Welcome to St. Andrew's Church

This MP3 Talk was presented by
Brian Stewart at the
St. Andrew's Church 175 Anniversary Dinner

To listen to the oral history of St. Andrew's please click here.

[This history was researched, compiled and orally presented by Brian Stewart, CBC journalist and member of St. Andrew's church along with David Wishart long-time St. Andrew's Church member and Board member at our "Day Set Aside" Congregational Retreat on Saturday, November 6, 2004]

THE HISTORY OF ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1830-2004

The historic church of St. Andrew’s was born of a congregation that came together in March of a remarkably eventful year, 1830.

Seven years before the start of the Victorian era Queen Victoria was crowned and therefore the start of the great Era named after her. Many of our first congregations were born before the French Revolution and a number were veterans of the war of 1812. The founding of Canada still lay a generation in the future.

Our founding year, in fact, is often sited in historical "Timelines" as the beginning of the Modern Industrial Age. St. Andrews was born into a century of vast social, philosophical and theological turmoil, and the church would be caught up in many of the great events and passions of this period.

We should dismiss any notion---perhaps gained from faded lithographs or photos---that our early congregations were made up of stuffy and timid souls. They were anything but colourless. St. Andrews was founded by that hardy band of Scots that made up the muscular wave of Scottish immigration that recent historians now assure us "changed the world". Most were likely lowland Scots from the Presbyterian heartland, the famed land of the "Kirk" which had given its followers universal education for all classes, a keen sense of individual rights and religious freedom, and an open approach to discussion and debate the was remarkable for its time.

The congregation came together out of devotion to the Mother Church, the Church of Scotland. In coming generations the Scots connection tended to fade, while St. Andrew’s would become renowned and committed members of the mainstream Presbyterian Church in Canada. However the original church at the southwest corner of Adelaide and Church Streets was constructed very much in the serious and famously austere style of the Old Kirk. Tall windows allowed light into the interior (no stained glass then, of course), and a giant pulpit from which lengthy sermons rang forth dominated inside. Overhead a "sounding board" helped project the minister’s voice to the usually packed congregation of 750.

Certain aspects of our early congregation speak to us today. From the very beginning members seemed anxious to mix serious religious contemplation with earnest social work. The church was keenly aware of the high levels of poverty, hardship and suffering in Victorian Toronto and our earliest records show widows and local poor being cared for. A "Stranger's Friend Society" was established to run soup kitchens and gather collections for the destitute.

Sound rather familiar? Then, as now, St. Andrew’s was known for good disputes, compelling sermons, and a deep sense of social obligation. There was also a continuing sense of intellectual curiosity---St. Andrews was the lead Presbyterian congregation in the establishment of Queen's University, and its famed Philosophy department which so influenced Canadian Protestant thought in the latter 19th century.

The past does not need to be sugarcoated. Victorians were not shy in their certainties, and this lively congregation had its frequent disputes over various trends in Presbyterianism, and theology generally. Like most congregations it also had periods of financial stress. What seems often to have revived morale, however, was the activities of extraordinarily strong women organizers (this occurs time and again in our history). From the 1840's on they took a lead in raising money for the church and ran a spreading network of community services. As early as 1851, they operated a Famine Relief Drive for India.

When controversy swept St. Andrew’s, the use of music was a reliable source of debate. In 1852 the congregation established its first choir, and then further shocked all other Presbyterian Churches by introducing the first organ. St. Andrews was actually dragged before the Synod and warned of such excesses....but in one form or another, the organ stayed.

Shortly after Canadian Confederation, St Andrews had become so popular that pews were rented and free seating became increasingly hard to come by. Determined to grow larger, the congregation raised $100,000 and to the dismay of some moved to the present site at King and Simcoe Streets in 1876. The new building, designed in what was called the "Norman Scottish" or "Romanesque" style by renowned architect W. G. Storm, used Georgetown Stone for the exterior, carved woodwork, and imported granite pillars from Aberdeen. It did not have the current chancel, and it was an instant sensation in Toronto.

Historian Charlotte Gray has noted St. Andrews "was best known for its preachers and its good works", and in the 1870s' this combination was to produce a remarkable epoch in our history. The arrival of a new minister Reverend D. J. Macdonnell brought a human dynamo to St. Andrew’s at a time of tumultuous change in Presbyterianism and the wider church---the period after Darwin, the arrival of the Age of Modernism, and new debates over the church's role in society. Macdonnell was quickly to become one of the most famed churchmen in Canada, according to Gray "a fiery orator with burning eyes and an unquenchable ambition to improve the world. Macdonnell filled the pews of St. Andrew's three times each Sunday---not only because, in his rasping Scottish burr, he preached such powerful sermons, but also because he generated controversy". (A stained glass window over the chancel still commemorates his memory).

In an age when the press eagerly covered the sermons of leading ministers, Macdonnell in 1875 caused a theological "scandal" that was the sensation of all Ontario. After a sermon in which he cast doubt on the "doctrine of eternal punishment”, Macdonnell was hauled before a heresy trial at the General Assembly. The case caused a near schism within the church at the very time Presbyterian Church Union was bringing together the various streams of Presbyterianism in Canada. Despite a media firestorm, the congregation rallied solidly behind their young minister. Macdonnell not only survived, but quickly established St Andrew’s as a centre in the fight for religious tolerance in Canada.

But what most distinguished St. Andrew’s was its intense involvement in new social work, a drive that would make the church a leader in the coming "Social Gospel" movement in Canada. We must remember that this downtown church was a witness to some of the worst conditions of squalor and disease in the country. The slums near the railway yards held thousands in a state of poverty almost unimaginable today. It was a Dickensian world of tar-paper shacks and tenements where child prostitution was rampant, and sweat shop exploitation of women and barefoot children commonplace. A royal commission in 1886 noted illiterate children as young as 10, worked 64 hour weeks in unventilated factories for as little as $1.50 a week.

Though St. Andrew's then stood at the very citadel of the Scottish elite in Toronto, Macdonnell was able to so mobilize the congregation in work with the poor that it became a veritable human lighthouse. The Church moved forcefully to establish literacy classes for working children, assistance for distressed mothers, church schools, and visits to the sick and dying. The historic Penny Savings bank was opened to help the working poor save money (the government later expanded this bank into a nationwide institution).

Even in our time, when the concept of "outreach” has become so accepted, St. Andrew's record of social work in the 1880's and 1890's makes astonishing reading: --it founded the famous Nelson Street Institute just two blocks north of the Church, which would soon become a model for other churches across Canada and the Northern United States. There it operated night schools, a mother's meeting association, boys and girls' clubs, gymnasium, sewing and cooking classes. A holiday house was opened on Lake Simcoe to give needy downtown children a chance to escape the heat and pollution of Toronto summers.

Teams of formidable St. Andrews women started dropping into the overcrowded tenement houses to offer immediate help to immigrants and urban poor.

This new era of Social Gospel in Victorian times proclaimed the often-controversial message that the church must pursue Christ’s work within the world. The works of St. Andrew’s deeply inspired a frequent visitor, future Prime Minister Mackenzie King, whose mother Isabel was one of the church's most vigorous social workers. Later, when the Nelson Street Institute became the St. Andrews Institute (1912) at the site of the current Church Hall, Mackenzie King was on hand to proclaim his own dedication to such efforts, a commitment that would later have profound effect on Canadian social reform.

What is ironic in this record is that somehow Presbyterians have allowed much of this remarkable past to be forgotten. Indeed, with habitual self-deprecation, they have allowed an absurd version to take hold of an uptight Church of joyless and gloom addicted elites resistant to all change. In fact, St. Andrew’s was in the forefront of progressive theology. To quote from a non-Presbyterian, famed Canadian historian Ramsey Cook "By the 1890's theological liberalism had made a noticeable impact on Protestant thinking in English Canada. Nowhere was that impact more obvious than in the Presbyterian Church". Hardly the dreary backwater of popular mythology.

The strain of operating downtown took its toll. In 1896 Rev. Macdonnell died prematurely at age 53, worn down by a quarter century of exhausting ministry. By now he was universally recognized as an outstanding figure of his time, who had dedicated the church to ignore "the weak, and struggling and neglected throughout and beyond the bounds of the Dominion".

Before now the church had already heard frequent suggestions that it move out of its depressed surroundings, with the constant presence of poverty, in order to settle in greener, more gentile neighborhoods to the north. Despite a drop in congregation, however, the church rejected any notion that it abandon its mission. In the words of former Minister Stuart Parker:-"...even in the nineties St. Andrew’s had become a "down-town" Church. But it had its own habitués, already in those days, quiet souls that came "meekly stealing" to that Church of all Churches in the city, because there alone their souls were fed and nourished".

Refusing to leave, St. Andrew’s defied the odds and in 1906 began a daring and costly renovation program that created the chancel we know today. A new organ was added, the choir for the first time was robbed, and Church morale revived, and stayed strong until the appalling tragedy of the First World War. Church members of the 48th Highlanders--associated with St. Andrews since its founding---were among the first to march off to the trenches. Others soon followed, and by 1918 fully a quarter of the congregation, 137, were off serving, including six St. Andrew’s women who were nurses in France. Of the terrible cost, we read in the church history "the young life of St. Andrew’s was drained increasingly year by year in the marshes of Flanders" and by war's end 19 young men of the congregation had been killed, including two in one day, August 17, 1918.

After such loses, the beginning of the Twenties seemed to some in the congregation a sad period of drift and demoralization. Then, quite dramatically, in 1924 St. Andrew’s found a place in history as Canada watched the great Church Union Debate. This was the move to unite Presbyterians, Methodists, and the Congregational Church, in one body, today's United Church. This movement, pressed by "unionist" advocates for a decade, caused anger within St. Andrews, which began to lead a chorus of angry congregations who complained they were being unfairly and undemocratically dragooned into Union. Though the Presbyterian General Assembly was ready to opt for union, many individual churches were not; and St. Andrew’s voted 94% against. The battle was joined as another remarkable St. Andrew’s minister; Stuart Parker rose to deplore "the rending of a great church.” Furthermore, he thundered, there will not be one united church "for we Presbyterians stand apart". Across Canada, Presbyterian congregations rallied to this stand and St. Andrew’s quickly became recognized as the headquarters of Presbyterianism. In June 1925 national delegates descended on Toronto, and in unique sessions, which overflowed St. Andrews and spilled out onto the surrounding grounds a "continuing" Presbyterian church was proclaimed and duly organized.

Even though St. Andrews continued, as perhaps the most famous Presbyterian Church in Canada, debate again flared up in the 1930's over whether to abandon the shabby downtown. Instead, the church again opted for a mood of defiant revival and added stained glass windows. Celebrating its centennial in 1930, the church vowed to "keep the flag flying" downtown, however difficult. At the celebrations Prime Minister Mackenzie King spoke from the steps of the Chancel about the church's role in society, using St. Andrews as an example: - "The church would have no place but the world in which it finds itself, It is but one institution, but.... its mission is to breath upon the others the spirit of life".

The church was successful in keeping the flag flying, and did so through World War Two, the Fifties and Sixties, when suburbia pulled so many in the congregation away, when Financial problems multiplies, and inevitable defeatism flared in an increasingly secular society. To some it appeared an increasingly lonely island at King and Simcoe Streets amid the Commercial bustle of the downtown. Inevitably new voices were raised suggesting the desirability of relocating, but if the past had shown anything clearly, it was that St. Andrew’s, when inspired by a sense of mission is a remarkably resilient and imaginative institution. Through an often turbulent history it had always found a means to find fresh challenges, which in turn revived church spirit and inspired the congregation to new enthusiasm. By the end of the Sixties, members of the congregation started searching for signs of the next period of revival.

The late 40’s, the 1950’s and 1960’s were a period of decline at St. Andrew’s. Church growth seemed to be focused on suburban locations and we at St. Andrew’s finally faced up to our situation at a memorable all day Saturday meeting in 1969. Should we move or stay in our present location or merge with another congregation? We reviewed our membership statistics. We reviewed our finances. We looked at our neighbourhood. An invited speaker assured us that the redevelopment of the railway lands to the south was about to happen and we would soon have families in residence almost next door. After much discussion and prayers about our future prospects, we decided to stay put at King and Simcoe Streets. Quite soon thereafter our minister, who was in failing health, decided to retire. And the search for a new leader began.

Douglas Stewart was called to be our minister in 1972. He was more than a breath of fresh air. He created a veritable whirlwind of activity from the day he arrived until he retired 11 years later. He was a great salesman for St. Andrew’s – he came from a family of salesmen – from the pulpit and from the Vestry column in Catalyst magazine; he demanded action from us, and he didn’t take no for an answer. We needed to come to life, attract new members, restore our sanctuary, and raise the funds needed to be an effective congregation located “among the halls of commerce and finance in the canyons of downtown Toronto”. In the words of one newspaper columnist: “Reverend Stewart has what it takes to do the job, except brevity”. To borrow someone's words in another context, Doug’s approach to us could be summed up by “Off your ass and on to your feet, out of the shade and into the heat.”

Within two years of his arrival we had a successful fund raising campaign which raised $400,000 – about twice as much as any of us had thought possible. One of its features was our “Clean a Stone” campaign which we sold to our friends all over Toronto “for $5 you can pay to clean the dirt off one of those stones”. The renovations began immediately and were completed several years later, including the purchase of our tracker organ, when we sold our air rights to Sun Life and established the St. Andrew’s Heritage Trust which, as augmented by income from the Ely Estates, has been our financial lifeline ever since.

We did more in Doug’s time than raise money. We decided to use some of our good fortune to help a number of agencies serving the needy in downtown Toronto and to pay a larger percentage of the requested allocation to Presbyterian Sharing. We started some programs to promote congregational interaction including Catalyst magazine, the post-service Bide-a-wee coffee hour, the chancel guild, an After 5 club, a young peoples group, and Project Passport to help Vietnamese refugees. We also added significantly to our congregational membership. I skimmed through many issues of Catalyst Magazine of the period and I couldn’t help noticing the many photos of new members. Alas, quite a number of these are no longer worshiping with us. Membership retention is an issue we may want to discuss to-day. The statistics of that time show how important membership participation is to our survival: In 1970 we had 254 families on our mailing list; in 1980 we had 270 families listed – not exactly impressive growth. However, financial participation increased significantly: in 1970 only 125 families out of the 254 listed contributed financially. In 1980, 218 out of 270 were contributors.

There is no doubt in my mind that without the actions taken in Doug Stewart’s time with us, St. Andrew’s would not be here to-day.

Jim Evans succeeded Doug Stewart as our minister but ill health forced his resignation a short 6 years later. But it was during his time that the old St. Andrew’s Institute building and the caretaker’s house were demolished to be replaced by the St. Andrew’s Centre, and the old Manse was renovated –altogether a $2,000,000 project at a cost to us of about $250,000. The Ralph King Room under the sanctuary was opened to provide meeting space while the construction work was going on. This space now houses the 48^th Highlanders Museum.

This brings us to the 1990’s and the arrival of Cameron Brett. It was soon after he joined us that we debated and worked out our strategic vision “the people of St. Andrew’s are called by God to serve in faith, hope and love in the core of Toronto” and an action plan to implement it. Next came the Out-of-the-Cold program, Thursday Communion, the Boarding Homes Ministry, Bible Study groups, SAGA, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, fall, Advent and Lenten lectures, even a web site and, yes, another successful fundraising campaign.

The congregation has been renewed – almost 50% of our present congregation has joined since Cameron’s arrival. And the cultural mix has changed; we’re no longer a people primarily of Scottish ancestry. Look around when you are next in church – not all the faces are white, and several have names I can’t pronounce.

In evaluating all this activity we need to pay attention to some words from the message written by Cameron in one of the recent annual reports:

“If you want the real pulse of the community of faith and a true sign of the life and vitality of St. Andrew’s you have to look beyond the printed reports. Men and women gathering for worship, praying with and for one another …caring for one another, serving one another and the wider community ….. that’s the flesh and blood of this congregation. Statistics are important but it’s the story that counts, God’s story, this Church’s story … a story that is full of hope…love … renewal. Daily it touches more people than we can know. The numbers only begin to hint at it”.