A Glance at the Past
By John-Paul Stewart
In late July the church office received an inquiry from the family of a former member wondering if we would be interested in some old photos they had of church activities. Of course we jumped at the chance! About a week later an envelope arrived in the mail with several pictures. Some of them had dates in the 1910-1912 range. (Most were undated.)
Many of the photos show a church group out camping. They were shared with this year's campers at Brant Conservation Area in August where they were reported to be a huge hit. A common question was, “where were these pictures taken?” Unfortunately, we do not know. Some of the other photos in the set were taken near Dunnville so that is the most likely location for the camping trip. Other possibilities are either the Goderich area or Port Severn. However, it seems unlikely that such a large group would have travelled that far more than a century ago.
The annual church family camping trip is a fairly recent addition to the church's list of activities, or so we thought. It goes back maybe 20 years to the early 2000s. (Some readers might think 20 years is a long time, but for a 190 year old congregation that is very recent.) Needless to say, it was a surprise to find out that another group had gone off camping 100 years prior.
Some of the old photos are shockingly similar to those from current years. You can see an outdoor worship service with the congregation listening to the preacher. There are men fishing from a canoe, a group of swimmers, and children playing games. (There isn't space here for all the pictures. Check the photo gallery on the church website for more.) Smiles and laughter seem to abound then and now. At the same time some of the differences between the eras are startling. At the outdoor worship, the men are in suits and ties while the women wear elaborate ankle-length gowns. It seems awfully formal for a campground! Even the fishermen in the canoe are wearing dress shirts and ties. There is no casual attire to be seen.
Then there are the tents themselves, that appear to be made of heavy canvas. They are not at all like the modern, lightweight ones. Plus, everyone's tent appears to be the same. There were no trailers in that era, either. Those campers would probably be jealous of the modern amenities some people took to the campground this year.
So much has changed over the course of the century but so much has stayed the same. The organizers of the modern camping trip could not have known they were resurrecting a very old tradition. But then, as now, the goal of fostering fellowship within the congregation beyond the confines of the Sunday morning worship service has been achieved in a campground.
