Our History
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- Last Updated on Saturday, 14 October 2023 10:06
Osgoode-Kars United Church is the amalgamtion of St. James (Osgoode) and Trinity (Kars) as of 2021. See below for a history of the 2 churchs.
St. James United Church
A movement was started in 1906, which resulted in the erection and opening in 1910, of the Methodist Church on the current site of St. James United Church. The Ministers who served the Osgoode Station Methodists between 1910 and 1925 were: Rev. W. T. Brown, Rev. L. H. Fisher, Rev. D. D. Elliot, Rev. C. H. Brown, and Rev J. J. Ernest Brownlee.
During part of this same time, the Presbyterians formed a congregation in Osgoode Station as part of a 3 part charge including Wellington (now Kars) and North Gower, where the manse was located. Ministers who served the Osgoode Presbyterian Church were: Rev. J. H. Woodside, Rev. D. A. McCuaig, Rev. W. A. McWilliam, Rev. John McKinnon. and Rev. Sutherland Wood.
With Church Union in 1925, the Presbyterians and Methodists united and chose to use the larger Methodist church building as their place of worship. The Charge, formed at the time of Union, also included Trinity United Church at Kars.
In 1927, a committee was formed to either remodel the present building or construct a new church. Remodeling was the selected course of action. A major improvement was the installation of electric lights. In the following year, name selection by ballot chose "St. James" over the name "Emmanuel" for the newly united congregation.
By the 1950's, the condition of the church building, plus the need for Christian Education space, resulted in decision to construct a new Church. The Church that was built in 1910 was de-dedicated and sod turned for the construction of the present Church, on June 10, 1962. The new building was erected on the site, and dedicated on August 24th, 1964. An additional piece of land to accommodate the new Church building and parking was obtained at that time.
The congregation has made improvements over the years including: completing the sanctuary interior, adding a new piano/organ and sound system, completing a new interior for the basement, and remodeling the kitchen. In 2005, a major project was completed that resulted in having a Lift installed to provide handicap access to the sanctuary and basement levels, from the side entrance at ground level. This project also included the addition of a new vinyl exterior to the whole church. St. James has a sanctuary that seats 100 and a basement that seats 80 people.
Ministers who have served the St. James United are: Reverends David Smith, Arthur F. Shorten, Earl. D. Sexsmith, Wesley Jones, Murray Jose, Warren Dickson, Archie Manson, Kenneth Robinson, William E. Brignall, Charles Massey, Earl K. St. Jean, Tom Sherwood, Carmen G. Beckel, David Chesney, Dr. Daniel Hansen, Kim Vidal and currently Reverend Grant McNeil.
Our major fund raisers are our spring Fish Fry, and our fall Ribfest, both with take-outs. Another project is the annual pie, cake/cookie and drinks for Canada Day celebrations. The most active group in the church continues to be the UCW. They are the catalyst that organizes events including the above three major events.
Our Sunday School opens in September and concludes with a fun Family swim and BBQ in June.
In a community setting such as Osgoode Village, our Church provides meeting places for the Guides, Browns and Sparks and other groups. We have expanded accessibility with our new lift and hope to attract more use; a community service.
We believe that the words sent to our congregation at the opening of the current Church building in 1964 by its former minister, Rev. Warren Dickson (1952 - 1954), inspires us with a sense of obligation to reach out to the community in which we live.His words are: "May it always be a Church of the warm heart, of the open mind, of the adventurous spirit; the Church that cares, that heals hurt lives, that comforts old people, one that challenges youth. May it always be a high Church, a broad Church, and a low Church; high as the ideals of Jesus, broad as the love of God, low as the humblest man. May it be a working Church, a winsome Church, a praying Church and a missionary Church, the Church of the living God."
Trinity United
The Church:
Trinity United Church, in Kars, was originally a Methodist church with roots going back to the early 1800s as part of the Rideau Circuit. In 1860, North Gower was formed into a separate circuit comprised of North Gower, Malakoff, Wellington (present day Kars) and Manotick.
It is now one point of the two-point charge, Osgoode-Kars Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada.
The Building
The Sanctuary
Interesting facts and ramblings
Chronological history
More information
The Building
The first building on this site, land donated by Robert and Margaret Eastman, was officially dedicated on March 10, 1861. It was a wooden structure, 30' x 60' with capacity for 150 people.
The current building, known as Wellington Methodist Church until Church Union in 1925, was completed in 1895. The locally quarried stone building was designed in the Gothic Revival style with a flat mill-cut stone trim of an earlier time.
Two distinctive front entry porches invite worshipers and village visitors. Trinity was designated as a Heritage Building by the Rideau Township Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) in 1983.
The bell tower contains an 1896 bronze cast bell approximately 3 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter that still rings every Sunday morning.
The church bell was donated by Mr. John Greer just a short time before the church was dedicated in March 1896. It is inscribed “Trinity Methodist Church, of Kars, Carleton Co. March 19, 1896” and was manufactured by the E.W. Vanduzen Co. Of Cincinnati.
In early days the bell was rung continuously to signal a fire emergency in the community. Neighbours to the church had a key so they could go in to ring the bell. Older members also remember the continuous ringing of the bell to ring out V.E. Day in 1945.
The bell also rang in the new millenium.
The Sanctuary
Inside are two aisles, a central pulpit platform, and raised choir loft backed by a large original stained glass window.
Three families with early beginnings in the local Methodist Church, i.e. Chambers, Arbuckle, and Jamieson are noted in window memorials. The hardwood pews are curved; mounted on a sloping floor. Overhead, v-jointed geometric patterned panels and supporting beams show careful workmanship and the warmth of aged wood.
Interesting Facts & Ramblings
The nails that hold Trinity timbers together are square.
Trinity's church building (Wellington Methodist) debt was wiped out by three pledges of $500 each at the opening worship service in the fall of 1895.
Our church has an in-ground time capsule.
Our building is also a survey marker for Mapping and Surveys Canada. (See the north wall.)
The cement blocks in the front porches are not original but were added in the 1950's and are in their own way becoming historic because they were manufactured by Boyd Bros. in Osgoode, famous for the "Boyd Block" house.
The late Betty Dillon and her husband, Randolph remembered Randolph's father, Richard Howard Dillon describing how, in 1894, at the age of 14 years, he helped to load and drive horse-drawn wagons of stone from the quarry on Limebank Rd. to the building site for Wellington Methodist Church.
In the 30's and 40's an octopus-like monster of a wood furnace of the circulating hot air variety heated the church sanctuary. An older member recalls helping to unload wood - beautiful two foot lengths of split ash, beech and hard maple - from a farm wagon for use in the church furnace. Roy Wallace, was caretaker and fired up on Saturday afternoon. Portions of the Sunday School were also heated by circular space-heating stoves using smaller sticks of wood. Firing and snow shoveling often made Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning a busy time.
In the days of non-carpeted wooden floors, not every penny got to the collection plate! Many dropped to the floor, rolled noisily down the sloped floor and came to a clanking stop in the depths of the large, cast iron, cold-air return register at the front of the church (now covered with plywood and carpet). Today's coin collectors would like to be on hand when the register cover is raised for floor repairs in 2100 or so.
Chronological History
1862
The first Methodist Church building on this site, a wooden frame building was built by James Latimer and could accommodate 150 persons. It served as a nearby community hall after the new 1895 stone church was built.
Cemetery established on surrounding land. Named Rideauvale in 1925 with separate Trustee Board.
1895
Present building completed
Quarry Stone by horse and wagon from Limebank area: $200.
Contractor, S. Stevenson Ottawa Masonry: $820.
One of the stonemasons, Wm Henry Craig, Carsonby
Contractor, Joseph Johnston, Carpenter: $1620.
Trim stone from Hull, O Wright Bros,: $181.
Transportation of Stone $262. (by water to Kars and wagon to site)
1898
First wedding in the new church; Sept. 20, David Ross McCurdy and Mary Ann Fennell. Minister - Rev. Wm. Treadrea
"Drive Sheds" built on north-west corner of the church lot as shelter for horse and vehicles.
1902
Cement floor added to basement, $10
1917
Sunday School rooms built in basement.
1925
Union of Methodist, Congregational and some Presbyterian churches in Canada to form United Church of Canada. Kars and Osgoode (St. James United) congregations became joint charge.
1930's
Active organizations: Sunday School, Choir, Women's Association, Women's Missionary Society, Mission Band and Young People's Union.
1967
Major Addition: entry, washrooms, and Sunday School meeting room added to south side of building. Inside washrooms at last!
1973
Exterior and interior sound systems installed.
1975
"History of Trinity United" written by Audrey Renton as a Sunday School project and to mark the 50th year of the United Church of Canada.
1995
Celebrations of 100th anniversary of church building, special services/community events/commemorative tree and time capsule planting.
1998
Building survives severe Ice Storm of Jan. 1998 except for damaged heritage maples along south-east property line (and in cemetery)
2001
Building shared for a few months with congregation of St. John the Baptist Anglican church, Kars, during extensive renovations to their historic building.
1975 - 2002
Changes and upgrades to organ, sanctuary lighting, carpet, heating, electrical, window maintenance, porches, masonry, grounds, shrubs, planting of a tree to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the building.
2006
The church basement is redecorated. New carpet and paint and a good de-cluttering breathed new life into the space.
For More Information On the History of Trinity United Church:
Archives:
United Church (Ottawa-Montreal Conference)
Dr. Donald McKenzie (613) 233-2080
City of Ottawa (North Gower Branch)
(formerly Rideau Township Archives)
(613) 489-2926
Publications:
Tweedsmuir History by the Women's Institute of Kars
Kars on the Rideau by Coral Lindsay, 1972
History of Trinity United Church by Audrey Renton, 1975
Carleton Saga by Harry and Olive Walker, 1975
Who's Where - A Guide to the Cemeteries of Rideau Township by Jim Kennedy, 1980
Trinity Memories 100th Anniversary Booklet, 1995
