St. Giles celebrates 100th anniversary
St. Giles Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Bank and First, is celebrating its centennial this year.
St. Giles celebrates 100th anniversary
By. Nancy Lee
St. Giles Presbyterian Church is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a welcoming faith community in the heart of the Glebe since it was founded in 1925.
The congregation became permanently established under its first minister Rev. Archibald Cameron in the building designed by architect John Pritchard Maclaren.
In 1931, the congregation inducted its second minister the Very Reverend Dr. John Logan-Vencta who, with his wife Ruby, served St. Giles until his retirement in 1969. He supported many local charities with a focus on education and self-improvement. During the Second World War, Dr. Logan-Vencta attained the rank of colonel and became the Canadian Army’s principal Protestant chaplain. He saw service in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and northwest Europe, being twice “mentioned in dispatches” and decorated by King George VI with an OBE (Order of the British Empire).
Dr. Logan-Vencta had had First World War experience with the Highland Brigade in the Imperial Army, so it was not unexpected that he would become associated with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. As a result of this association, the Colours of the Camerons were deposited with St. Giles for the duration of the war; when new regimental colours were presented by the Queen in 1967, the old ones were laid up at St. Giles. In recent years, this long association between the church and the Camerons has culminated in the Cameron’s pipe band hosting successful fundraising concerts on behalf of the Centretown Emergency Food Centre.
While St. Giles has been fortunate to have had many devoted and giving congregants, Dr. Pauline Brown deserves special mention. Dr. Brown served 72 years as a missionary nurse in Jobat, India where, among many roles, she served as director of Jobat Christian Hospital. In 2001, she received the Order of Canada for her dedicated service.
St. Giles has always played an active role in the community. In addition to the Cameron concert, the church is a generous financial supporter of the Centretown Emergency Food Centre and many of the members have served as volunteers. The Great Glebe Garage Sale also sees the church members actively participating. St. Giles assists many charities both here and abroad and supports literacy programs through year-round sales of books. It also provides a venue for many Alcoholics Anonymous groups. In addition, rental space is available for occasional use.
Perhaps the most ambitious project undertaken by the church was the St. Giles restaurant booth at the Central Canada Exhibition, which operated from 1957 until 1997. Every August, the congregation was galvanized into cooking roast turkeys and beef for hot and cold sandwiches, ordering food and other supplies and recruiting volunteers to fill shifts for a 16-hour-a-day operation for 10 days. It was hard work, but it was fun and fostered companionship both within the congregation and for all the friends, young and old, who offered their help. A guiding principle of the St. Giles Ex booth was that it should serve a triple purpose: helping the church financially, providing a venue for fellowship and being a Christian presence in the community.
St. Giles aspires to continue this mission heading into the next 100 years. Under the kind and dedicated stewardship of the present minister Paul Wu and his wife Daisy, St. Giles still plays an active role in the community.
Please come visit us at the corner of Bank and First Avenue for the Great Glebe Garage Sale on May 24 and at Doors Open Ottawa on June 7 when you can enjoy the beautiful stained-glass windows, tour the church, see the regimental flags of the Cameron Highlanders along with other displays of the church’s history and perhaps pick up a book or two at the book nook.
Nancy Lee is a longtime member of the St. Giles congregation.