Advent Calendar of Memories 2013 - December 24 Christmas Eve

I don't remember what we did when I was young. I am sure we tuned into the radio to hear the report of Santa's status. We would likely be excited and have trouble falling to sleep. My great Aunt Margaret spent many Christmas holidays with us when she was living in Southern Ontario. Once we had a television, we would watch special Christmas shows before it was time to get ready for bed. I don't recall ever opening any gifts on Christmas Eve.

In my teen years, I either went to church with my brother and his girl friend or went to one of the churches holding services on a rotation. As an adult, I remember going with my mother and father to our church. They were in the choir on Christmas Eve once they retired.If the weather was co-operative, we would go for a drive after the service and see the Christmas lights. Before the services became family oriented, I showed a Christmas Eve movie with the children in the Sunday School hall. 

 While we had the supermarket, Christmas Eve was a busy one right up to 10 p.m. when they closed. Then my parents had to come home to prepare the bank deposit.

One year we spent Christmas at my sister's and on Christmas Eve we attended the church service there. 

Christmas 2002 was spent in Guatemala. Christmas Eve day is a big day in Guatemala . In the morning we saw some places in Guatemala City. In the afternoon, the extended family started to gather. They all made us feel so welcome. It was such a beautiful warm day and it was great to sit outside and visit. We were able to eat our Christmas turkey dinner outdoors. Some of the family departed for their own homes.

Because of our big dinner was served in the late afternoon, we only had a light supper of the traditional Christmas Eve meal of tamales. During the evening, we could hear firecrackers being set off.
 We were all waiting until midnight.  Ear plugs in place and with my hands over my ears, I went outside the gates of the home into the streets with the other members of the family to watch the lighting of the firecrackers which are in rounds and to see some of the fireworks shooting high above the city. I didn’t last very long outside.  Then it was time to open gifts.

Tonight I will attend the Family Service. After that I will likely watch some television.

To all, I wish a Merry Christmas and a time of creating new memories for you and yours.

In the language of my Germanic ancestors Fröhliche Weihnachten. In the languages of my immediate family, I wish all my readers Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, and Feliz Navidad.

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! 

photo from Christmas 1952 - Ted, Nancy and Janet

updated 2013

© 2013 Janet Iles

January 1, 2012 - An ending and a beginning

January 1st is often a day of reflection on the year past and looking forward to what the new year will hold. Today, I am reflecting on not only one year but many years. Today, is a day of mixed emotions.

Today, at about 11 a.m. Knox United Church, Owen Sound will cease to exist as a place of worship. Since 1873, when the congregation of Knox Presbyterian moved into a brand new building, this building has been the church home for many.  They had outgrown the frame building, several blocks away.

The congregation has its roots in a Free Presbyterian Church that was officially recognized in the village of Sydenham, as Owen Sound was then known, in 1846. That church became known as Chalmers' Church. In the early 1850s, changes were happening. Some left to establish a church below the hill. Some were likely not comfortable being part of the Free Presbyterian because they had been members of the Church of Scotland and as the community was growing in size, there were enough people to have an another place of worship for Presbyterians/Church of Scotland in the village. Amongst the folk of Chalmers, some wanted the church to be closer to the country as Chalmers had drawn people from the countryside. The ministers from Chalmers had also travelled to different parts of Grey County to provide the Sacraments.

In about 1855, Knox Presbyterian Church was formed and in 1857, the congregation of Knox moved to a frame building on Boyd's Street (5th Avenue East), which was located below the hill.  Because of missing documents, the earliest records that I have found so far, that show the name Knox in existence were from 1863. The congregation outgrew the frame church building and thus the move to the present building in 1873.

The church building was enlarged in  1886 and a Sunday School wing added in 1908. Some structural changes were needed when the Casavant organ, opus 794, was added in 1919. It was dedicated to the memory of the soldiers from Knox who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the Great War.

For some people, they say it is just a building. The church is a people and that we shouldn't get attached to a building. I say it is like your family home. When you leave your home even if it is for a happy reason, it is still a change. You are leaving a place of many memories -- happy and sad.

For me Knox has been my church home all my life. Even when I went away to attend school and to teach in Northern Ontario for one school year, I never left Knox as a church member. The last few years, I have spent many hours in researching the church's history. I am a third generation member of Knox. Some have been a part of this church family as a fifth generation member.

Talk of amalgmations and closing of churches is not a new thing. Even when I was a teenager, some suggested that Owen Sound had too many United Churches (five in a city of less than 20,000 people). Some thought Knox should close back then. Owen Sound currently has four United Churches and in a couple of hours, there will be three. The large number was due to the formation of the United Church of Canada in 1925, some had been Methodists while others had been Presbyterian.

During the last couple of years, Knox has been looking at its options. On May 15, 2011, the congregations of Knox United and Division St. United both voted to amalgamate with each other. It was not to be a merger but an amalgamation. It has been compared to a marriage where there has to be give and take on both sides. Like in some marriages, one will go to live in the home of the other.

Since May, two committees have worked very hard to make this transition go as smoothly as possible: the Joint Amalgamation Committee (composed of members of both congregations and a representative of Northern Waters Presbytery) and the Joint Needs Assessment Committee [JNAC] (composed of members of both congregations and two representatives of Northern Waters Presbytery). I served on JNAC.

This morning, both congregations will begin their services in their own buildings. Part way through the service, both congregations will exit their buildings. Let's hope the weather will cooperate. Some special items from Knox will be carried down the street to the former Division St. building.

We will gather together outside and enter together into Georgian Shores United Church to conclude our time of worship. There will be a New Years Levee to follow with light refreshments.

On January 1, you also look ahead. We know the months ahead will be a time of adjustment for members of both former congregations. There will be times, we will say but we did it this way in my church. As in a marriage, you choose to honour traditions of your birth family but you also develop your own traditions. So it will be with Georgian Shores.

I am sure that some tears will be shed today as we say goodbye to our church building (I have shed some already this morning) but we look forward to new possibilities for service and worship with a larger congregation. May God bless this union and each one who will be part of it.

© 2012 Janet Iles

Knox congregation celebrates 165th anniversary

Although, June 4, 1846 is the official date that the congregation at Knox celebrates as its beginning, the congregation celebrated its 165th anniversary this morning. It was bittersweet as this will be its last anniversary as Knox.

In 1846, the congregation of Free Presbyterians that were worshipping in the then village of Sydenham in Grey County, Ontario was recognized by the Presbytery of Hamilton. It eventually took the name of Chalmers. Around 1855, some left to form a congregation in the valley that became Division St. Knox formed and it too went below the hill where first a frame building was built. The congregation grew and there was a need for a larger building so the current building was erected. The congregation continued to grow so an addition was added. The last addition was in 1908 with the addition of the Sunday School wing.

When the United Church of Canada was formed in 1925, some members wished to remain Presbyterian so they established St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.

Times have changed. The building is too large for the current congregation. On January 1, Knox and Division St. congregations will form a new congregation.

Here is a collage of photos taken this morning prior to and during worship. Many former members of the choir joined the joint Knox-Division Street choir to sing an arrangement of three hymns.

© 2011 Janet Iles

'Twas the Night before Christmas

December 24 - Christmas Eve
How did you and your family spend Christmas Eve?
I don't remember what we did when I was young. I am sure we tuned into the radio to hear the report of Santa's status. We would likely be excited and have trouble falling to sleep.
In my teen years, I either went to church with my brother and his girl friend or went to one of the church's holding services on a rotation. As an adult, I remember going with my mother and father to our church. They were in the choir on Christmas Eve once they retired. If the weather was co-operative, we would go for a drive after the service and see the Christmas lights. Before the services became family oriented, I did a Christmas Eve movie with the children in the Sunday School hall.
I usually go to the Christmas Eve service at our church. It is a family service at 7:30 p.m. Several times, I have been invited to friends' place for Christmas cookies and a visit after the service.
To all, I wish a Merry Christmas and a time of creating new memories for you and yours.
In the language of my Germanic ancestors Fröhliche Weihnachten and in the Scots Gaelic of my Scottish ancestors Nollaig chridheil
In the languages of my immediate family Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad
This is the last posting in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2007 hosted by Thomas MacEntee. This has been fun. I have enjoyed being a part of this activity. Thank you to everyone for sharing your memories and visiting my blog.

Christmas Church Services

December 17 - Christmas Church Services

Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?

Our family attended church every Sunday so it was no different during the Christmas season. Of course, there were some special services.

During the period leading up to Christmas there was Advent. I do not remember lighting Advent candles until after I was a Sunday School Teacher. The church would be decorated with lights and a Christmas tree.

For many years, the most important service was the Carol Service. At first, it was only offered once but the demand was so great it was put on twice. The church organist/choir leader, Victor Kerslake, would work with the choirs for months. The church would be packed (near 900 people I figure). There would be choirs, ensembles and solos. The children's choir that I was part of would be in the side galleries - the boys on the east and the girls on the west. For many years, a wooden platform would be put up to extend the pulpit area. Unfortunately, a minister came who didn't permit this anymore. The intermediate choir (older teens and early 20s would sit on this extended platform.) The service was mostly music with only a few readings. 

I am not sure how many years our church did the carol service. It started before I was born. I had planned to check in the church archives this morning when I went but church has been cancelled for today. The minister and church organist are not able to make it. [Our area is not getting as much snow as other districts but still there are cancellations on the radio for many activities.]

If Christmas Day fell on a Sunday, we would open our gifts from Santa before going to church. The Christmas gifts would be opened in the afternoon. 

As a teen, on Christmas Eve, I would sometimes go with my brother and his girl friend to her church for the special Christmas Eve service. One year, my sister and I were in a young peoples' group at a neighbouring church and our group looked after the service and the lunch that followed. That year, Santa had arrived before we got home but we did not look at what he brought. 

When I was teaching French for the Central Algoma School Board (near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) 1971-2, I lived on St. Joseph's Island and went to Harmony-St. Mark's United, I joined the choir. At Christmas, we put on a Christmas Cantata with a gospel style. That was fun to do!

Thanksgiving (Canadian style)

Thanksgiving Sunday, World Wide Communion and a Baptism all in one day. A great day to celebrate and give things.

This weekend is a time to think about all the great things we have in our lives and to give thanks.

I hope you have the opportunity to spend time with family and friends.

Photo take this morning before the service.