased an acre of ground, an apple orchard, for $600 from D.J. McEachern. John Walker used his team and chains to pull out the apple trees. Meanwhile, the minister, Rev. Robert McKay, Mr. Walker and others went around the countryside soliciting funds for the new church which cost $18,000. Mrs. McKay and other women supplied many meals for the builders, Dan Downie and John Chalk, and many other volunteers. The old “Palace,” a former skating rink, was moved from the fairgrounds by Robert McVicar and made into a shed for horses and carriages. There is still a single step beside the church for women to dismount from the buggy. 

The new cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1914; the dedication service was held on May 9, 1915 with standing room only crowds. On Monday, the Ladies Aid fed about seven hundred people with food left over for tea on Tuesday. In each event, music selections played a big part in the celebration. Thanks to the generosity of those in attendance and later donations, the church was free of debt by 1920.  

Thanks to the late Helen Armstrong, much of Guthrie’s history has been recorded in 100 Years in the Life of Guthrie Presbyterian Church Alvinston 1874-1974 and continued in 125^th Anniversary Edition of Guthrie Presbyterian Church Alvinston, Ontario 1974-1999.  

In 1965, the 50^th Anniversary of the congregation brought people from far and wide, including new and former choir members. An estimated seven hundred people attended in the morning with many seated in the basement. Five hundred people enjoyed a turkey and ham dinner in the community hall. 





Photo by L & M McVicar

Over the years, there has been a Young People’s group, a long-standing W.M.S., a Sunday School, a faithful Choir, and of course Ladies Aid who added to the church coffers via bazaars, bake sales, Burns’ Suppers, silent auctions, chicken dinners, puddings etc. We join other churches for Easter and Christmas events. In addition, physical improvements have been made to the building, the kitchens, roof, brick work, and we have added washrooms, piano, organ, furnaces, paint, carpet etc. 

Although our congregation has grown smaller over the years, our faith has not. Like many present day churches, we still try to “keep the faith” and serve the community spiritually and otherwise. 

July 1, 2014 will mark the 100^th Anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of our current building as well as the 140^th Anniversary of the first Presbyterian Congregation in Alvinston.  We would like to invite everyone to join us on Sunday, May 25, 2014 to help celebrate these important milestones in our church’s history. Stay tuned to this blog for more details!

Excerpted from: The Birthday and Anniversary Calendar for Guthrie Presbyterian Church, Alvinston, Ontario St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Napier, Ontario. Ladies Aid, 2011.

Postcard Photos Courtesy of Maxine & Alex MacKellar