THE HISTORY OF SYDENHAM STREET UNITED CHURCH

Ralph Waldo Emerson made a statement “There is properly no history-only biography-the life stories of a multitude of men and women, boys and girls, who, down through the years have worshiped God and enjoyed one another’s company in a variety of wonderful ways.”

Our church has been saying to each one of us the words of Robert Browning “Grow old with me. The best is yet to be. Our times are in His hand who saith “a whole I planned. Youth shows but half, trust God, see all, nor be afraid.”

The Brantford Expositor issue Thursday, December 20, 1990 carried a large article and picture of Sydenham entitled “100 Years of Religious Heritage-1890-1990”. Rev. Allan M. Johnston, then the current minister contributed this article as well as the preface to the book similarly entitled by Harold B. McConachie.

Our church will celebrate another anniversary in October this year (2001) and it is still a person oriented church where laughter and humour are a regular part of the Sunday worship.

The church notice in the Expositor for the Fall 2001 had 6 headings to include the scope of our programs as follows:

SUNDAY SERVICES and ACTIVITIES
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES FOR COUPLES and SINGLES
INTERGENERATIONAL
FAITH STUDY GROUPS
OUTREACH MINISTRIES

Rev. J.R. Carbert was placed here 1991-1992 as an intentional minister.

The life and work of our church and community have been guided by 27 ministers total from the beginning to the present time. The pictures of the clergy are on the wall in the narthex as you enter the sanctuary. Lay ministers filled the breach in 1890 and various lay supply have helped from time to time as needed. The lay preachers have included Stanley Jones who is not a resident at Charlotte Villa, Brantford. We have had other lay supply, men and women including younger persons from our church and the community.

One special outreach project a number of years ago was the sponsorship with Wellington and Fairview churches of a family from Vietnam, a boat family as they were called.

We are now at the centre of activity for the Filipino community as a church and a meeting place. These outreach projects have done much to enrich our church life. Our minister, Barry Pridham is very supportive and helpful to the workers of the Caribbean community in Simcoe area. His tenure in Jamaica in the 1980’s to 1992 has contributed to his leadership in our support for Mission & Service.

Sydenham Church came into being in 1890 as a “Mission on the Hill” with Wellington Street Methodist Church as sponsor and the support and superintendence of Brant Avenue Church. Wellington’s Church building has been demolished and Brant Avenue is now a housing complex.

The memorial windows in our church tell of various former members who were influential in the life of Sydenham.

The “Silver Jubilee” of Sydenham was held October 3, 1915 and it was noted that $2,249.00 had been raised for all purposes and the minister’s salary then was $1,000.00 and a free house.

The members and adherents ratified and accepted in 1922 a plan for a new church building on the corner of Sydenham and Dundas Streets at a total cost of $43,880.00. The cornerstone of our present building was laid in 1923.

The sod turning ceremony for our church annex was held on Sunday, August 21, 1955. The cost of this building less furnishings was $56,000.00. The opening was held on Sunday, May 6, 1956.

The heating plant for our building was a hot water type and this year a new boiler, energy efficient, is being installed to produce steam in our radiator system with better results.

We are constrained some by our parking limits and we hope this may improve in the future.

Sydenham has lost 2 centenarians in the last 15 years. Mrs. Annie Bacon died January 12, 1984 and Mrs. Wesley Snider died October 19, 1987.

Sydenham is the birthplace of 2 important organizations. The Brantford Symphony Orchestra started in 1953 as a small group that has grown to a full orchestra size. They have been practicing in our auditorium on a Sunday afternoon and a number of their instruments are stored here. The late Hadley Perrin arranged for Mrs. Welthy Fisher, from India to speak at Sydenham in support of Ghandi’s plea to help the villagers of India. It was out of this meeting with Welthy and her sermon that World Literacy in Canada became a reality and Hadley Perrin became its first president in the 1950’s.

The doors of Sydenham have always been open to the community and at the present time there are three groups meeting regularly-Overeater’s Anonymous, Fur & Feather and Minor Softball.

Weddings and even funerals add to the use of our facilities.

The CRTC scheduled an application hearing for September 10, 2001 in Hull, Quebec to consider an application for a proposed radio station to feature a range of styles of Christian music on FM99.5 with the broadcast studio in Sydenham Church. If this is approved the station may be on the air by November for the sponsors.

Presented by Herb Kern at Erie Presbytery September 26, 2001