It was likely a bittersweet day at Knox Presbyterian Church Sunday with the congregation holding its last service in its beautiful downtown building.
The Presbyterian congregation, which dates back to 1874, has sold its current location at 539 Hugel Ave. where they have worshipped since 1903.
Next month, the congregation plans to lease a building on Midland Ave. that is more suitable to their needs.
The current church seats over 300 people in the sanctuary alone and, according to church officials, has grown too large and costly to repair and maintain in a post-COVID-19 era of shrinking attendance and rising costs of living.
But the beautiful, red-brick building was not the first to stand on this site.
In 1887, with the cornerstone laid by Mrs. J. Dollar, a small brick building was constructed on the corner of First Street and Hugel Avenue to house Midland’s Presbyterian population. But this building was not to last long, according to Huronia Museum and Huron Ouendat Village archives.
“In 1903, it was torn down and the current Knox was built in its place,” the museum notes. “This new church was built at a cost of approximately $10 000, thanks in large part to the generous donations of (lumber and shipping industrialist) James Playfair and his partner D.L. White.”
In the 1920s, the congregation numbered more than 300 people as it was a dominant sect of Christianity in the region.
Today, the congregation sits at 50 in a large building that has seven furnaces and needs a lot of upkeep.
"I liken it to a family of four living in a 20,000-square-foot home," Rev. Alton Ruff recently said.
Knox was the first site of the Out of the Cold shelter program, and its Gift of Grace Soup Kitchen has been operating for more than 35 years.
Coming to the decision to sell the building has been "heartbreaking," Ruff said.
"It's been a very long journey for us."
