Still praising the Lord
Glace Bay Baptist Church celebrates 144 years
These are the churches operating in Glace Bay in 1976, from the town’s 75th anniversary booklet.
June 11 was Davis Day. It would also have been my father’s 85th birthday.
Where was I at? The same place I am every Sunday morning, at church. Back in November I wrote a story about St. John the Baptist church being demolished. I was also asked if I was going to write about the Jewish church (Yes, Mr. Goldman, we will talk).
I do find it sacrilegious to see “For Sale” signs on churches or hear of Chase the Ace being held there. Today’s writing is about a good thing, Glace Bay Baptist Church’s 144th anniversary. About to say “my church,” I realized it’s God’s church, not mine, and everyone is welcome. It’s quite a feat in modern day to see services continuing as people drift away from their faith and churches amalgamate or close.
Coal Town Chorus celebrated this special anniversary with us in song. “The God of the Mountain is the God of the Valley, and the God of the day is the God of the night,” as only they can sing it, still reverberates in my head! A couple dozen people regularly attend services, but on this occasion, about 100 people came to celebrate, worship, and praise the Lord with joyful noise and plenty of good food and fellowship. Rev. Allan MacLellan, former minister from the 1980s gave a thought-provoking message, “The Homecoming.”
The Town of Glace Bay’s 75th anniversary booklet showed all the churches in Glace Bay in 1976. How many churches are still functioning today? I don’t know, but I doubt many fill all the pews. A far cry from a report I read of a downtown Catholic church in 1901 with a congregation of “several thousand.” Glace Bay Baptist Church provides seating for 400 people, but I’ve never seen it full. Many big old churches built around 1900 had the miners “check-off” automatically finance them. With wars, the Great Depression, strikes and miners losing their jobs and leaving the area, some churches had hard times. A member of our church since 1951 remembers her father being instrumental in re-instituting the “check-off” system in the 1950s to help out financially. Times have certainly changed and faith, morals, and values are very different from in those days. There are still some faithful today who believe, where God guides, God provides. And the church still exists because God allows it to, and will not allow Satan to prevail against it.
Although originally known as United Baptist Church, it officially became Glace Bay Baptist Church in 2006 to avoid confusion with United Churches. Glace Bay Baptist Church began in 1863 when a Martell family moved here from Mira under leadership from Rev. J.F. Kempton. A church was organized under Mira and Homeville’s section of Home Mission Board of the Maritime Baptist Convention. Of the 13 members, eight were Martells. By 1873, a meeting place was built on Commercial Street, but destroyed in the 1874 gale. A larger church was built, but it burned down, destroying records from 1885-94. The pastor at the time was paid $500 annually. By 1902, membership had increased to 96 and meetings were held in Union Street YMCA until the current building was built by Chappell Bros. of Sydney with Dan E. Cameron as contractor. The cost at the time was $10,000. Glace Bay Baptist Church was dedicated Oct. 18, 1902, with Rev. Dr. Thomas Trottle, Acadia University president, officiating.
In the 1940s, Elias Denny, was superintendent with 100 children attending Sunday school. They made history as the first Protestant Sunday school within the town. Their bible class had 128 in attendance; of these, seven entered the ministry! I’ve heard the invention of the TV blamed for the downfall in church attendance.
Changes over time reduced the deacon’s board from 12 men to a smaller group of both women and men. Whereas an old-fashioned patriarchal minister used to preach, Elizabeth Hazelhurst now pastors the church. The first woman pastor was actually Rev. Jennifer Smart in the 1990s.
The pipe organ installed in 1922, though no longer used, still graces the majestic old building. It was installed under the direction of Rev. Dr. MacVoy, friend of Canadian Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris, sent here to report on the 1925 miners strike for the Toronto Star. The Baptist doctrine of baptism by immersion is still paramount. The gospel of Jesus Christ is preached on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m., with the Lord’s supper served the first Sunday of each month. A The majestic old Glace Bay Baptist Church on York Street has a long and colourful history, from its very small beginnings with only 13 members.
community outreach program called Do Drop In meets alternate Thursday afternoons for games and fellowship. A parsonage that used to be part of the church was torn down in 2001.
Paraphrasing the first two of the Ten Commandments — Love God, and love people — are the real amazing grace of this church. In Glace Bay’s 50th anniversary address, Mayor D.A. MacDonald wished “the biggest town in Canada a future, we trust, with God’s blessing, will be a happy and prosperous one.” To God be the glory! Great things He hath done!