Day 3
This evening we had a great celebration of the 230th anniversary of Trinity Church in the Parish of Kingston. Children from the MacDonald Combined School sang and acted. There were various types of music; and stories were told about the history of the building. It was also a delight to have Claude and Sharon Miller present.
Claude was ordained priest in the church on its 200th anniversary. In addition to the church building itself, which is the oldest in the Province, we also heard music from the organ. The instrument slightly pre-dates Trinity and is reputed to be the oldest in Canada. The virtuosity of such an unprepossessing machine in the hands of expert organists is remarkable.
Earlier in the day I chaired a meeting of the Diocesan Council in Kingston Parish Hall. During that event we took stock of the present and looked forward to the future. In one day, I have been reminded of the past, the present and what we hope for.
To be in an historic building tells us of God’s faithfulness. When the early Loyalist families arrived on the peninsular one of their first actions was to build a place of worship. This speaks of priorities back in the late 1700s. We also heard the story of the 100th anniversary of the church building as told by the Saint John Telegraph. In 1889 people travelled from the city to Kingston on a steamer to join with the people there in celebration. Surprisingly the visit was curtailed by fog in the river.
We have a rich Christian heritage in our Province. Every year I am reminded of it as I walk from one building to another. Today we face the question of how we move into the future. In Kingston this evening we saw something of our past which points one way forward.
The celebration concert brought together people from many sections of the Kingston community. They came for various reasons, but at the very least many came to give thanks to God for the church in this place. Trinity was a community hub this evening. That is where our future lies. We are to be places where people can gather in the presence of God and with each other. This will give an opportunity for us to see God in our midst.
+David