posted on December 1, 2005 in Presbytery Profile | Be the First to Comment | Print

Share :

The Presbytery of Huron-Perth is situated in an almost magical slice of Southern Ontario heaven. Tourists, summer cottagers, retirees and long-established small-town folks enjoy the perks of living in this paradise, and file through the doors of the presbytery's 24 churches (in 19 charges). Only three of those lie vacant. While some congregations attract 15 to 50 people on a Sunday, there are others, like St. Mary's that holds two services for its 230 weekly parishioners (in a town of 6,200) and Knox, Listowel, which welcomes 148 worshippers in a town of 5,400.

With 71 per cent of Huron County's population claiming British ancestry, the flock for Presbyterian churches seems solid. They haven't yet had to contend with the rapidly changing demographics of urban centres. Overall, their numbers are actually improving. While the number of adherents has dropped by 114 between 2003 and 2004, both their members (up 170 to 5,348) and attendance (from 1,690 to 2,005) increased over the same time.

An annual intergenerational pie-making fundraiser at Melville, Brussels.

Yet, the presbytery has the same woes of other rural and small-town areas-that of losing residents (particularly young ones) to the lure of job prospects in big cities. Huron County has more census farms (3,260) and more acres of farmland (711,525) than any other county or district in the province. And as Terry Hastings, minister at Knox, Stratford, said, as people leave the farms, there simply isn't anyone left in the ranks. "There's really no growth base to call upon. There's no new blood, so when people leave or die, there's no one to replace them," he said. "There are some congregations doing outreach to the community, but there just aren't the numbers to be sustainable in the long run."

Rev. Peter Bush of Knox, Mitchell, (established in 1849) believes success for the future rests with lay ministry. "This presbytery and the church have to think differently of what normal church looks like. We haven't understood what a change that can make."

He said only "opening the doors to a radical commitment" to lay ministry will ensure that congregations where 20, 30 or 40 people gather will have a viable ministry in the long run. "The hardcore, financial reality is that unless you have 150 to 300 people in the pews on Sunday, you can't afford a full-time minister. We'll eventually get to the point where we need to put five or six congregations together to number that many. We need a new model."

Bush is strongly opposed to closing buildings just because a small congregation gathers there. He explores alternatives in his upcoming book, Where 20 or 30 Are Gathered: Leading Worship in the Small Church, which he wrote with Christine O'Reilly, minister at Knox, Thedford and St. Andrew's, Watford. Bush said the General Assembly has heard inklings of some ministers' desires to enhance lay ministry in the church, but according to him, the assembly "hasn't taken them seriously."

In his congregation, they have two lay worship teams who each handle worship preparation, planning and execution every six weeks. They also have two lay preachers. The congregation helps train other congregations wanting to move in the same vein.

With the presbytery so steeped in history (every congregation began in the mid- to late-1800s), it may be that long-time members (many of whom are descendants of the congregations' founders) are reluctant to change. But Bush says this isn't necessarily the case. "It can go both ways," he said. "Part of the history is that there has been change," noting the addition of using organs during worship and incorporating contemporary music into services. "The history isn't necessarily a problem. It can be a tool. People may think, 'They changed in the past, we can change in the future.'"

Knox, Bayfield, knows what it's like to rely on other forms of ministry. For about 25 years, they've employed a summer student to minister to their then-seasonal church. The number of up-and-coming ministers who have passed through Bayfield's doors is something the congregation is proud of. "A significant portion of Presbyterian ministers have passed through our hands," said Ed Kelly, an elder and member of the church for about 20 years. "They get topped up here before moving on. We're very pleased with our part in that." Some have called Knox the church's "other seminary" because of the function it has served.

Although the small town of Bayfield "is plagued with all the usual problems," according to Kelly, such as losing teens and youth from church, families moving to cities, seniors dying, and no industry in the town to bring new blood, things are looking up for the congregation. After several years of gradually extending the church's season, it is now a year-round church. They inducted a permanent minister in October.

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank has benefited from the hard work of many in the presbytery, where a growing project has contributed $1-million-worth of grain over 10 years.

Knox, Stratford, (established in 1844) has many projects underway. One program that is taking off is their wiggery (see March 2005 Record). Started in Nov. 2004, the wiggery offers wigs, hats and scarves to cancer patients in the community. Within the first month, half a dozen people called on the service and Hastings said it keeps growing. They're even helping other congregations start similar projects.

Knox also sent two teams to Mississippi to help clean-up after Hurricane Katrina. The teams are some of the first organized by the national church, in partnership with the Presbyterian Church (USA). "It's been a super-active year for the congregation," said Hastings. "It's exciting to be a part of it."

Knox has also been working closely with St. Andrew's, Stratford, established in 1838, making it the oldest church in the city. The two congregations are in preliminary talks about possibly merging and have enjoyed a close mission relationship because of it. They are currently working on a Habitat for Humanity project in nearby St. Mary's.

Rev. Cathrine Campbell, presbytery clerk and minister at Melville, Brussels, and Knox, Belgrave, said the challenges of the presbytery can be found in many others-including money issues and dwindling numbers. However, she said even in small congregations, the members are active and lively. "It's healthy in the sense that there is strong lay leadership in many churches. They have a can-do attitude." She said this can partially be attributed to the legacy of their ancestors, who founded many of the congregations in the presbytery. "If I disappeared tomorrow, my congregations would continue. They just get on with things."

She noted that the area is one where church is still a part of the community fabric. Even Melville in Brussels, a town of 1,200 with five churches, manages to continue its work. The Women's Missionary Society has been active in the charge since 1884. Melville is wheelchair accessible and offers earphones for the hearing impaired. A parish nurse has volunteered there for about seven years. They hold a Robbie Burns dinner, a special pie-making event to raise funds and an Easter breakfast run by the youth, which raises money for a child in Africa.

Knox, Goderich, also has a parish nurse, and was actually the first Presbyterian church in the area to offer this service. Established in 1835, the beautiful building has been part of Doors Open Goderich, showcasing its rich history and lovely architecture. With more than 180 people attending each Sunday, the church offers two services-traditional and contemporary. They have several choirs including a hand bell, chancel, junior and a praise band. It is also wheelchair accessible, responding to the town's growing retirement community.

A project led by Knox, Monkton, and Knox, Cranbrook, is a fitting one for a rural charge. In its twelfth year, the charge runs a growing project for Canadian Foodgrains Bank. This year they had 88 acres planted in corn and soybeans with all proceeds going to CFGB. The farmers do the work and about 10 partnering congregations provide funds for seeds and needed supplies. The project has grown every year since its inception. "We're just a small rural congregation, but it's part of our identity," said Rev. Theresa McDonald-Lee.

Since donations to CFGB are matched by the federal government on a 4:1 basis, the project-one of the first such Presbyterian projects created-has raised nearly $1 million over the last 10 years. "It's a project that makes sense for a rural congregation," said McDonald-Lee. "We're farmers helping farmers; doing what we do best to help others."