Celebrating 100 Years in the Sanctuary
By John-Paul Stewart
On the last Sunday in May of each year Simcoe First Baptist celebrates its anniversary. This year is a particularly special one because it also marks 100 years since the dedication of the current sanctuary. The cornerstone was laid in 1921 as it says in the inscription and construction was completed the following year.
This is actually the third sanctuary built by the congregation of First Baptist on the same site. When the church was founded in 1836 the congregation met in members' homes until the first sanctuary was built here at the northwest corner of Talbot and Young Streets in 1837-1838. That was the first church structure built in the town of Simcoe, which was just a small village at the time. The land was prone to flooding so within a few years the entire wooden building was moved east to Colborne Street where it stood until it was destroyed by fire in 1867.
The second church, this time made of brick, was built back at the original site and opened in 1869. It remained in use until fire destroyed that building in 1913. At the time only the Sunday School portion of the building was reconstructed. It opened in 1914 and was used for worship, too, until after the First World War.
Fundraising for the third sanctuary – the current one – began in 1919. When construction was completed in 1922 the cost of the sanctuary was $61,000 which is equivalent to about $1 million today. While most of the money had been raised before construction, it took until 1943 to pay off the remaining mortgage.
The contractor responsible for the project was David Gunton whose family were long-time members of the congregation even then. Current member (and handyman) Jay Hoover is his grandson, carrying on that legacy.
The building was officially opened on Sunday, May 21st, 1922 with more festivities over the following two weeks, culminating in a dedication service on June 4th. The opening drew many Baptist leaders to Simcoe to give sermons and lead other events. It was quite a big deal in a town of only 4000 people at the time.
More information can be found on the church website. Go to www.simcoefirstbaptist.ca and under the “About FBC” heading click on “History” to view scans of historical church documents or under the “News” heading select “Photo Gallery” for pictures from the past and present.
