St. John the Divine Historic Church
Yale, B.C.

"Located at the southern entrance to the spectacular Fraser Canyon, the town of Yale is one of southwestern British Columbia's oldest and most historic communities, having been the bustling steamship navigation capital during the Gold Rush. (Link 1.)

"Founded as a Hudson's Bay fort in 1848, Yale rose to prominence as the inland terminus of the Fraser River sternwheelers and a waystation for those travelling up and down the Fraser River.

"Like many towns in British Columbia, Yale's fortunes followed that of the Gold Rush. In 1858 gold was discovered on a gravel bar just 2 miles south of Yale on the Fraser River. This place was soon known as Hill's Bar named after the prospector who found gold there. The discovery of gold caused a massive influx of people to pour into the region from all over the world, the majority of which came from the California Gold Rush of 1849. At the height of Gold Fever in 1858, this town boasted 20,000 residents.

"During the period of railway construction in the 1880's Yale became the main supply centre for all the work in the Cascade Division of British Columbia. The railway that now passes right through the middle of Yale in front of the museum and church is the Canadian Pacific Railway.

"Today the residents of Yale number only 200. Though the gold ran out, Yale continued prospering, as it still does today as a forestry and service centre."(See Link 4.)

Front of Church
Original 1863 Building Plans (Link 3.)

"St. John the Divine Anglican Church in Yale, BC. built in 1863 is one of the oldest churches in the province. Much of the church is still original, including the bell tower steeple and the pews. The Church was associated with the All Hallows Anglican girls school, which operated in Yale from 1884 to 1920. The Church is now de-sanctified and designated as a Provincial Heritage Site.

An exhibition entitled "Enduring Threads" was prepared by Jennifer Iredale  in 2003.  It included   handmade liturgical textiles from St. John the Divine Church  dating back to the time of its origins in the 1860s.   The catalogue is available from the Yale Museum." (See Link 1.)

Interior of Church
Original 1863 Building Plans (Link 3.)

Side and Interior of Church
Original 1863 Building Plans (Link 3.)

"While it is still not possible to attribute each piece from the Enduring Threads exhibit to its individual creators, it is now clear that they were made by First Nations and European students together with the nuns at All Hallows Anglican girls' school, which operated in Yale from 1884-1920. Three nuns from All Hallows convent  in Ditchingham, England (an order known for its fine ecclesiastical embroidery) arrived in British Columbia in 1884 to establish a school for First Nations girls from Lytton, Spuzzum and Yale, with a stun of money First Nations people had earned on construction of the railway, which they turned over to the Anglican church, says Ms. Iredale, quoting from newspaper articles of the time. A school for European girls was soon established next door at the request of settlers." (See Link 2.)

Back and Interior of Church
Original 1863 Building Plans (Link 3.)

For more on original site and architectural plans and details see Link 3.

 Photo: Taken in Yale, B.C. in 2005 by SW.
Link1:http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/cura/projects/liturgical_textiles/home.html
Link2:http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Housekeeping+task+turns+up+treasures.-a0112244682
Link 3:http://www.bcheritage.ca/yale/tour/drstjhn.htm
Link 4: http://www.vancouverisland.com/regions/towns/?townID=3380

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen

680 Courtenay Street

1890 Church

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Victoria, B.C.

"The 1868 Church

The 1868 Church

"First Steps

"After a number of unsuccessful attempts to resolve the difficulties with First Presbyertian Church, the newly formed congregation rented St Nicholas Hall on Broughton Street as a temporary home at a cost of $12 per month. Almost immediately they set about the task of building a new church.

"They applied to the Colonial government for a grant of land on the same terms that land had been provided to the Church of England when the colony was established. Seeing it as a troublesome precedent, the approach was quickly rejected. A request was then made to the Church of Scotland for a grant of $7,500 to assist building a church. After some consideration, the Colonial Committee of the church approved a grant of $2,500 and urged further discussions with First Presbyterian Church as the congregation there was very much smaller and the church building not well used. The discord of the initial separation however was still too fresh for a settlement to be reached.

"On March 21st 1868 a lot was acquired at the north east corner of Broughton and Courtney at a cost of $900. The building committee offered a prize of $100 for a church plan. H.O. Tiedemann's gothic style plan was selected and a contract for construction was awarded to Hayward and Jenkins. Tiedemann is perhaps better know as a surveyor who did a great deal of work mapping the interior

Navy Window

"Laying the Cornerstone 

"The lot was cleared, ground broken on August 4th and the cornerstone laid with a full Masonic ceremony on August 20th. There, representatives from Nanaimo and New Westminster and both the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the newly formed Grand Lodge of England participated. Rev Somerville, as the Chaplain of the Scottish Lodge, opened the ceremonies by depositing coins, a Masonic scroll and newspapers in an metal box in the stone. In a Masonic tradition, the plumb, level and square were applied by the officers of the Order and the Grand Master gave three knocks saying "May the Almighty Architect of the Universe look down with benignity upon our present undertaking and crown the edifice with success". Wine, corn and oil were applied to the cornerstone and the 100th Psalm sung. In his comments, Rev Somerville praised the recent decision the Lords and Privy Council to place Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians on equal footing in the colonies.(1) The contents of the stone were recovered when the building was demolished in 1935 and the stone itself occupies a place of honour in the current church. 

Main Floor South Window

"Fundraising and Dedication

"The total cost of the new church was about $12,000 with the Church of Scotland contributing a very generous $7,500 and the Presbyterian Church in Canada $300. $575 was raised by the ladies of the church at soirees and concerts with tickets to the gala purchased broadly throughout the community. As was the practice of the day pews were rented by subscription and most had been sold before opening day. The church was dedicated and opened on April 4, 1869 with the service taken by Mr Lindsay of Portland in the morning and Mr Aitkens of First Presbyterian Church in the afternoon.

The Last Supper Window

"The Building 

"The gothic style church measured 82 ft 10 inches by 50 ft and could accommodate about 250. In 1881, the congregation acquired a new organ. The local newspaper reported that "besides being nearly as wide again as the Methodist instrument it is much loftier and will altogether present a much fined appearance. As John Robson, and elder of the Church was also the editor, we cannot altogether discount a degree of Presbyterian bias in the account. (3) The main pipes of this original organ remain a prominent part of the magnificent instrument that serves the church to this day. The building continued to serve the congregation until 1890 when it could no longer accommodate the burgeoning church attendance. After it was deconsecrated, it served as the first office for the Province Newspaper. Later still when the newspaper re-located to the mainland, it was converted to a garage and automobile display room. In 1935, the building was finally demolished to make way for a new bus depot. The cornerstone was recovered and for some years served as the baptismal font in the new church." (Link 2.)

"By 1888 the congregation had grown to almost 400 and the original church was simply too small. A building committee was formed chaired by John Robson. At the time Robson was the editor of the British Colonist and a long time elder of the church. By June 19th, a site had been acquired at the corner of Douglas and Broughton at a cost of $7,000 largely because it was less expensive than other options considered. Although the city was going through tough economic times, the church had some assets at its disposal including the old church, a hall on Broughton Street and two manses. The church also had a small group of active members including Robson, Robert Dunsmuir and R.P. Rithet who were among the wealthiest men in the city. 

Front Doors of 1890 Church

"The building committee selected Leonard Butress Trimen, a prominent architect recently arrived from England, to prepare a design that would, in both scale and grandeur, stand out in the community. His design, referred to as a Scotish Baronial Style, was originally to have been completed in stone at an estimated cost of $40,000.

"The final inspection of the building was completed on October 12th and the formal opening and dedication ceremony held on January 12th 1890. The new church building was reportedly the fourth church in North America to be equipped with electric lights. At the time, the lights themselves were leased along with the electric power at a cost of $200 per quarter, a very substantial sum in 1890. (Link 2.)

"Pipe Organ

"The first organ installed for the Congregation of St. Andrew’s dates back to 1879, and that organ was installed by the S. R. Warren & Son organ builders from Toronto, Ontario. That organ had to be shipped to Victoria by sea around the Cape Horn and was reported to be the finest and largest in the Province at that time. From its earliest home to the present, the organ has undergone a number of revisions, rebuilds and upgrades. Those revisions and upgrades saw the transformation of the original organ, wind powered by a water-engine and with a disposition of 21 stops to its current version of 72 speaking stops of which 37 are pipes and the remainder  digital, all available through a beautiful Rogers Organ console installed in 2001.

"The organ contains 2190 pipes, and the latest rank installed was the Trumpet 8′ built by Casavant Organ builders in Quebec, Canada. The pipe work still uses 3 ranks from the original Warren organ and was built by the Walker organ company in 1872.

"St Andrew’s was fortunate to be able to obtain a number of ranks of pipes from Christ Church Cathedral as the Cathedral replaced their organ with a new tracker instrument. Those ranks were from the English organ builder Hill Norman and Baird and added greatly to the current ensemble. (Link 1.)

Photos: Exterior photos of 1890 church taken in 2004 by SW.
Link 1: http://standrewsvictoria.ca/?page_id=386
Link 2: http://web.uvic.ca/vv/student/st_andrews/index.php

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

349 North Main Street

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Seymour, Wisconsin

Emmanual Lutheran Church at 349 North Main Street in Seymour, Wisconsin was built in 1915. The red brick building with white Bedford stone trim around the trinity front doors features double square steeples with stained glass windows. The larger of the steeples contains a bell tower and clocks on each of its sides. A trinity stained glass window is above the front doors. The sides of the church also feature trinity stained glass windows. The church is on the corner of North Main Street and County Road G. If you travel further down North Main Street you come to the Outagamie Fair Grounds.

Sanctuary (Link 3.)

Deanna and Jay DeBruin are currently (2010) working on the history of Emmanual Lutheran Church. Here are some of the highlights from the Lutheran Standard of March 4, 1939. Rev. Frederick H. Ohlrogge was minister during the erection of the $30,000 church that was dedicated on Jan. 9, 1916. The debt was paid off in five years. The church is 110 feet long and 45 feet wide. The tallest of the square towers is 75 feet high. The front doors are of heavy oak. The Gothic design of the interior features a wooden altar in a large semicircular niche twenty feet wide. A life sized figure of the Lord with arms outstretched stands in the center of the altar and in the lower part a plaque of the Last Supper. The organ is in the rear balcony that seats 100. The main floor seats about 500. Cark Reiman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a member of the Stained Glass Association of America 1912-1923 was the designer of the interior and the Neo-Gothic stained glass windows.

Note: Emmanual Lutheran was the church of Marie Juergenmeyer, Seymour Wisconsin, grandmother of Suzanne Marie Wilson, North Vancouver B.C., and great-great grandmother of Holly Marie Misner, Spokane Washington.

Suzanne remembers attending the church with her grandmother when she was a young child in the 1940's . It was there she learned the Apostle's Creed. The minister at that time was Rev. Theo Ohlrogge.

Note: See Blog  Demolition Mama, Post-February 20, 2010  for more about Seymour, Wisconsin.

Thank you: To Seymour Wisconsin residents: Deanna and Jay DeBruin, Ellen Piehl, and Mark Ellis.

Photo: Taken in 2006 by SW.

Link 1: http://seymourwi.com/
Link 2: https://seymourfaith.ctsmemberconnect.net/home-ctrl.do?view=0&grpId=35013
Link 3: https://seymourfaith.ctsmemberconnect.net/home-ctrl.do

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen

                                                                                               May 6, 2012

Unitarian Universalist Church
4330 West Fort George Wright Drive

Unitarian Universalist Church 

Spokane, Washington

"Unitarian Universalism is a caring, open-minded religion that encourages you to seek your own spiritual path. Our faith draws on many religious traditions, welcoming people with different beliefs. We are united by shared values, not by creed or dogma. Our congregations are places where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our communities—and the world—a better place." (Link 1.)

The Unitarian Universalist Church on West Fort George Wright Drive in Spokane Washington consists of two large buildings joined by a reception building.  Bridging the two large buildings is the sign "Enter. Rejoice. Come In.  All Are Welcome Here". The three decorative doors under the sign were designed by  Harold Balazs. (Link 3.) This is the entrance to the reception area. 

Front Doors of Church

The building on the east is the sanctuary/fellowship hall at the south end and with a chapel at the end of the hall in the north end. The worship area is at the south end of the sanctuary/fellowship hall.  The vertical fabric banner that is on the center wall of the worship area was made by the local artist Louise Kodis. (Link 4.)  The metal  circular candle holder to the left of it was made by  Harold Balazs. 

South end of Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall

Harold Balazs made many of the decorative elements of the church: the front doors, the high row of windows in the chapel,  a metal candelabra for the worship area, and the metal light standards on the path leading from the parking lot to the church.  The building on the west side  is the education wing.

"The First Unitarian Society of Spokane Falls was born in 1887 with 20 people 

signing the charter that formally organized them as a congregation...

Their first service was held at the YMCA hall on Front and Howard....

"The debt on the church building, located on Jefferson and Sprague, was cleared by 1903 and plans were made to add a Sunday school and Parish House...Services were eventually moved to the Clemmer Theater (Currently, the Bing Crosby Theater).  The parish on Jefferson and Sprague deteriorated and was eventually condemned and torn down... from 1921 to 1924....  the Society had over 400 members...Sunday service attendance dwindled to an average of 58 in 1936...

"The Society purchased the Welch House (Known today at the Glover 
House, built in 1888 and designed by architect Kirtland Cutter, see Blog Post 4/29/12) and became the First Unitarian Church of Spokane. (circa 1945)...

321 West 8th Street  (Link 2.)

 A contemporary chapel, designed by member Moritz Kundig was built during these  years...." (Link 1.)  This chapel was built in 1960 (Link 5.) in front of the Glover Mansion, as can be seen in the photo below.  "Membership was at 220 (in 1972)...." (Link 1.)

Contemporary Chapel by Moritz Kundig.

"The new Church on Fort  George Wright Drive was dedicated March of 1995." (Link 1.) The chapel on the north end of the Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall building was completed in 2011.

2011 Chapel

The large north window open the room to the park like campus of the       church.The high row of west facing decorative windows were designed by Harol Balazs.  

2011 Chapel Windows

On the east side of the church campus is the newly established  Meditation Garden. 

Meditation Garden

The congregation of the Unitarian Universality Church now numbers 365.

Thank you: To congregation member Nancy Avery for a tour and information.

Photos: Taken in March 2012 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.uuspokane.org/
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glover_House.JPG

Link 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Balazs

Link 4: http://www.inlandcrafts.org/artists/kodis/kodis.htm
Link 5: http://proof.johnstonprinting.com/PROOF4_architecture.pdf