
ST. JAMES EMILY
ANGLICAN CHURCH

ABOUT US
In 2025 the Church of St James, East Emily celebrates its 180th Anniversary. Since our founding in 1845 an Anglican community has been gathering here to worship and serve our neighbours in the name of Christ.
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Emily Township began to be settled in 1825 by families who came from poverty in Ireland to make new and prosperous lives for themselves in Upper Canada. A majority of these families were Anglican, but it took fifteen years before a resident priest could be settled in their midst. Things moved quickly thereafter. St John’s, Orange Corners and Christ Church, Omemee were built between 1839 and 1840.
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Reverend Robert Harding became the third rector of the Parish of Emily in 1845 and soon after his arrival one of the original settlers, William Boate, donated land on Lot 22, in the Sixth Concession, for an Anglican church and burial ground.
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The new church was built on the northeast corner of the lot. It was made of flat pine logs, measured 36' by 40' in diameter and was painted white. It was consecrated with the name of St James the Apostle in September 1845.
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At the same time on the southeast corner of the lot an open driving shed was built to shelter horses and carriages of the congregation.
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By 1847 forty people were attending St James every Sunday. For the rest of the nineteenth century life at St James was fairly quiet and followed the Anglican routine of the time. Bible class for the children, then Evening Prayer, Litany, and Ante-Communion on Sunday afternoons; choir practice and social suppers during the week; some periodic renovations to the interior of the church; a new rector about ever five or six years.
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Then, as if to mark the new century, the original church was demolished in 1900 and the present brick fronted church was erected in its place.
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The original driving shed was replaced in 1927 during the incumbency of A.T. Weir. A church hall was built into one end of the new shed and the church interior underwent some minor renovations during the same period - for example, Mrs. Weir carved and decorated the retable, or ledge over the altar, on which to set candles and flowers.
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The next phase of the renovation began at the end of the second World War. Hydro-electric power was in stalled in 1945; a new reredos, the carved wooden panel on the wall behind the altar, was completed in 1950; the front entrance was given cement steps and an iron railing in 1951. The following year the piano was replaced by a new electric organ.
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Six years passed. Then in 1958, under Robert Mansfield, the congregation launched a complete renovation. The basement was excavated to build the present hall underneath the church and the chancel, at the east end, was extended by another eight feet; the old box stove in the church was replaced with an oil-fired furnace heating the entire building; the shed was removed. ​Dedication of the new chancel, basement hall, and the memorial gifts took place on November, 20th, 1960. All the debts involved were paid off within three years.
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In 1986 the congregation added a ramp to the front entrance in order to make St James wheelchair accessible.
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St James Church is not just the building, nor is it only the clergy who have conducted services here on Sundays. On the contrary it has always been the people of St James who have made this place a house of God. They have done so by putting their God-given gifts and strengths at the service of the entire community.
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Besides the priests who have served as rectors, there have been the choir members and the volunteer pianists and organists; the Lay Readers (since Mr. Weir's time in the 1920s); the servers guild; the Altar Guild; the Churchwardens and treasurers; the Sunday school; and last but far from least the Church Womens Association which was started in August 1913 and has been going strong ever since - praying, beautifying the church, offering hospitality, offering dining concessions at the Peterborough Exhibition (1949-1972) and the Lindsay Central Exhibition (1958-1973); raising funds to help, not only St James but also a wide variety of other worthy causes.
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In 1959 the outside of the church was enhanced by a new steel roof as well as a sign at the front of the church.
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In more recent times, the Parishes of Christ Church, Bridgenorth and St John's, Orange Corners amalgamated with St James. In 2011 St James was twinned with St Barnabas in Peterborough, allowing us to have access to two priests, several lay readers and a joyful faith community.
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In 2013 St Johns Peterborough gifted St James with two stained glass windows which were installed in the west wall. A chalice and the Lamb.
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In 2010 Reverend Eugene Berlenbach outlined the need to make the church more accessible by building over the lower hall extension on the north side; however, the Diocese declined our request for a grant and for permission to proceed. This dream was abandoned. In 2019, under the guidance of Rev. Milton Barry the dream was revived. A committee was formed, with Paul Heath as chair and a revised plan was submitted to the congregation. Important features included: making the building barrier free, enlarging the main floor area, making the washrooms accessible, and widening the stairway to the lower level to allow for the installation of a chair lift and also provision for five accessible parking spots and a ramp to the new entrance. The Diocese approved and we proceeded with the plan. A grant from the Enabling Accessibility Fund was added to the funds raised by the generous members of St James and allowed us to make our facility completely accessible. In the fall of 2020 construction began. During this period Comstock-Kaye Funeral Home offered their facility for Sunday services and when the weather turned warmer we held services on the lawn beside the church. We continue to worship outside, weather permitting, one or two Sundays each summer.
On May 15th, 2022 the new space, named the Fellowship Room, was blessed by Bishop Riscylla Shaw and dedicated to the memory of The Reverend Eugene Berlenbach, whose dream had finally been
brought to fruition.
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In 2023 a chairlift was installed to give access to the lower level, and in 2024 additional outdoor lighting was installed and dedicated to Erma Jackson, a major contributor to the renovation.
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St James continues to be a place of worship and mission, anchoring the ever-changing community by offering outreach, hospitality and friendship.
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In its 180 years, St James Church has been blessed by the best signs that God's Grace and presence are at work. By the devotion of its people, to God, in communion and worship, and by their service to one another in acts of mutual support and generosity. May the Almighty continue to prosper us in the same ways, even for another 170 years.
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