Stevensville Church celebrating 200-year anniversary this weekend
October 31, 2024 at 8:59 PM
Two centuries of worship are being celebrated at a local church.
St. John’s Stevensville United Church is marking its 200-year anniversary this weekend with a community event on Friday as well as a service on Sunday.
“It’s a great feeling to know that 200 years ago a group of people decided to start something, and we are in position to continue it,” said Reverend Bill Thomas, who leads the church with his wife Reverend Dr. Cheryl Wood.
The milestone will look back on the past but also serve as an opportunity to imagine another 150 to 200 years at the church.
“It’s very much a forward-looking process,” he told Fort Erie Radio.
Credit: St. John’s Stevensville United ChurchIn 1824, a small group of German speaking immigrants gathered together in praise and worship.
Although they were from many religious backgrounds including Lutheran, Reformed, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Quaker, Gypsy and Jewish, “they were united by a common language and their love of God,” explains a pamphlet that will be handed out on the weekend.
Gathering first in each other’s homes, this “small community of believers” soon raised the 35 pounds sterling needed to build a simple log church.
The church has seen many changes over the last 200 years, and as the various denominations separated to form their own churches, the reformed and evangelical worshippers persevered.
When the First World War ended, the congregation decided to worship in English.
In 1956, St. John’s Evangelical Church joined the United Church of Canada.
In 1982, the congregation called the Reverend Judith Vaclavik, the 45th minister and first woman to offer pastoral leadership. In 1991, St. John’s and Stevensville United Churches amalgamated, which is how the church functions today.
An addition in 2006 doubled the size of the church located at 14789 Sodom Road.
On Friday, two new stained-glass windows will be unveiled to those in attendance, and again to churchgoers at Sunday’s service.
The church is also home to the Morningstar Gallery, an art gallery that will hold historic information for guests on Friday.
The event on Friday starts at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday’s service takes place at 11 a.m.
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About The Author
Kris Dubé
Kris is a veteran journalist who has worked in Niagara for close to 20 years. He is also a lifelong resident of Fort Erie, a place he plans to call home and raise his family for many more years.
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