St. Paul's Presbyterian Church (Leaskdale)

St. Paul's Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church in Canada congregation located in the community of Leaskdale, Ontario, part of Uxbridge Township, Ontario Canada. It was started in March 1862 with thirteen Charter members, as the Scott Township mission of the Canada Presbyterian Church.

The first building was opened in November 1864, on land given by Mr. George Leask. It was linked that year to Chalmer's Presbyterian Church now St. Andrew's-Chalmers Presbyterian Church in Uxbridge.

After the Presbyterian Church in Canada was formed in 1875, the congregation was disjoined from Chalmer's in 1880. A preaching station was established in nearby Zephyr, Ontario, and they remained joined, until the Zephyr congregation disbanded and joined with St. Paul's in 1968.

Former manse, now the Lucy Maud Montgomery museum

In 1906, following a period of growth, the congregation built the previous structure, and paid off the building debts by 1908. From 1910–1926, when both these congregations voted against (11–63 at St. Paul's) joining with Methodists and congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada, the minister was Rev. Ewan Macdonald, the husband of author Lucy Maud Montgomery. She wrote many of her books from the manse, that was sold by the congregation in the 1990s, and is now a local museum.

The congregation has seen growth in recent years, with its proximity to the Greater Toronto Area. In 2005, permission was granted to construct a new building, complete with a large gymnasium, kitchen, offices, and school rooms. It was completed and dedicated in September 2006. The previous building is also part of the Museum complex.

Ministers:

• Robert H. Warden (student) 1864, 1867,
• James Thorn 1866,
• James Douglas 1868–1872,
• Edward Cockburn 1873–1880,
• Stated Supply; often Rev. Cockburn (still in Uxbridge) 1880–82,
• A.G. McLaughlin 1882–1890,
• W. H. Johnston, Student Minister 1891–1892,
• Hugh Currie 1893–1895,
• William M. Reid 1895–1905,
• R. McEachern 1905–1909,
• Ewan Macdonald 1910–1926,
• P.W. MacInnes,
• Gordon Fish,
• Murray Garvin,
• Winston Newman,
• Eoin MacKay,
• Ian Lamont - Summer Intern
• Harvey Self,
• Jeff Smith,
• Scott Elliott,
• Andrew Allison, Minister -present.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Paul's Presbyterian Church (Leaskdale).