Illustration: provided
St. Thomas Anglican Church
On September 30th, St Thomas’ Anglican Church, Millbrook, will celebrate the 160th anniversary of its foundation.
The present St Thomas’ Church, which opened in 1885, is the second church on the site. The first church, which opened 30 years earlier in 1858, was of a different design: “It was built of red brick and the entrance doors were to one side. The roof had a high peak and sloped sharply to the side wall….The interior of the church was less ornate than the present building. It had old-time box pews, with doors to close once father, as head of the household had ushered his family into their particular seating space” (from This Green & Pleasant Land, 1990, p. 42). Before St Thomas’ was built, the Anglican congregation met at St Paul’s, on 4th (Zion) Line which was built in 1837. However, with rapid population and commercial growth occurring in Millbrook, there was an obvious need for an Anglican Church in the village itself. Until the first church was completed, the Anglican congregation met in the old town hall. At the occasion of the opening of the first St Thomas’, the Millbrook Messenger reported: “The Church was crowded. Henceforth there will be Divine service in the Church every Sunday evening, at six o’clock….Too much praise cannot be awarded to those who exerted themselves to procure the completion of the Church” (This Green and Pleasant Land, p. 42).
Due to changes in Canadian society, St Thomas’ Millbrook–like so many other churches–may no longer be crowded (except for weddings and funerals). However, the present church is still the home of a small but active community of Anglicans who are committed to maintaining the building not only as a house of worship but as a centre for community outreach. St Thomas’ parish hall is offered free-of-charge or for a nominal fee to community groups such as Community Care Millbrook, the Girl Guides, the Millbrook & District Garden Club, and 4th Line Theatre. At the church’s monthly Community Dinner (“cost: $2 if you can–more if you wish”) over 100 people are served a delicious spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings. Any ‘profit’ from the dinners is donated to other community groups, such as the Medical Centre Board or the Community Centre fundraising initiative. So outreach is at the very heart of this church.
Will St Thomas’ Church, Millbrook, still be standing in another hundred years? When asked that question, the current priest-in-charge, Rev. Rob Ross, answered: “I certainly hope so! While it is true that the church would continue to exist in another setting, I personally think it would be a pity to have to close or sell this building which is so steeped in the history of this area and is an important part of our religious heritage and our streetscape in Millbrook. However, the fact is that it is harder and harder for our small congregation to pay to maintain our building. We would love to have some new members who could be part of our Sunday worship our strong tradition of outreach to others in the community. We are an inclusive and open-minded congregation and would welcome any person of good will to become involved in the church in whatever way they feel comfortable”
The 160th anniversary celebration will take place at the regular Sunday service on September at 10.30 am and will continue following the service with a home-made soup and sandwich lunch in the parish hall. All are welcome to the service and/or the lunch.
By Rob Ross, Priest in Charge
