Page 16 - Presbyterian Connection Fall 2025

16 FALL 2025
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Cutting the ribbon are: Michael Ho, MP Richmond Hill South; Susan Falla-Johnson, Clerk of Session; the Rev. Robert
Hayashi; Mayor David West; Daisy Wai, MPP; David Mock, Congregational Trustee.
New Beginnings in Preserving
a Piece of Presbyterian History
ance and time, as she steered us
in the right direction.
Working with Betty and her
team helped us complete the due
diligence to ensure we could take
on these capital projects. Our
newly renovated manse not only
adds tremendous value to our
church but also adds lasting eco-
nomic value to the PCC.
The following is a quote from
Betty Kupeian: “It was a pleasure
working with such an organized
team at Richmond Hill Presbyte-
rian Church ably led by Congrega-
tional Trustee David Mock. PCBC
worked with a budget submitted
by RHPC to enable the loan pay-
ments. Our first recommendation
was for a $150,000 Lending Fund
Loan, which is interest-free for
12 years, the remainder being fi-
nanced by the PCBC loan guaran-
tee to the Royal Bank of Canada.”
We are thankful for all the guid-
ance given to us by Betty Kupeian
and others and hope that the de-
nomination will continue to think
of creative funding initiatives to
assist congregations in preserv-
ing a piece of Presbyterian history
in their communities.
With regard to the cemetery
vault, the Cemetery Board and
Congregational Trustees worked
to secure grants from several
local organizations: City of Rich-
mond Hill Heritage Grant, German
Folklore Society, Richmond Hill
Legion, Richmond Hill Historical
Society, and members of our con-
gregation who were aligned with
our vision to preserve it.
While funding is a critical piece
of the puzzle, so too is finding the
right building contractors to work
with, who have the same vision
and desire to preserve a piece of
history. We came to appreciate
that selecting the right contrac-
tor ensured good communication
with our building committee and
the success of the project.
We are pleased to announce
that work is completed on both
the manse and the cemetery
vault, and we are forever grateful
to the people and organizations
that have guided us, helped fund
these projects and journeyed with
us along the way, especially all
those within the congregation.
With the manse now rented on a
two-year lease to a professional
educator, we look forward to the
manse providing a source of in-
come that will go to sustaining
Christ’s ministry and mission in
Richmond Hill for generations to
come.
While the RHPC Session and
congregation believe it is impor-
tant to preserve our history, we
believe even more strongly that it
is vital to grow the ministry and
mission of our Lord Jesus Christ
in Richmond Hill and the sur-
rounding area. We thank God for
God’s provision of people, prop-
erty and wisdom, and we look to
the future with hope in our hearts
and mission on our minds.
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
“Before” and “after” photos of the manse.
Submitted by Susan Falla-Johnson,
Clerk of Session, Richmond Hill
Presbyterian Church in Richmond
Hill, Ont.
In an era where Presbyterian
churches are closing and con-
gregations are selling church
property to stay financially viable,
the congregation at Richmond Hill
Presbyterian Church in Richmond
Hill, Ont., decided to take a differ-
ent path and preserve a piece of
Presbyterian history.
Over the past year, the Kirk Ses-
sion and congregation prayerfully
discerned the need to preserve
pieces of the church’s history
within the community. Restora-
tions began on the manse, built in
1877, and on the cemetery vault,
erected in 1863 and previously
restored in 1995. The congrega-
tion has a history of preserving
pieces of its past—including
when its original manse, built in
the mid-1840’s, was donated to
The Village at Black Creek (for-
merly Black Creek Pioneer Vil-
lage) in Toronto, where it remains
preserved to this day. But these
have not been easy decisions to
make.
As the Rev. Dr. Stuart Mac-
donald stated, “These are chal-
lenging times. We must make
difficult decisions about property
and buildings, some of which
have significant heritage value.
In all decisions, I believe it is im-
portant that we approach the is-
sues prayerfully, think clearly, act
deliberately—but always remain
focused on our goal to be Christ’s
people in this present time. This
will lead different communities
to make different decisions. Not
a problem. We will need to con-
solidate. That will mean saying
goodbye to some buildings that
we love. What I hope and pray
is that our decisions will be the
determination to provide for the
next decades and the next gen-
erations the resources (financial
and physical) that will allow them
to fulfill our mission. To me, that
means worship, supporting each
other as we live as disciples, and
inviting others to join us as fol-
lowers of the risen Christ.”
While the congregation was
supportive of the efforts to pre-
serve pieces of our history,
they were especially support-
ive of the effort to preserve the
manse through their offerings,
but we knew we could not carry
the cost alone. Therefore, our
Congregational Trustees and
Cemetery Board went to work
to understand where we could
best partner to secure the funds
necessary with reasonable terms
to move forward with these pro-
jects. After an exhaustive search
of banks, grants and other lend-
ers, it was determined that our
best route was to apply for funds
through The Presbyterian Church
in Canada’s Lending Fund, the
Presbyterian Church Building
Corporation’s Loan Program, and
the Presbytery of Oak Ridges’
Growth Fund. The Congregational
Trustees worked closely with
Betty Kupeian, the chief operating
officer at the Presbyterian Church
Building Corporation (PCBC), to
successfully secure funding for
the manse renovation. We are
very appreciative of Betty’s guid-
The manse rededication and open house on May 24.