AUC History

(By J.B. Bastedo)

"In the Beginning" ...

FOLLOWING THE AMERICAN Revolution of 1774-83, the British Parliament enacted the Constitutional Act of 1791, which divided Canada into two provisions, Lower and Upper Canada. Immediately, a new period of settlement began; and not only did immigrants come from the British Isles, but many Dutch settlers from Pennsylvania, Quakers from New England, and thousands of United Empire Loyalists from the nearby American states poured into this territory to hew out new homes for themselves in the bushland that was later to become Ontario. They brought with them little in the way of worldly possessions, but they were richly endowed with stout hearts, ambition, the will to work, and a burning desire to retain and exercise the religious and political freedoms for which so many of their forefathers had left the old world.

As all worthwhile enterprises have their roots in the hearts and minds of good citizens, so it was that the beginning of what is now called the United Church of Aurora can be traced back to some of those early settlers along the old Yonge Street survey in King and Whitchurch (as the Aurora area was then known).

The new section along the muddy trail that was Yonge Street was very sparsely settled, because the "Domesday Book" of 1802 tells us that in the Township of King lived five men, five women and twenty children; and in the Township of Whitchurch were fifteen men, seven women and twenty-two children.

Among these were five names that figured prominently in the building of the original Methodist Episcopal Church on the site that our modern church occupies:

William Kennedy, who came with his family from Pennsylvania in 1798, received the Crown deed to Lot 79, King, in 1803, and whose fine farmhouse was recently known to us as the Crysdale home;

William Tyler, who in 1805 received the Crown deed to Lot 80, King, which comprised 210 acres to the north of Tyler Street on the west side of Yonge;

John Hartman, from Pennsylvania, carved his home out of the bush Lot 80, Whitchurch Township, and his family played an important role in Whitchurch politics for many years;

Stephen Barberer obtained Lot 79, Whitchurch, opposite the well-known Mulock farm on Yonge Street; and

Bethnel Huntly, a settler about whom there does not seem to be much information available, but who must have been a man of character and standing to be included with William Kennedy, John Hartman, and Stephen Barberer as the trustees named in the deed by which Mr. William Tyler set aside the one acre of his land on which our present church stands.

It was in the early days of the nineteenth century that the "Circuit Riders" of the Methodist Church began to bring the gospel message northward from the new capital, York, established by Governor Simcoe. In a report made in 1817, Bishop Mountain testified, "that the settlers are simple folk, mostly dissenters; to them come the saddle-bag preachers, mostly Methodists, with the simple gospel of right living, shorn of the trimmings of ritual which a more cultivated society desires."

The saddle-bag preacher was so called because of the fact that he traveled on horseback over the muddy, backwoods trails, equipped with only a few essentials - a change of clothing, some hymn books and bibles - which he carried in a saddlebag. Some idea of the dedication, enthusiasm and physical endurance of these men may be better understood if we look at the extent of two of the seven Circuits then existing in Upper Canada: for example, in 1802, the Rev. Nathan Bangs was assigned to the Bay of Quinte Circuit, which covered the area from Kingston in the east, west to York, then north to Lake Simcoe, and back; the Yonge Street Circuit, when set up, included "Little York", the old surveys of Toronto, Trafalgar, and Nelson Townships, and the townships on both sides of "the street" (Yonge) from the Bay of Toronto to Lake Simcoe - i.e., Scarborough, Pickering, York, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, King, Whitchurch, and East and West Gwillimbury. Such an extensive territory would be no sinecure under ideal traveling conditions, but the saddle-bag preacher, along with one or two assistants, was expected to cover his Circuit in from two to four weeks.

Gourlay tells us in his statistical report of Upper Canada, published in 1817, that "The Quaker Meeting-house built in 1806 on Yonge Street (north of Aurora) and a wooden chapel of the Church of England, St. John's Church at Hogg's Follow, are the only  places of worship between York and Holland Landing, a distance of forty miles." So it was that, with no churches at their disposal, the Circuit Riders visited the settlers in their homes and held services for worship and prayer. Space does not permit us to recount the details of their individual efforts, but among the saddle-bag preachers who carried on their work so effectively in this area were the Reverends William Case, Peter Jones, Ezra Adams, James Hacking (a Congregationalist), Robert Corson, William Corson, Thomas Fawcett, Thomas Crawford and David Culp. Revival camp meetings were important features of their mission, and the records tell of as many as 150 converts being brought into the church at one service.

It should be mentioned that among the early preachers who served at the church in Aurora were William and John Ryerson, brothers of the Dr. Egerton Ryerson who established his reputation as an educationalist in Upper Canada.

The Church That Backslid...

As the pioneers took up lots and gradually closed the distance between farms and settlements, businessmen and artisans came into the area, and before long the citizens as a whole felt the need to establish a place of public worship, for which they eagerly laid plans. In a deed dated February 21, 1818, and witnessed by Peter Tyler and C.W. Willcocks, William Tyler conveyed, for the nominal sum of five shillings, on acre of his Lot 80 in King (at the corner of Tyler and Yonge Streets) to four trustees, "for the erection of a house of public worship, for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Province of Upper Canada." 

The actual work of constructing the small, log building must have been undertaken with enthusiastic energy, because our church records indicate that in February, 1818, the Rev. David Culp preached at the opening services of this first Methodist Church in Whitchurch, as Aurora was then called.

Ten years later the northern part of the Yonge Street Circuit was formed into Newmarket and Simcoe Circuit; and in 1834 Newmarket and Aurora became a circuit with with six appointments and two preachers, the parsonage being in Aurora. Any information we have indicates that the parsonage was the frame house that stands behind the Case Real Estate building on Yonge Street, where the Lubbock family lived at the turn of the century. The circuit arrangement  noted above continued until 1868.

This is probably as good a place as any to recount briefly the various branches of Methodism that appeared and flourished in the early days of Upper Canada. The Methodist Episcopal form of worship was brought over from the United States, and control over the congregations was exercised by annual or general conferences held in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston or New York. A little later came the Wesleyan Methodist missionaries, who were sent to Canada by the Conference of England and were subject to its rulings. Form this, or perhaps because of this, a new group appeared, the "New Connexion" Methodists, who objected to the dictatorship of the English Conference and set up a more democratic form of church government, which established the election of members, of governing bodies and the equality of ministers and laymen. Other off-shoot groups to appear wee the Primitive Methodists and the Bible Methodists.

It is a matter of record that three church buildings were occupied simultaneously by Methodists in Aurora: this church, the Methodist Episcopal, with whom the Wesleyan Methodists united in 1850; the present Masonic Hall on Mosley Street, which was used by a group of the Episcopalians who did not favor uniting with the Wesleyans; and the present Salvation Army Hall, which was originally used by the New Connexion Methodists but was later taken over by the Primitive Methodists.

By successive stages from 1850 and 1884, various unions were affected, until 1884 saw the final and complete union of the several branches of Methodism and the Bible Christian churches to form "The Methodist Church in Canada".

Meanwhile the congregation of the little log church in Aurora had been gradually expanding in membership until, in 1855, it was decided to erect a larger, frame building and to move the log church to the back of the lot for service as a Sunday School. Accordingly, it was mounted on rollers and the work of moving it began.  By some miscalculation, the blocking gave way and the building slid backwards off the skids to the west limit of the lot - much to the consternation of the workmen. the incumbent minister, who happened to be present at the time, humorously remarked that that in his time he had seen many Methodists backslide, but he had never previously seen a meeting-house commit the same offense.

Out of the Ashes...

So it was that, in 1855, the original log church was now replaced by a larger, frame structure, about which few details are available. The illustration shown, however does not give us an idea of what the church was like, and the names of the youngsters sitting on the front steps recall to mind many of the families that formed the congregation at that time (1874).

This frame church was partially destroyed by fire in 1877, and at a meeting held in the basement it was decided to build an up-to-date edifice. The trustees appointed the following as a building committee: Joseph Fleury, Horace Lundy, Edward Stevenson, F. Lang, and George L. Pearson, with the Rev. D.F. Gee as chairman ex-officio. Later Mr. T. Appleton was added to the committee. The records show that this group took their duties seriously, holding thirty-nine meetings before the building was completed and ten additional meetings before the accounts were paid. Not too much was salvaged from the fire: the organ was saved and rebuilt in a new case by E. Lye and Son, of Toronto, at a cost of $350; and a certain amount was realized from the sale of the salvaged lumber to Mr. J. Andrews, who used it in building a house on Mosley Street.

The building committee decided to advertise for separate tenders for stone work, brick work, plastering, carpentry and joining, painting and glazing - all tenders to be in by August 29, 1877. They later reported to the trustees that the building could be erected for $8,915, less lighting and heating; or without large spire for $8,315. It was finally decided to include the large, 100 foot spire along with the shorter one, and the cost of the gas lighting would be an extra $528.

Some items regarding the building operations make very interesting reading: a canvassing committee of Rev. D.F. Gee and J. Fleury raised $2,300, and this amount, together with the mortgage and cash in back, totaled $5,500; Mr. Lionel York's final tender for the brick and stone work was accepted at $3,870 (with brick being supplied locally at $6 per 1,000); plastering was done for $600; door and window frames were primed for 15 cents each; eavestroughs were given two coats of paint for $7; the seating contract was let to Henry Harris at 17 cents a foot, but this later had to be increased to 25 cents a foot for the gallery seats (with better lumber being used); the architect's plans cost $100; and H. McGinnis contracted for the carpentry and joining at $3,800.

Finally all was in readiness for the opening of the new Church in October 1878, with the Rev. D.F. Gee, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Sutherland, conducting the services. Without a doubt, the event marked a highlight in the religious life of this community, and it culminated in a well-attended tea-meeting in the basement of the new edifice the following Monday evening.

Evidently operating expenses were as low proportionately in those days as building costs: the first caretaker received $80 per annum; hardwood for heating cost $3.37 a cord. with hemlock at $2. To help defray expenses, pews were rented at $1 per sitting, but his price was raised later in the year to $2. In 1881, the pews were let by tender to the highest bidder, "provided there were enough in the family to fill the pew". Not until 1912 were pew rents finally abolished. At one time a pew was reserved for the widows of the congregation.

Cyclone Damage

In 1833 a cyclone destroyed the stain-glass windows on the south die and blew down the great spire of the church; a shorter one replaced it, but after being struck by lightning on different occasions both spires were removed in 1943.

On April 19, 1903, special services were held in observance of the 25th anniversary of the new building; and, at a tea-meeting held the following evening, the mortgage on the church was burned with due ceremony. Tribute should perhaps be paid to those who gave devoted service to the church during that period: to the pastors whose spiritual leadership was outstanding - Rev. Peter Addison, Rev. G.W. Dewey and Rev. E.A. Pearson; to the first superintendent of the Sunday School, Mr. H.D. Lundy; to the class leaders, Mr. E. Stevenson and Mr. Wm. Reynolds; to the first president of the Ladies' Aid in 1876, Mrs. Wm. Richardson; to the first president of the Women's Missionary Society in 1888, Mrs. T.H. Broad; and to the choir leader, Mr. James Davis.

Later Development...

As the work of the church expanded, more room was needed, and in 1909 a wing was added to the rear of the building to provide the ladies' parlours and additional accommodations for the thriving Sunday school. That same year the first pipe organ was installed at a cost of $2,000 and individual communion cups were introduced. Three years later the choir members were provided with gowns, and in 1912-14 a complete system of electric lighting was installed in the church.

On June 10, 1925, probably the most far-reaching event in connection with the religious life of the Canadian people came into being with the United Church of Canada as the result of a Basis of Union agreed upon by representatives of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. The Methodist and the Congregational Churches entered the union in a body; but the Presbyterian Church made provision for individual congregations to vote themselves out of the union, with the result that a majority of the local congregation, like many others across Canada, voted to continue as the Presbyterian Church in Canada. A goodly number of pro-unionists, however, participated as members of the United Church of Canada in the first services on April 10th.

Space does not permit a detailed analysis of the changes that came into effect, but I think a few should be mentioned: the old Methodist "Discipline" became the new "Manual" in doctrine, organization and internal management; the "District" became the "Presbytery"; the "Conference" remained the same, but the "General Conference" became the "General Council", a name taken from the Congregational organization; within the congregation, a "Session of Elders" was to have jurisdiction over the order of service, the use of the church, and matters pertaining to the spiritual life of the church; financial  affairs were to be under a "Board of Stewards", subject to the direction of the "Official Board", which was to be comprised of the various groups within the local church; both the members of the Session and of the Stewards were to be elected by the congregation for three-year terms, one-third of them retiring each year. And last, but not least, came the change in the duration of the minister in each charge: under the Methodist "Discipline" each minister was located by a "Stationing Committee" for a definite period of three years with a fourth year possible on the specific request of the congregation; bit under the United Church a "Settlement Committee approves "Terms Without Limit" by mutual consent of the congregation and the minister.

To contend with that all these changes, and others, were brought about without some misgivings or misunderstandings would be contrary to fact; but I think it can be truthfully said that, by adopting a Christian spirit of give and take, a very satisfactory adjustment has been made, and the United Church of Canada has gone on to play the important role that was foreseen for her by the co-designers of the union movement.

In October 1928, the congregation, celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of activity in the new building, with the services in charge of the minister, Rev. A.E. Black, assisted by Dr. James Endicott and Dr. N.H. Sedgewick. This was followed in 1930-31 by extensive alterations to the interior of the church - new pews, pulpit furniture and pipe-organ, followed later by a new ceiling and wood-paneling to remove the iron railing in the gallery.

The last phase of the expansion program was undoubtedly the most ambitious since the building was erected in 1878. By 1950 the need of the Sunday School for more room, the insistence of insurance companies on the removal of fire hazards, and the desire for easier access at the front of the building led to a series of alterations which the congregational meeting on January 31, 1951, authorized in three stages: first, the construction of a stairwell a the south entrance; second, the re-modeling and re-decoration of the Sunday School rooms; and third, the addition of a narthex to the church with Sunday School rooms beneath and an entirely new entrance. By 1955, the first two projects were completed and , in addition, the Women's Association had remodeled the kitchen  and the ladies' parlours, and the choir had redecorated the choir room. On February 3, 1955, the congregational meeting authorized the building committee to proceed with the third and final stage of the program under the chairmanship of Mr. Ross Linton. The work proceeded according to schedule, with he result that on September 15, 1957, with the Rev. John F. Morris in charge, an impressive service was held dedicating "the Narthex and the Church School Rooms" and re-dedicating the church and the congregation "to the greater glory and service of God". We are especially honoured on that occasion by the presence of the Very Rev. Geo. C. Pidgeon, D.D. first Moderator of the United Church of Canada, who preached the sermon and offered the prayer of consecration.

This historical sketch would not be complete if it did not refer to the many new groups, besides those I have mentioned, that were formed within the congregation to cater to its diversified needs - the Bible Study Group, the Epworth League (later the Y.P.S.), the 50-50 Club, the Hi-C's, the Junior Choir, the Explorers, the Sunday School Orchestra, the Mission Band, etc. I am pleased to say that we have been able to secure articles recording the activities of most of these organizations in some detail. and the Committee feels certain that these accounts will provide much of the interesting material in the commemorative booklet.

This church, standing as it does on the corner of Yonge and Tyler Streets, has seen Aurora grow from a small, struggling settlement in the woods to a busy town of 10,000 people. It has seen Yonge Street traffic change from the cart and the horse-and-buggy stages to street car and finally automobile, bus and heavy-truck travel. Many generations of families have worshipped at its altar, served it during their lifetime, and been carried from it in death. It is a watch-tower, guarding the spiritual well-being not only of the present generation but, we hope, of generations yet unborn.