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Connection
HISTORY
Kingston Vestry Museum Project
44
PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2023
presbyterian.ca
 By Lori-Kim den Otter, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kingston, Ont., from an interview with
Eva Eichenbaum Barnes
Like so many Canadian Presbyte- rian churches, St. Andrew’s Pres- byterian Church in Kingston, Ont., is a big, old, downtown building— in this case, constructed primarily of local limestone. Inside, it has a large, open sanctuary, with a cou- ple of little vestries connecting it to a smaller chapel. Once upon a time these anterooms were vi- tal spaces, but eventually they became little more than waiting areas for the choir and minister before entering church—down- graded to cluttered, poorly lit, little-used corners.
Also like so many Canadian Presbyterian churches, St. An- drew’s has a rich history in the building itself, plus stories of past ministers; diverse, evolving con- gregations; and involvement in the community.
What’s the connection here? Well, over the autumn of 2022, a group in our church decided to combine these seemingly unrelat- ed facts into a wonderful project!
Our former minister, the retired Rev. Dr. Andrew Johnston, had suggested that these seldom- used vestries be spruced up into little archives or history rooms. And so it began! A small group of volunteers waded in with little more than an idea, a teensy-tiny budget, and a lot of mess.
This group began by remov- ing every. single. thing. from both rooms. Then they dusted. They vacuumed. They scrubbed.
They patched. They sanded. They painted. And what a difference that made!
Then slowly, carefully, inten- tionally, they began bringing in and arranging the furnishings. First, they installed the cabinets that they had cleaned and refin- ished; then, they brought in his- toric furniture acquired from vari- ous locations around the building; and finally, restored photos and artifacts, some of which had been ignored and neglected for dec- ades, were artfully placed. There were many newly discovered treasures, too, all relating to the history of St. Andrew’s. Displays include:
Ministers’ portrait gallery of the 12 St. Andrew’s ministers from 1822 to 2022.
• A donated antique Victorian jewelry shop display cabinet exhibiting an array of spir- itually significant congre- gational artifacts, including a classic 1890s set for the Lord’s Supper, a precentor’s tuning fork (used in leading hymns before an organ was allowed into the sanctuary in the late 1800s), and a small portable communion set that survived the great church fire of 1888—the outer carrying case is visibly charred, but the contents are still intact, except for the melting and bending of the metal goblet stem from the heat. Refined by fire!
• A montage of photos about the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Max Putnam, who was also the Moderator of The Pres-
byterian Church in Canada
in 1972.
• A Victorian corner featuring
artwork, original portraits and furniture depicting the ministry (1827–1863) of the Rev. Dr. John Machar and his famous daughter Agnes, who became an acclaimed writer, social activist and en- vironmentalist much before her time.
• A wedding Bible of 1894 .
• Typical baptismal artifacts
from the 1920s.
• Banners created in 2017 for
the 200th anniversary.
Eva Eichenbaum Barnes, a reg- ular at St. Andrew’s, spearheaded the entire project. Delightfully, Eva is neither a professional historian nor curator, and she isn’t even Presbyterian! Her background before retirement was in teach- ing, public relations in the world of performing arts, and in cultural tourism development. Her faith background is Estonian Evan- gelical Lutheran. But she pointed out that there was “...something intangible, but incredibly special, about St. Andrew’s Kingston, in this time and in this place, that served as a beckoning inspiration to become involved in its herit- age ... including trying to design some small museum spaces that could reach out to the public with an interactive historical welcome
in the years to come.”
And how right she is! Connect-
ing the past to the present—and future—to maintain interest in the church, is vital to its survival.
It was a labour of love. As Eva explained: “Undertaking
Eva Eichenbaum Barnes with banners from the 200th anniversary in 2017.
  this unique church project has brought much quiet personal en- joyment behind the scenes. It has been both a privilege and a pleas- ure to serve St. Andrew’s in this way. These two vestry museums truly were created for the love of it. The hope is that future visitors will find the church museum ex- perience to be engaging and up- lifting. “
The Spirit seems to call and move in such unexpected ways. This project of discovery and creative expression seems to have taken on a life of its own in recent months. Generations of Kingstonians have worshipped here under the words,”Worship in the Beauty of Holiness,” which is painted above the majestic organ pipes. I felt quietly inspired to try to honour, capture and celebrate this historic beauty. “Where there is beauty, there is God.”
How wonderful that a handful
Display cabinet.
The Penny Vestry at St. Andrew’s, for- merly used for storage.
of people were willing to spend many hours transforming under- used spaces to bring the past to life for people in the present and the future.
     The Presbyterian Church Heritage Centre (PCHC) has formally arrived and taken over the sanctuary space at Carlisle United Church in Carlisle, Ont., which is about six km east of Ailsa Craig in North Middlesex. PCHC was formerly the National Presbyterian Museum.
The PCHC Advisory Committee has worked hard to make the move possible, and it will now take time to organize all artefacts, books and furniture. Once reopened, the PCHC will continue to preserve and display the heritage of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. The PCHC Committee appreciates the financial support of the PCC and all donors who are making this move possible.
Carlisle United Church in Carlisle, North Middlesex, Ont.
Adaptive Reuse in Carlisle, North Middlesex
By Jenny Grainger, author and past president of the London & Middlesex Historical Society.
Jenny Grainger, a blogger from London, Ont., visited the PCHC location and the following is an excerpt from her blog. The full article is available at jennifergrainger.blogspot.com.
The Presbyterian Church Herit- age Centre (PCHC) is moving into Carlisle United Church, in




















































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