EMMANUEL United Church of Canada 1884-1984, Wellandport Ontario

By Rev. Sharon L.W. Menzies

Our Roots in Gainsborough Township

As has been mentioned earlier, the Methodist Church in the Niagara area goes back to the work of Major George Neal in the 1780s. Major Neal’s work was both unofficial and much frowned upon by his British Army superiors who saw army discipline and Anglicanism as like virtues. It was Darius Dunham, though, who can claim to be the first regular itinerant preacher in Niagara. He was appointed in 1795 to serve a circuit covering 2.400 square miles. One of the early records of the Niagara circuit described it as follow:…”the circuit included the whole of the Niagara Peninsula, wherever there were settlements, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and from the Niagara River westward to the township of Oxford, and required a tour of six weeks, and preaching almost daily, to complete a single round.”

Circuits in Canborough and Grimsby were formed over the next two decades and there is at least an intimation of rivalry between the two for prominence in the township of Gainsborough. In a Quarterly Meeting report dated 6 August 1836, John Hodge, Emmanuel Jones, Emerson Bristol, Samuel Jones, Joseph Dochstader and two other men were appointed trustees of the log meeting house in Gainsborough. This log meeting house was built as School House #9 on property owned by Alfred McPherson located on Elcho Road. Given the attitude of children toward higher learning  for many generations, We believe that it was this school house that bore the affectionate name “the log jail”

In 1846 the Grimsby Circuit record shows a Chippewa Middle Branch whose contributors included families named Merritt, Dochstader, Miller and Lymburner. It would seem after this time, however, that the predominant influence on the development of a church in the Wellandport area came from the Canborough Circuit and the fledgling Dunnville Mission. The church in Dunnville experienced growth relative to the expansion of commerce in the town. 1851 marked the first year that Dunnville was separated from the Canborough Circuit and was given mission status which was a kind of probationary period prior tpo becoming a recognized circuit. Rev John Hunt and John Baxter were appointed as the first ministers to serve the field which included the Chippewa Creek Branch who counted as members such families as Dils, Munro,Simmons,McPherson and Bousfield. The following year, Rev Thomas Williams reported the rapid expansion of the field and the desperate need for church buildings. He makes a clear reference to a portion of the charge near the Chippewa Creek in Gainsborough Township and the congregation there known as “Diltse’s Branch”.

The congregation underwent a change of name in 1856 when it became known as McPherson’s Branch, apparently a reflection of the growing influence of the McPherson family on the group that met in the schoolhouse located on their farm property. Dunnville attained circuit status in 1860 under the leadership of the Rev Thomas Jeffers whose greatest claim to fame seems to be that his older brother, Wellington, was the editor of the Christian Guardian for many years.

What transpires with the tiny Gainsborough congregation from this point remains a mystery in many respects. The Tremaine Map of 1862 shows a church building and cemetery located at the . Gilmourbend in the Chippewa Creek on Concession 1, Lot 10. In 1811 this property was owned by a Mary Reese but by 1862 was in the hands of Leonard Heaslip Senior. The exact date of the construction of the first frame church has not been authenticated but to suggest that it happened between 1856 and 1861 would certainly conform with a well-known period of church growth in this area. In an article dated May 4, 1853 in the Christian Guardian by the Rev Thomas Williams of the Dunnville Circuit, he laments the pressing need for church facilities.

We suffer much for want of churches, but the people everywhere are waking up to the importance of this subject. Some little difficulties in deciding upon suitable locations stands in the way as hindrances just now,but we are in hope that in a little time we shall have two or three others in course of erection.

The Caistorville Mission was created as an off-shoot of the Dunnville Circuit in 1862. The McPherson Branch was a part of this mission field from the beginning and was led by such families as the McPherson’s, Bousfields’,Dils’, and Snyder’s. The nature of the transfer from one circuit to another would suggest that the congregation was firmly established and likely had a permanent place of worship.

The village of Wellandport, previously known as “The Narrows” was not without its commercial growth through the second half of the nineteenth century. Evidence of this was the emergence of a Methodist class in the village in 1864. While a class was certainly a small and often informal gathering of people, its appearance in the report of McPherson’s Branch is significant. This year is also important because of a disasterous crop failure which caused the Rev R. Shaw to lament that there would be no hope that year of bringing the Caistorville Mission out of debt and attempt to have it certified as a circuit.

Caistorville became a circuit in 1870 after much hard work by its pastors. In 1874, the name was finally changed from McPherson’s Branch to Heaslip’s Church perhaps to better identify its location on the Heaslip farm. The next year it made a further change by moving onto the Fenwick Circuit and embarking on its first recorded evangelizing campaign. It was reported oin the December 1, 1875 issues of the Christian Guardian that,

Five weeks of special services at the Heaslip Church, Fenwick Circuit, were closed on the 24th. Forty-six united with the church. Bros Rigsby and Baxter gave the pastor Rev R.J. Elliot, very efficient help. Sixty-six have been received into the church on that circuit since Conference, After the holidays a meeting is to commence in Wainfleet.

The Church in Wellandport

The influence of such me as Charles Currey, Walter Misener and Joseph Steward brought interest to a new high in the village of Wellandport. Perhaps the growth of the church in the community during the period it was aligned with Fenwick was due to the closer proximity of the pastor, but whatever the reason, the size of the Heaslip Church remained about fifty-five while the Wellandport class grew steadily from 1875 to 1882.

Beginning New Year’s Day 1882 was a six-week long program of special services at Heaslip’s Church in which sixty-six new members were received. At the time, the roads were nearly impassable because of bad weather yet there was not a night without services for three weeks, a tribute to the tenacity of the pastor and people. The fervor born out of this effort must certainly have caused the local Methodists to question whether a larger, more centrally located church was needed. Their decision must have been a clear one, because lot 40 in the village of Wellandport was purchased for the sum of $5.00 on 31 May 1882.

A bee was held within a few weeks to draw stone to the church site and a committee of Charles Currey, Joseph Steward and George Steward set about visiting other churches in order to choose a suitable plan. Work was begun thanks to a $200 loan received from Rev John Stewart at 7% interest over fifteen months. The carpentry work was contracted to Messers. Jamerson and Hanna.

Given that it took more than two years from the time work began until the church was opened one would wonder if adequate funding was a serious hurdle for the congregation. The building committee decided at their 14 June 1883 meeting to install round-top windows instead of gothic style at an additional cost of $30.00. In November of the same year a decision was also made to construct an arch roof line in the choir loft. Such design changes would certainly hamper the progress of the construction

During the final months of construction, Mr Walter Misener was added to the building committee bringing in its membership to four. At this point the committee investigated and ;later chose to have pews with cast metal ends. The congregation turned to Joseph Steward for a loan of $100 over six months at an interest rate of 8%.

One of the most interesting stories related to the construction of Wellandport Methodist Church surrounds the directions given to Mr Henry Immel who was hired to paint the church’s exterior. For a contract fee of $40.00, Mr. Immel was to shellac all knots, putty the corners, plug all holes, paint two coats on the back of the church and three coats on the front and each of the side walls, with final instructions that it was to be “plain white and the whole to be done in first-class order”. No one could possible accuse the building committee of being careless with their money.

Just a few months before the church was to open, the Methodist community was saddened by the death of William McPherson who had served as a class leader and trustee of the Heaslip Church. His role in the development of Methodism in this area cannot be overestimated as the lengthy obituary in the Christian Guardian confirms.

Rev Henry A. Cook and Rev J,A, Bloodsworth contributed the following article to the Christian Guardian telling of the events surrounding the dedication of Wellandport Methodist Church

The new Methodist church in the busy little village of Wellandport. was dedicated to the worship of the almighty God, Sabbath, October 5th 1884. Thus we believe is the first new Methodist Church which has been dedicated since union was consummated.

We had invited the following brethren to assist at the service of dedication: Dr. Stone, Associate Editor of the Guardian; Rev J. Steward of Mountsberg; and Rev James Masson of Dunnville. These three brethren were all present and did us excellent service; their sermons will not soon be forgotton; we hope they may be as “ bread cast upon the waters, which shall be after many days.” Dr Stone preached in the morning and took charge of the finances; this part of the work he performed with reat skill, perfectly satisfying the building committee and all concerned.

The people were pleased to welcome their old pastor, Rev John Stewart, back in our midst again and to hear from him the words of life and salvation.Rev James Masson . , superintendent of the Welland District, preached in the evening. His sermon was full of counsel, wisdom and encouragement.

Our church is one of which we have no need to be ashamed. It is commodious, neat and handsome, with stain-glass windows, circling seats beautifully cushioned, heated with hot air, vestry in rear of main building, organ loft, tower, bell, sheds and every convenience. On Monday evening the Ladies Aid gave a harvest home supper, which was done up in the best of style, and was a complete success. Addresses were delivered by Revs Stewart, Teeple, Saunders, Masson and Bloodsworth. The chair was occupied by the pastor, who, towards the close of the entertainment, asked if any person wished the privilege of signing something towards the new church. Responses were made to about the amount of $100, this making the total receipts at all services $1,100. The amount asked on Sabbath morning was $700.

While we are exceedingly thankful to everyone who has in any way assisted in the enterprise, we must not forget to mention the excellent service rendered by our Ladies Aid with Mrs Currey as president and Mrs Walter Misener as secretary-treasurer, to whom much of the undertaking is due. they having worked night and day in raising funds, getting up entertainments, etc All subscriptions and donations will be required, as we are putting on more improvements.

The festivals surrounding the opening of the church were made more special since Wellandport was assigned mission status at the June 1884 meeting of Niagara Conference. The first pastor ever to reside in the village was welcomed into his new manse wit a housewarming pot-luck dinner attended by seventy-five church members. After one year in existence the Wellandport Mission reported a membership of 232 with six churches in the circuit and $1,400 received for all purposes. Rev Cook remarked,”When we consider that this mission was made up, on the revision of the work t last Conference, from fragments taken from four other fields, its present state is very satisfactory, and we hope that, by careful management, it will soon become a good circuit.”

His hopes must surely have been more than adequately realized with he increase of membership over the three hundred mark by 1886 and the realization that the financial ties with the Missionary Society must be severed. Part of this new-found prosperity came from a $150 donation to Wellandport Methodist as its share of the proceeds from the sale of the manse in Fenwick. That sum alone more than covered the cost for stabling and feeding of the minister’s horse for the year–also $50.00!

A the 1880s drew to a close, each minister to serve the charge faced the ever-pressing question of what to do about the unpaid subscriptions for the building of the church. It was fairly obvious that the trustees could not expect all of the remaining $500.00 to be paid but hoped that at least $400.00 could be collected. One cannot dismiss this financial dilema too quickly as the trustees under Rev J.T. Davis, decided to take the drastic step of notifying the executors to the estate of the late Rev Michael Baxter of the portion of his subscription remaining to be paid. The subscription list was eventually up-dated and Rev G.E. Honey reported to the Christian Guardian on 2 December 1896 that the subscriptions had been paid which “enabled the trustees to take up the mortgage and leave us free of debt. Only those who are acquainted with the ground know what sacrifice this meant.” This same year a basement was put in the manse along with a new stove and pump.

With the church now paid for, the congregation could turn its attention to its ever-increasing Sunday School, Ladies Aid and Epworth League. Exactly what was happening in the church during the period from 1897-1916 remains a relative mystery. No record books of the trustees or quarterly board remain and only a couple of entries in the Christian Guardian give any insight. One explanation for this absence of records  the possibility that they were destroyed in the fire that swept through Wellandport on 24 August 1910. Twelve buildings, including most of the downtown core, were lost. Had the church books been entrusted to the owners of any of these buildings, then there would be no hope of their surviving. Regrettably nothing remains of the process that lead to the construction of the church basement. The term of Rev J, Webb, 1910-1912 was a time of great religious revival, with many special evangelical services, but he apparently was not particularly concerned with more temporal affairs. It was therefore left to his successor Rev W.L. Davidson to put the church “in order”

The church at the Wellandport appointment had for some time been in very bad condition and much in need of repair. This the people and pastor undertook to do. The church was closed the last of May (1913) and repairs begun. The building was raised six feet off the ground, four feet of dirt was removed and a beautiful roomy, cement block basement; the full size of the church, 30‘by 70‘ was constructed.

A metal roof was put on the building. The church was painted, repapered and beautiful throughout. A fine tower forty feet high and 12‘ by 15‘ was built up in front. The whole presents a very pleasant appearance, and make this church as convenient and beautiful as any in this section.

The total cost of work on the church is in the neighbourhood of twenty-four hundred dollars. about sixteen hundred of which has already been promised. Reopening services were held on Sunday, December 7th (1913)

One of the most interesting aspects of the basement construction is that the concrete blocks which remain to this day were bought in Dunnville. The cheapest and most efficient means of transport to Wellandport was by way of the Feeder Canal to the Welland Canal. From there the  barge traveled north through a stone lock located near the present aqueduct and into the Welland River for the final leg of the journey. This water link from Dunnville to Wellandport remained until 1925-26 when the canal was enlarged and modernized and the stone lock removed.

Wellandport United is born

The war years and into the 1920s were relatively quiet for Wellandport Methodist. Regular upkeep of the church and manse property continued. The names most readily associated with this period are J.C. McPherson, H. Bardwin, J. Barwell and H.R. Dawdy. On June 10, 1925, Wellandport Methodist became Wellandport United Church after the Canada-wide union of the Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterian churches. The people held fast to their Methodist roots and were somewhat disposed to seriousness and asceticism especially as it related to the use of the church building. In a strongly worded letter from the trustees to the Young Peoples’ Society dated 15 December 1936, the young couples were informed that a shower for a newly married couple could take place in the church basement only because it was just a few days away and too late to make alternate arrangements. But, warned the trustees sternly; “in future events of this nature, kindly plan not to hold them in the basement”.

Church union was only partial in that about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Churches in Canada remained on their own. Such was the case of the Presbyterian Church in Wellandport. The dwindling congregation and costly major repairs to the structure left the Presbyterians with few reasonable alternatives. So it was in 1947 that an invitation was extended by the congregation of Wellandport United Church to the members of Wellandport Presbyterian Church to join together. A committee of the Session was established to interview the incoming Presbyterians prior to their reception as members of the United Church of Canada. The transition was made complete with the purchase of the pews and pulpit from the Presbyterian church at a cost of $350. This allowed everyone to feel “at home”.

The Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Wellandport were given permission to use the church beginning in February 1949 “provided that they abide by good conduct, cleanliness and discipline”. Evidently, there was some softening of the position held by the trustees since the church basement from this time onward becomes the focus for community meetings and events.

In a decade when the minister’s salary did not exceed $3,000 per year, the proposal to purchase an electronic organ for the church created quite a stir. First introduced at the 1954 Annual meeting, views were strongly expressed both for and against, and it required a secret ballot for a decision to be reached to go ahead with the project. While a committee was formed to canvas funds for the organ, it was plainly stipulated that no agreement of purchase was to be signed until all but $450.00 had been collected. A Hallman organ was purchased for $2,400 with only a $300 bank loan required to cover the funds not raised in the congregation.

For two years, 1951 to 1953, the church provided its facilities for the use of a newly-formed Christian Reformed church congregation. This association ended with the construction of Riverside Christian Reformed Church south of the village on the Wellandport Road. As a gesture of goodwill the  trustees sent a donation of $50 to their building fund.

The Young People again got themselves into a bit of hot  water with the Sessions of Wellandport, Elcho and Attercliffe Churches when they made a request to hold a dance. The reply, passed 2 December 1956, stated emphatically “That no dancing be allowed in the name of our United Church”. Only a year later the congregation went on record as favouring abstention and had this opinion communicated to the Observer.

In a time when we consider running water and flush toilets a necessity it is curious to remember that only twenty-five years ago the installation of water in the church was set aside as the major project of the Women’s Association. At the Annual Meeting when this decision was made the ladies were cautioned to proceed only with the help and advice of the men of the church. The washrooms were constructed in late 1959 by Lewis Johnson at a contract price of $2,200. This project was not really complete until 1961 when the Women’s Association purchased a new 3000 gallon cistern to ensure an adequate supply of water for the church.

Amalgamations

The 1960s ushered in a period of dramatic change in the structure of the pastoral charge of which Wellandport United was the centre. The area was full of small churches, many of whom could not afford an ordained minister. In 1962 it was decided to form a rural pastoral charge that would be supplied by one ordained minister and two lay preachers. Niagara Presbytery suggested a configuration that would include twelve points. When it was actually created in 1963 the Niagara Rural Parish had nine points: Wellandport, Attercliffe, Zion,  Moulton Station, Diltz Road, Elcho, Lowbanks, Salem and Mount Carmel Shortly thereafter Rev Boyd, a representative from Niagara Presbytery stated,”the day  isn’t far off when the churches will have to be united in one large church” Part of the problem in mid-1960s was a national shortage of ordained ministers, another was a program at work in several denominations that called for the closing of small churches that were too close together and could not maintain their expenses.

July 1, 1968 brought about the last significant amalgamation in the life of Wellandport United Church. From that day onward it was to be known as Emmanuel United Church whose membership was composed of worshippers from Salem, Zion and Wellandport United Churches. They were linked with the new Bethany United Church; a union of Moulton Station, Diltz Road, Attercliffe and Zion E.U.B. Churches at Attercliffe Station.

In 1975 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Church of Canada, the sanctuary was redecorated giving it a fresh welcoming appearance, Further renovations were undertaken on the church basement in 1983 which included a new cement floor, tile draining, carpet, panelling, an acoustic ceiling and new wiring throughout the church. In 1984 a public address system was installed in memory of William Murrell and Malcolm Dochstader. All of this work, while ambitious in scope, was paid off within a year thanks to the hard work of the Board of Stewards, Trustees, U.C.W. and members of the congregation.

The old Heaslip Church which housed our congregation nearly 130 years ago still stands. hardly recognizable for the passage of time. It was sold by William Heaslip to W for $400 and moved to a property on the south side of the Canboro Road about one mile west of the village. The home is now owned by Mr P. Putman, and the old church is used as a garage. Previously it had seen use as a barn and storage shed. Although the paint has long since peeled off and the tall windows have been replaced with a more efficient size, yet one can see in the building the proud heritage of the Christian Church in Wellandport. The old church yard remains also at the river’s edge three miles west of the village. For years it was unrecognizable from the road but has recently been freed of its cover of grass

As for what lies ahead, who can know for sure? But with God’s blessing and much human dedication and energy, Emmanuel United Church will remain a pillar of the Wellandport community for many generations to come.

List of Ministers

Fenwick Circuit 1875-1884

1875-76 Rev Michael Baxter, Rev R, J, Elliott
1877-78  Rev Wm. Fife
1879-83  Rev J. Stewart, Rev M. Baxter

Wellandport Methodist  1884-1925

1884  Rev H.A. Cook, Rev. W. Barraclough
1886  Rev Collings
1887 Rev O.G. Collimore
1889 Rev J.T. Davis
1891 Rev R.L. Oakley
1894  Rev E.H. Taylor
1896 Rev G.E. Honey
1899 Rev T. Grandy
1902 Rev Thos Amey
1906 Rev D.A. Wallar
1909 Rev W.A. Terry
1910 Rev J. Webb
1912 Rev W.L. Davidson
1915 Rev  G. B. Snyder
1917 Rev J.C. Knight
1919 Rev A.E. Elliott
1923 Rev Trueblood

Wellandport United 1925-1968

1927 Rev J.C. McClelland
1932 Rev M.T. Walker
1937 Rev R.R. Elliott
1941 Rev H.S. Fiddes
1946 Rev L.C. McRoberts
1949 Rev H.W. Hagelstein
1955 Rev C.D. Cox
1956 Rev G. Townsend
1958 Mr. E.C. Hale
1963 Rev B.W. Ball

Emmanual United 1968–present

1968 Rev B.W. Ball
1977 Rev R.C. Seanor
1981-84 Rev S.L.W. Menzies