Presbyterian Christians in Barrie first began worshipping together on Sept. 17, 1843; however, it wasn’t until 1849, when they established the Barrie Presbyterian Church, which became St. Andrew’s. At the time, the faith community shared a minister, Rev. Thomas Lowry, with a congregation in Innisfil. The Barrie Presbyterian Church officially became a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada on June 15, 1875.

The church building, located on the southeast corner of Owen and Worsley streets, opened on Feb. 25, 1883. Before that, we met in the Wesleyan Methodist chapel and then in our own building – a frame church built on the north side of Collier Street at Clapperton Street, just west of Trinity Anglican. This was occupied until 1883, when the large brick building was erected on the corner of Owen and Worsley Streets.

After World War One, the Memorial School addition – named to honour those who lost their lives in the war – was added. It’s where our offices, our classrooms, library and choir room were located, until we were displaced by fire in February 2023.

Our library, prior to the fire.

In February 2023, an arsonist set fire to our church building at 47 Owen Street in Barrie. Although it started and was contained in the library, the widespread smoke and water damage meant that the cost of restoring our church building was prohibitive, and the property was put up for sale.

After the fire.

In the days that followed the fire, we experienced God’s care through the generosity of our community. Jeff Scott, owner of Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home, located just one block west of our church, graciously offered the use of the funeral home’s chapel and facilities for our Sunday morning worship services. Collier Street United Church kindly welcomed us by providing meeting and office space. We continue to be deeply grateful to both for their ongoing support and hospitality. We were also extremely fortunate that one of our congregants, Ellen Miller, is an experienced archivist working for the Simcoe County Archives. She spent countless hours going through the debris, retrieving many irreplaceable documents and boxing them up for safekeeping.

St. Andrew’s story is about people. It has had a history of serving the community ever since its origin. Sports, programs for youth, musical leadership and social programs have kept St. Andrew’s busy through the decades.

Here are some interesting community programs in which we’ve played a part over the years:

• A Sunday School Hockey League, with Methodist and Anglican congregations.
• In June 1897, the church’s Boy’s Brigade formed an ambulance corps.
• The church became caretakers of the Colours of the 157^th Battalion on Oct. 10, 1919.
• Andrew’s organist and choirmaster led the first community sing-song, at Queen’s Park on Aug. 17, 1923, an event organized by the Kiwanis Club.
• On April 7, 1920, the church hosts the first performance of the Barrie Community Choral Society and a children’s chorus, which included more than 450 children.
• Out of the Cold was born: the church opened its doors to the city’s homeless on Jan. 15, 1998 and we helped equip the David Busby Street Centre to take over this vital community program.
• A soup kitchen – hosted Sundays after worship – started in 1991; it ended when the Salvation Army took over serving lunch seven days a week.
• The congregation hosted the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s General Assembly – the annual meeting at which elders and ministers from across the country discuss policies and programs – in 1991.
• Winterfest: St. Andrew’s hosted lunches and craft sessions during Barrie’s Winterfest for many years.
• Refugee support: St. Andrew’s has supported families fleeing family and war: Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and 1980s and refugees from Sryia in 2016 and 2017.
• St. Andrew’s has opened its doors and its members have led Girl Guides and Scouts Canada groups.
• Vacation Bible Camps have given children in the community a fun place to learn about God’s love for them each summer.
• Music at St. Andrew’s … that’s a whole other topic, as we’ve hosted classical performances, organ performances, Scottish cultural events, sing-songs, community choir practices and performances, as well as our own choir’s festive presentations.

Although many of these programs have had to be suspended due to the fire in 2023, we are still actively involved in a variety of events. If you have an idea for a program or ministry, let us know. Come and be a part of our future!