1827- A group of 22 families from the north of Scotland were settled in the area by James Buchanan, British Vice-Consul, assisted by John Galt who provided the land and money.

1828 - Worship services were held in the home of Benjamin Harrison where the Market is now located.

1831 - The congregation called its first minister. A parcel of land on the site of our present City Hall was secured as the location for the congregation's first church building.

1834 - Internal disagreements divided the congregation. Some members withdrew to form First Presbyterian Church in the "Paisley Block" west of Guelph.

1844 - The Disruption, a serious division of Presbyterians in Scotland affected St. Andrew's Church. A majority of the congregation withdrew to form Knox Church. St. Andrew's remained a congregation of the Church of Scotland. Knox's ties were with the Free Church.

1856 - The congregation sold the property to the Town Council who wished it for the site of the new Town Hall adjacent to the railway station. Land at the corner of Norfolk and Suffolk Streets was purchased for the church building.

1857 - Construction of the Church began in June and was completed by April 1858.

1871 - An organ was installed in the gallery after much discussion.

1875 - In a union of the Church of Scotland and the Free Church, St. Andrew's became part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The celebration was completed with a dinner at which 600 attended. It seems to have been the reason for the formation of the Ladies Aid who have been working for their Church ever since.

1877 - The Church was enlarged with new transepts and a Sunday School building. The manse beside the Church was sold and a new home was purchased on Oxford Street.

1888 - The Women's Missionary Society was formed.

1893 - The King's Daughters, later to become the Daughters of St. Andrew's, held their first meeting.

1906 - The existing organ was replaced with a larger instrument.

1908 - The Church Hall was added together with the kitchen, the minister's vestry, and classrooms.

1925 - St. Andrew's Church voted to stay out of the union that would bring Congregationalists, Methodists, and the majority of Presbyterians into the United Church of Canada.

1936 - The Women's Association was organized as a successor to the Ladies Aid.

1954 - The congregation bought back the original manse and modernized it as a home for its ministers.

1956 - The Christian Education wing was built to provide additional facilities for the congregation and the Sunday School.

1991 - The Christian Education wing was renovated at three times the cost of the original construction.

1992 and 1994 - Stonework on the church and manse was repointed.

1999 - The Church Hall and the kitchen were renovated.

2001 - A three-manual Casavant organ was installed in the Sanctuary.

2005 - St. Andrew's launches its website, a tool for congregational communication, outreach to the local community and students, outreach and information for the general public, outreach and information for the faith community

2007 - A new steel roof completely replaces the asphalt shingle roof on the Church Hall.

2008 - 180th Anniversary celebration and projects including new carpet for the front entrance area and the launch of "My Neighbour's House" built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Wellington County

2009 - St. Andrew’s introduced a weekly email newsletter called Prayers and Blessings which was published for ten years.

2011 – Thanks to a bequest from the Guthrie estate, a new Suzuki grand piano was placed in the sanctuary, and the board room was renovated (2014), both in loving memory of Hugh Guthrie (1931-2010), and Lorna Knight Guthrie (1930-2006).

2015 – St. Andrew’s Session formally approved the creation of St. Andrew’s Refugee Sponsorship Committee which partnered with the Christian Muslim Friendship Group, and Knox and First Baptist churches, Guelph.

2016 –St. Andrew’s supported the Special Olympics, Ontario Provincial Spring Games, held in Guelph. The games welcomed more than 1000 athletes and coaches.

Solar panels were installed on the roof of the Christian Education building.

2017 – St. Andrew’s application to the Living Wage Program at the Leadership Level was accepted and the church’s full- and part-time employees received a living wage effective January 1, 2018.

In August, lightning struck the church steeple igniting it. The attached 1858 Gallic cock/rooster metal weathervane fell to the ground on Suffolk Street. Because there was no access to the fire from inside the church, the firefighters used aerial trucks to spray water on to the steeple in short bursts to prevent damage to inside the church. The incident attracted a sizeable crowd with five fire stations on the scene to put out the fire. The steeple and rooster were repaired.

2018 – St. Andrew’s Church celebrated its 190th anniversary, raising more than $190,000 to renovate the sanctuary, the sound system, and the roof. Installation of a new heating system for the sanctuary, church hall and Christian Education Building was started in the Fall. The installation included central air-conditioning.

The Rev. John Borthwick experimented with a Facebook Bible Study, hoping to capture those who had social media but were unable to attend an in-person Bible study.

At its annual meeting the congregation voted to hire a part-time person to minister to its seniors and shut-ins. About 50 people were identified.

2019 – The Rev. Dr. Peter J. Darch Church Archives was rededicated in its new facilities in the Church Education building December 8, 2019. The new facilities are much larger, and the room is climate controlled and has new flooring and new archival shelfing. The historical records housed in the archives are invaluable and date back to 1821.

2020 – Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the church was closed on March 16. On March 22, the first ZOOM service was held from the minister’s home. The first regular Session meeting was held on ZOOM June 9th and the first official publicly, church-streamed YouTube service took place November 22, 2020.

2021 – September 21, 2021: St. Andrew’s Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) announced that it would discontinue because of declining numbers and not being able to meet because of COVID-19. This dedicated group of women working together for mission was founded in 1888 at St. Andrew’s.

November 16, 2021, Session unanimously approved the following two motions: That the Session of St. Andrew’s affirms its understanding of marriage as a covenant relationship between any two adult persons, regardless of sex or gender, and that sexual orientation or gender identity shall form no barrier to election as a ruling elder in this congregation or to the calling of any future minister.

The two motions confirmed that St. Andrew’s was an affirming congregation welcoming all persons to fully participate in the life of its church.

2022 – February 27, 2022: Session passed a motion to reopen St. Andrew’s, Guelph to public worship with social distancing.

March 15, 2022: Session recommended to the congregation at its annual general meeting (March 21, 2022) that: St. Andrew’s donate $600,000 from the money received from the Westminster-St. Paul’s church proceeds to the Community Campaign, Home For Good, to end homelessness in Guelph. Carried. The fund supports three housing projects.

2023 – On Sunday, June 25, 2023, members of St. Andrew’s, along with visitors from Westminster St. Paul’s, Knox, and Mennonite churches in the area, paid special tribute to our minister, the Rev. John Borthwick, who is leaving St. Andrew’s July 2, 2023, after twenty years of faithful service. Those who spoke praised John for his support and encouragement which they had received over the years. John has accepted a newly-created national position with Knox College, Toronto, as Director of Lifelong Learning. John, Kate, Shannon, and Logan plan to remain in Guelph.

A Presbyterian is a follower of Jesus who has decided to embody their practice of following Him by participating in the life and work of a Presbyterian Church community.

Presbyterians belong to the Reformed group of Protestant Christian denominations. Presbyterians affirm that only Jesus is the King and Head of the Church; no human leader can take that place, and so the church is led by ‘courts’ made up of ‘elders’ (presbyter is Greek for elder or leader) within our local churches.

Presbyterians celebrate two sacraments, Holy Communion and Baptism. Presbyterians affirm Infant Baptism but welcome all who have been baptized in other Christian traditions.

St Andrew’s is a member of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. To find out more about what Presbyterians believe, go to http://presbyterian.ca/about/.

We follow a worship format called Four Fold Worship.

Gathering – We take time in word, prayer, and song to bring ourselves into the time of worship together and focus our attention on God.

The Word – We read from our sacred text, The Bible; a responsive reading from the Book of Psalms is followed by the reading of one or two other passages from The Bible. One or more of these texts will become the main theme of the Sermon; the sermon is a time when the Minister reflects on the Scripture Readings and brings the words of the ancient text into today’s world for inspiration, meaning consolation, and challenge.

Response – We respond to God’s Word both spiritually in Prayer, and tangibly in the collection of an Offering. This is also when we hear about opportunities for fellowship and service in our church and the wider community.

Sending – We are sent out into the community and the week ahead. Our closing hymn and benediction remind us that we are blessed and are called to be a blessing wherever we go.

Church Governance

What is unique about the Presbyterian Church is that we are a ‘church of courts’. The word Presbyterian finds its root in the Ancient Greek word, Presbyteros meaning elders. The Presbyterian Church in Canada is made up of and governed by elders. The Minister is referred to as the Teaching Elder while the “leadership team” called a Session is made up of Ruling Elders elected and ordained by the congregation to serve as spiritual leaders of the local congregation.

Each congregation has a Session made up of the Minister and a number of Ruling Elders. Each congregation has a Representative Elder and an Alternate (if the Representative is unable to attend) who attend the Presbytery. Presbytery is the next highest court and is made up of Representative Elders and Ministers from a fixed geographical region. Essentially the Presbytery serves to oversee and provide pastoral oversight to the congregations and their ministers. Interestingly enough, ministers are accountable to the Presbytery, not the local congregation. In fact, Presbyteries are the court who determines (approve) if a minister can be ‘hired’ by a local congregation.

Synods are the name of the next level of court within The Presbyterian Church in Canada. They often have resource staff who serve the congregations within a much larger regional area – sometimes as expansive as an entire Province. Synods also have oversight of our Church Camps. Representatives from the Presbytery (ministers and ruling elders) meet as the Synod once a year.

And finally, The Presbyterian Church in Canada meets as a General Assembly annually. One-sixth of the members of our Presbyteries – ministers and ruling elders – are commissioned to attend General Assembly. This is the highest court of the denomination and is where we make decisions about what we stand for, what we believe, and how we govern ourselves effectively.

The informal motto of The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Governance structure is not far off the foundational motto of Canada – Peace, Order, and Good Government… Our is that all things should be conducted ‘decently and in good order.’

About the Session

The Session is what other organizations might call their leadership team. A Session is responsible for matters such as worship, education, mission, membership, use of the sanctuary, sacraments, and pastoral care. Its membership consists of the elected ruling elders and the minister (teaching elder) who serves as the moderator of the meetings. Ruling elders are elected to serve for terms of six (6) years. All individuals and organizations within the congregation come under the authority and leadership of the Session. Its meetings and records are closed – although a summary of the minutes is made available in the Church Library and other persons can be invited to attend Session meetings with the approval of the court.

About the Board of Managers

While the Session often is referred to as the Spiritual Leadership of the congregation, the Board of Managers take care of the ‘temporal matters’. Made up of elected members of the congregation for a fixed term, they are accountable to the congregation at its Annual General Meeting. They are responsible for the maintenance of both the church property and other rented properties surrounding the church building, the finances of the church and managing its investments. Members of ‘the Board’, as they are called, is open to both members and adherents of the congregation. They appoint their own Chair. The Minister and the Treasurer are ex-officio (in this case, attending meetings with permission to speak but with no vote).

One of the Shared Values that we try to live into at St. Andrew’s is Welcoming. Our value elaborates that theme with the words: “We see the image of God in all people, everywhere. Differences are valued and safe and open dialogue is honoured.” Over the last number of years, The Presbyterian Church in Canada has been on a journey around defining just how welcoming we desire to be as a denomination as it relates to LGBTQI+ persons.

In 2019, The General Assembly approved the following "remits" (a term for changes to our polity):

Remit B, 2019 re Definition of Marriage: The Presbyterian Church in Canada holds two parallel definitions of marriage and recognizes that faithful, Holy Spirit-filled, Christ-centred, God honouring people can understand marriage as a covenant relationship between a man and a woman or as a covenant relationship between two adult persons. That congregations, sessions, ruling and teaching elders be granted liberty of conscience and action on marriage.

Remit C, 2019 re Ordination of LGBTQI+ persons (married or single): Congregations and presbyteries may call and ordain as ministers and elect and ordain as ruling elders LGBTQI+ persons (married or single) with the provision that liberty of conscience and action regarding participation in ordinations, inductions and installations be granted to ministers and ruling elders.

These remits were adopted (through The PCC process of inviting input from the Presbyteries across Canada and then voting on the remits again at another Assembly) at the June 2021 General Assembly. This decision by our denomination has now expanded choices in our ministry as it relates to LGBTQI+ persons who approach the church for marriage and who may be called toward ordination as elders or ministers.

In November 2021 the Session unanimously approved the following recommendations :

That the Session of St. Andrew’s Guelph affirms its understanding of marriage, as a covenant relationship between any two adult persons, regardless of sex or gender.

and

That the Session of St. Andrew’s Guelph affirms that sexual orientation or gender identity shall form no barrier to election as a ruling elder in this congregation or to the calling of any future minister.

This means that same-sex weddings can be celebrated in the sanctuary and that LGBTQI+ persons can be ordained as elders and admitted to the Session as well as be called as future ministers of St. Andrew’s. We recognize the gravity of this decision and understand that there will be those who celebrate these recommendations as well as those who will grieve them. As a denomination and as a congregation, we will continue to seek to honour an individual’s right to liberty of conscience in these matters as long as the exercising of that right doesn’t seek to harm or interfere with the liberty of others. As we move forward, we will seek the unity of Christ and continue to strive to embody our value of Welcoming all people as we share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Music is a prominent feature of our worship – Presbyterians love singing!

St Andrew’s is blessed with a Casavant organ, an able organist, and an enthusiastic choir that accompanies all worship services; our Handbell Choir, and vocal and instrumental soloists, may also join in the praise.

The pipe organ at St. Andrew’s is a Casavant opus 1493. It was originally built in 1934 for Eglinton Street United Church in Toronto, and in 2001-2002, it was installed at St. Andrew’s by Dodington and Dodington Pipe Organ Services.

It has three manuals, 40 ranks, and 2436 pipes. The facade pipes are actual speaking pipes and are part of the 16′ Principal found on the Great manual.

The choir of St Andrew’s enriches worship every Sunday morning and meets for practice on Thursday evenings (except for July and August).

The choir also prepares music for special services and community choral events.

The Handbell Choir adds their praise to Sunday services, and occasionally to events in Guelph and the surrounding community.

In October 2021, after 63 wonderful years, Westminster St. Paul's closed. The congregation migrated to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Guelph) and Knox Presbyterian Church (Guelph).

Westminster-St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church started in 1959 to provide a place of worship for the growing community of northeast Guelph. Over the 63 years of its existence, the church itself became a community of worship and a spiritual and social home for the many people who entered its doors. The website linked below has been created as a way for those who regarded Westminster-St. Paul’s as a spiritual home to look back on the worship community that was such an important part of their lives, a joyful space, comfort in a time of need, and the source of enduring friendships.

In addition, this site is educational in that it provides a look into a worship community, its development, and the cohesion it generates in creating a home for its members. The Westminster-St.-Paul’s worship community was a church family and an example of the importance of coming together to worship.

This site will also provide a source for future researchers exploring church or community history.

Click on this link to go to visit the remembrance website.

After 133 years of faithful service we have discontinued the meetings and ministries of our Women’s Missionary Society (WMS).

The WMS has a long history within The Presbyterian Church in Canada and has been at the forefront of our missionary efforts for over a century. Our own group faithfully and dedicatedly created a space for learning and understanding more about the mission work of the PCC. They took time to study and hear from engaging guest speakers. They worked hard to make sure that the congregation was informed about missions and actively participated and personally supported various mission efforts over the years. They maintained connections with the wider church and built relationships with other WMS groups. Ours was one of the few left in the area and opened its circle to others whose groups had folded. Most of all, this was a place of welcome and community for individuals for many years - they held one another in prayer and sometimes just held one another - as they witnessed their faith in Jesus Christ. We are grateful for their service - both members of the past and today’s faithful few. No truer words could be offered to such a steadfast group - “Well done, good and faithful servants!”

At the first meeting, on October 17, 1888, of what is now called the Women’s Missionary Society, Mrs. J.C. Smith, the minister’s wife was elected president. Since then 44 other women have held the office of president. Our mandate has always been to support the missions of the Presbyterian Church.

This support has been fulfilled in many ways through mission studies, for example of the Caribou Ministry led by David Webber in B.C., the Bihl people in Jobat, India where Pauline Brown who is now retired continues to live, South Africa, Central America, Christians in Japan, the Middle East to name just a few. Mission fields would come alive for us when missionaries home on furlough, such as Pauline Brown, would speak at our meetings providing us with a personal picture of how our support assisted their work.

Mission Education for the youth of the church was organized by the W.M.S. Starting with Mission Band in 1888. Leaders and study resources were provided by W.M.S.

Canadian Girls in Training began in 1943 for girls 12-16. For about 30 years mission study was the major part of the program for Children of the Church and the Explorers Group which discontinued in 1987.

Our 100th anniversary was commemorated by the presentation of a Centennial banner designed by Mrs. Eileen Young assisted by Mrs. Mary Branch, a former Explorer leader. This banner can be seen hanging in our church hall.

We have also participated in The Fellowship of the Least Coin, the Leprosy Mission of Canada, and World Day of Prayer (an ecumenical gathering each March). Support has also been offered to Evangel Hall in Toronto with donations of toiletries.

Friendship and service is another important part of our purpose. Greeting cards and get-well cards have been sent to those in our group as well as the congregation. Christmas cards have been sent to our overseas missionaries.

Since the first meeting in 1888 many friendships have grown from the fellowship experienced at our meetings. A cup of tea and a treat, often home-baked, lead the way to friendly conversations.

I have just touched briefly on the many ways the members of the Women’s Missionary Society have made an impact on the mission work of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. Sadly, circumstances beyond our control and the passing of time are making it difficult to meet as a group causing us to discontinue our participation in Women’s Missionary Society. - As written by Catharine Johnston

January 1980. Laos

The Family came from Laos to Guelph at the time when the Boat People, mainly from Viet Nam, were escaping to Canada. There were 10 family members who arrived on a cold day in January 1980. They were met at Toronto airport by a representative from St. Andrew’s and part of the family stayed with a member’s family upon arrival. On September 16, 1990, St. Andrew’s celebrated the 10th anniversary of the family’s arrival in Canada with the family.

The mother cleaned houses for a time; was an avid gardener; and would walk to a member’s house on York Road and share her garden expertise in Laotian. The member took her to English classes at the synagogue. She died in 1995. There were 2 girls (one of whom spoke some English) and 2 boys. The father, who arrived later was caretaker at St. Andrew’s for a short time. His daughter translated his instructions into Laotian. He died in 1991. The kids enrolled in the ESL program at Guelph Collegiate and graduated from GCVI.

At the present time one of the daughters who lives in Guelph, has 2 children: the oldest recently graduated from the University of Guelph and is employed by a Guelph insurance company, and the second works in construction and lives in Guelph. The son has worked for Valcom, Guelph since 1986. His brother lives in St. Thomas and he and his wife have a boy and a girl. Their sister is married and lives in St. Thomas. They have three children, two who graduated from University of Waterloo and one who graduated from Western University. Their older brother, and his wife worked at Guelph Tool and Dye and both just retired from there.

March 1988. El Salvador

Two young men escaped from El Salvador as refugees when their country was in the midst of a civil war which lasted from 1979 to 1992. It was a country which experienced coups, revolts, and a succession of authoritarian rulers. Because one was about to be conscripted into the army they decided to escape. They were sponsored by their half-brother, who had just graduated from the University of Guelph and had secured a position at the university. He sent them $400.00 each so that they could fly to Mexico, then to Los Angeles, and finally to Buffalo where he picked them up.

Both boys were in a member’s ESL class and at one point were living with the members. On March 27, 1990, they moved into a furnished house and a house-warming party was arranged for them. They also started attending St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church with the members. They were a delightful pair and St. Andrew’s people warmly helped them get settled. They graduated from John F. Ross, became Canadian citizens, and have been working at Linamar in Guelph for over twenty-five years.

Both were married at St. Andrew’s. One couple had two daughters who are both now married (one to a man from Vietnam). One couple has a son and the other a daughter. Both families live in Guelph.

November 1988. Refugees from Afghanistan

At its October 9, 1988, meeting, the Chair of the Mission’s Committee reported that three family members whom St. Andrew’s had sponsored had arrived safely from Afghanistan in mid-July, 1988 and that the Committee had been approached again at the end of July to request that St. Andrew’s sponsor two freedom fighters who wished to come to Canada. After some discussion the Missions’ Committee agreed to sponsor these refugees. In sponsoring these refugees, in both instances St. Andrew’s was not responsible for any financial commitment, nor were they responsible for looking after the refugees when they came. At its November 22, 1988, meeting of the Women’s Missionary Society it was reported that St. Andrew’s had received a letter from the Presbyterian Church in Canada authorizing St. Andrew’s to proceed with the sponsorship of 4 refugees from Afghanistan.

March 25, 1993. El Salvador

The family arrived safely at Toronto airport after a flight from Miami Florida on March 25, 1993. They had come from El Salvador and were fleeing from political unrest and life-threatening harassment in that country. Family members were: mother (42), daughter (22) and 3 sons (18, 13 and 8).

They were farmers, and the mother had worked with Bishop Romero in an organization called Delegates of the World. This organization’s goals were to increase literacy by using the Bible as a textbook, and to organize people into cooperatives to support each other if harassed or facing food shortages. The family had fled to Honduras for five years but returned to El Salvador where they were members of Emmanuel Church in San Salvador.

The family was sponsored by the Guelph Refugee Interchurch Committee which was composed of St. Andrew’s, Knox, Westminster-St. Paul’s, and Kortright Presbyterian Churches in Guelph. The Chair of the Committee and the Secretary were both from St. Andrew’s. The Committee had been working on this project since 1991 and had raised over $10,000. The family was known to a Presbyterian Church of Canada minister in Central America. For their first year in Guelph the family lived in a rental house owned by the same person who had sponsored the earlier El Salvador refugees for $650.00 a month. A student in the ESL program at John F. Ross High School, also proved to be a great asset working with the committee and the family. The formal sponsorship ended March 25, 1994.

Today (2023) the mother has retired after working for many years at Linamar. The daughter married and had two children: a girl and a boy. The girl graduated from the University of Guelph with a BA in Spanish. She also attended community college where she studied Human Resources. The boy works at Linamar. The oldest son works at Linamar. His wife operates a hair dressing salon in their home. They have a boy age 14 and a girl age 12. The second son is not working. The youngest is working in Guelph and has a baby boy.

December 1994 Serbia

The family arrived in December 1994 during the Sunday morning church service. There were the parents with 2 boys and a younger sister who had long hair with a large bow. They were Serbs from the former Yugoslavia which was embroiled in a civil war. The family came to St. Andrew’s that Sunday morning because our organist was a friend of the father. Unfortunately, the organist was leaving the next day to study music at Harvard University, Boston, and was not able to offer any assistance to the family.

A quick Session meeting followed the service and after some discussion about where they could stay, an Elder offered his house. The family was very appreciative that they had a place to stay. They stayed with these members for a couple of weeks and then moved on to another member’s house for a time. They were at the first member’s hoiuse for Christmas. During this time the members were successful in finding a large townhouse for them behind the Stone Road Mall and they settled in there.

The father had been a baker in Yugoslavia and spoke some English. The mother did not speak English nor did the kids. The mother had been a dressmaker at home and a friend helped her buy a sewing machine. With financial help from friends, the father purchased baking equipment and opened a bake shop specializing in European bread on Gordon Street. Unfortunately, this venture was short lived. Last report was that one son was studying engineering at the University of Guelph.

At the present time we were not able to track down the family. Reports are that they are still living in Guelph close to Zehr’s on Kortright Road.

January 19, 1995. Ghana

A letter to the Ghana High Commission, 1995 Ottawa from St. Andrew’s supporting

A couple’s attempt to bring their four sons to Guelph while the father was studying at the University of Guelph was refused by the Canadian High Commission, Accra, Ghana.

February 28, 1998 – June 11, 1999. Kosovo

The family arrived in Guelph sometime between the summer of 1998 and 1999. The young family consisted of father and mother, a boy, and a younger girl who suffered from epilepsy. They were a family who, like many other Muslims, had fled the armed conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The KLA fought against Serbian persecution of Kosovo Albanians who sought to unite Kosovo into a greater Albania. NATO air strikes against Serbian forces resulted in a cease fire and the Serbian General, Slobodan Milosevich, was later tried and found guilty of war crimes at the International Court at the Hague.

St. Andrew’s people helped this family find an apartment, got the kids into school, and introduced them to life in Canada which included a trip to Niagara Falls. The mother was successful in getting medication here for their young daughter’s epilepsy – medication which was very scarce at home. The family was adapting well to Canadian life; however, because the Mustafa family was part of a larger family in Kosovo who owned several businesses, the family stayed for only a few months in Guelph before returning to Kosovo. The mother was crying as she boarded the bus to Toronto airport. Given different circumstances I’m sure they would have stayed in Canada.

July 12, 2002. Sierra Leone

The family arrived at Toronto airport on July 12, 2002. The family consisted of father and mother who had been teachers in Sierra Leone and had been targeted during the civil war which raged from 1991-2002. With them were two of their sons, two of their daughters and a nephew of the mother. Two sons were left behind. One came to Canada, June 11, 2006) while all efforts to bring the other one failed. That son and his wife both died of malaria in 2015 leaving five orphaned grandchildren. In 2016 one of the twin girls died of malaria. The other four children were later taken in by the mother’s niece; they are living with her to this day (2023).

The sponsorship group was composed of 12 people. Upon their arrival the family stayed with a St Andrew’s family for three months and then moved into a rental townhouse in Guelph’s south end. In November 2003, with generous financial assistance from the sponsoring group at St. Andrew’s and others in the community, the family purchased a house on Dufferin Street for $118,000. The house required a considerable amount of work because of its run-down condition. In December the Trillium Rotary Club took on the challenge of making the house livable. A member of St. Andrew’s was the person responsible for making this happen. By Christmas the house was livable and the family celebrated Christmas in their new home.

In January 2016 St. Andrew’s began providing monthly financial support to supplement the money that the family was sending to Sierra Leone to support their grandchildren. Several attempts were made to bring the four grandchildren to Canada but sadly to this date none of these attempts has been successful. Meanwhile, the family have adjusted well to life in Guelph and are still living in their house; all are Canadian citizens.

The father works full-time at Poly-Nova Canada in Guelph. The mother works part-time at Zehrs and also at Poly Nova, Guelph. The older daughter attended Victory Public school in ESL, graduated from the Guelph Collegiate and Vocational Institute, graduated from the University of Guelph and the University of Missouri in Springfield USA on an athletic scholarship. She is an accomplished runner and was a member of Canada’s Olympic team for 2016. She completed the police training course in Aylmer, Ontario and joined the Toronto Police. Her husband is also a police officer, and they have a boy. They live in Alliston, Ontario. The second daughter has worked at Tim Hortons in Guelph for some time and has two girls. The older son is married and they have two children. They live in Guelph. The younger son studied accounting at Conestoga College, Kitchener and works for a packaging company in Guelph. The nephew is married and they have one girl. He works for Linamar and lives in Guelph. The third son arrived at Pearson airport in the evening in June, 2006. He enrolled in the English as a Second Language Program at St. George’s School, Continuing Education. He works at Linamar. He and his partner have a daughter.

June 1, 2017. Syria

The family arrived at Toronto airport June 1, 2017. They had fled from Syria, where their house was bombed, to a refugee camp in Lebanon. The family consisted of: father 42, mother, 31 and children: girl (13), boys: 12, 10, 7, 3, and a baby.

Four churches were involved in sponsoring this family: St. Andrew’s (coordinators) and representatives from Knox Presbyterian and First Baptist. Duff’s Presbyterian Church provided financial support. The sponsors had worked on this project for two years and had raised over $40,000. As well the committee had won a $5000 prize from Ikea which enabled the sponsors to select new furniture for the townhouse. There were several committees with the following chairs: finance; education; medical; dental; calendar; house/maintenance; and clothing. In total more than 50 people were involved in this project.

Upon arrival the family temporarily stayed at East Residence, East Ring Road, on the University of Guelph campus. Later they moved into a large town house, number off Clairfields Road where they presently live. The kids were enrolled in elementary schools right away except for the oldest who was enrolled in the ESL program at John F. Ross. Over the summer they were registered in summer camp from July 31 to August 4. Mom and dad were enrolled in English classes at John F. Ross at night. All members of the family required a considerable amount of dental work. The Muslim Society of Guelph also supplied translators.

Today the family is still living in Guelph and have had another baby boy who will be three in September. The oldest has been accepted at Conestoga College as a full-time student in Kitchener. All except the mother are Canadian citizens, The third boy plans to enter high school at Centennial in September. The oldest boy is working fulltime at Enterprise Car Rental, Guelph.

September 24, 2020. South Sudan

The following is from a message sent to the congregation in June of 2018:

“St. Andrew’s member _____ fled to Egypt to escape the civil war in her home country of Sudan. While in Egypt, she was married and was granted United Nations Refugee Status. Sponsored by the Government of Canada, she and her husband came to Canada in 2001 and settled in London, Ontario where they joined a church in which other Sudanese refugees were active. Their 3 children were born in London and in 2007, they moved to Guelph. While searching for a new church family, they were intrigued by the rooster on the steeple of St. Andrew’s and found a welcoming congregation inside. A short time later, the husband moved to Alberta and the wife was left to raise the three children on her own. Not only has she done that, she currently has 2 jobs and sends money to support her family back home.

Meanwhile, the civil war in Sudan ended with the country being split into Sudan and the new country of South Sudan. Her parents and some siblings still lived in South Sudan but, renewed fighting and tribal warfare has destroyed the economy and caused a famine. Her 35 year-old sister was a young, university-educated mother with six children and when she was abandoned by her husband, she decided that she needed to take her children to Egypt to apply for United Nations Refugee Status in the hope that she could get her kids to a safe place. About a year ago, the Session of St. Andrew’s added to her support allowing the sister and her children to join others in the perilous journey (braving snakes, lions and corrupt officials) to Sudan and subsequently by air to Cairo. They found an apartment and she got a house keeping job to support her family and send the older children to school. Earlier this year, the family was granted UN status which includes minimal financial support (that is augmented by her sister in Canada’s contributions). However, life in Egypt is not easy and refugees face prejudice.

The Canadian sister has requested that St. Andrew’s sponsor her sister and her family to come to Canada and she has volunteered to be the lead in this effort.”

St. Andrew’s once again partnered with Knox and received financial support from Duff’s.

An application was submitted in 2019 and the sister and her 6 children arrived in Guelph on September 24, 2020 and went straight into COVID quarantine. A member of St. Andrew’s agreed to house the family in the main floor of her house free of charge for one year – while she moved into the lower apartment. With contributions and support from the churches and the host’s family, the newcomers moved into a fully furnished and equipped house! The children’s ages at the time were: 2, 4, 5, 9, 10 (only girl) and 12. Those who were old enough started as soon as COVID allowed at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic School. The oldest later enrolled in ESL at John F. Ross and has been in the same class as the second Al Sawal boy. The only girl attends Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School.

Mother’s English was very good but, she also enrolled in ESL classes.

The pandemic certainly interfered with our interactions with the family and it wasn’t until the fall of 2022 that the sisters were able to host a feast for the congregations and to present us with gifts of appreciation. Having a relative already in Guelph greatly reduced the number of volunteers required (compared to the Syrian sponsorship).

The mother was able to purchase a van in September of 2022 and at time of writing, the family still lives at the same address.

February 24, 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine

At a rally for Ukraine on March 7, 2022, St. Andrew’s began making plans to sponsor Ukrainian refugees but, this turned out to be a very different process than previously. The Government of Canada moved very quickly to let Ukrainians into the country BUT, they are not legally refugees so, they don’t have the same status or benefits that a refugee has and there are no sponsorship programs. We were joined again by Knox and (for the first time) by Two Rivers Church – in what became a refugee support program rather than a sponsorship. A MAJOR difference is that rather than living independently, Ukrainians were invited to live in homes as guests. Congregation members and others volunteered to host Ukrainians in their homes, thus removing the need to pay rent, utilities and buy all of the things that are needed to live independently. Paying for food and personal items only, the money that was raised could be used to support more than one family. The hosts are the key to making this work. At the peak, we had 5 hosts and were able to support a total of 13 people (7 adults and 6 children – 4 boys and 2 girls). The first family of 5 (mom, dad and 3 boys) arrived in May, 2022. At time of writing (May, 2023), all adults are working at least part-time. One single man has moved to another province and 2 women (one with a son and the other with a daughter) have moved into an apartment together. We have been able to reduce monthly financial support. All of the kids are completing their first full year of school. An unknown donor has paid the tuition for one of the girls to attend a private Christian school. Some of our guests were quick to connect with the Ukrainian community in Guelph and that has helped immensely. In January, a St. Andrew’s family hosted a get-together for all of the Ukrainians and their hosts. Two Ukrainian women did some work with the St. Andrew’s Youth Group in March and conducted a well-attended Master Class in Easter Egg decorating in April, 2023.

At time of writing, three hosts are still active and we are providing financial support to 3 families (each composed of a mother and child – two girls and one boy).

The future:

St. Andrew’s is approached frequently by people who want help to bring family members to Canada. Would that we could accommodate all those requests! We do have an outstanding commitment to work with two other groups to bring Afghan refugees to Canada. Basically, we would be administering the sponsorship and providing access to the Sponsorship Agreement Holder status of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. There will be no financial or volunteer commitment. Interesting that we did this very thing in 1988!

A current adherent to St. Andrew’s has asked us to help bring her parents to Canada. They are from Eritrea.

Bill McKinnie BA, MLS Church Archivist May 25, 2023