Mt. Carmel United Church Troy ON

Troy United Church

FRIENDLY BELIEVERS DEEPENING OUR FAITH THROUGH WORSHIP, MUSIC, HOSPITALITY AND OUTREACH

Worship each Sunday at 9:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. for summer services except when there are joint services in the summer when worship is at 10:00 a.m.

Everyone Welcome

 

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Celebrating 175 years of church services in Troy 1835 - 2010 by Elizabeth Nowell (published in the St. George Lance)

As you travel east from St. George on Highweay 5 through the hilly countryside around the village of Troy, you will pass the back of Mount Carmel United Church erected 137 years ago in 1873.

If you veer off to the south to the old Troy Road, you can see the front of the church - a large white brick edifice with red brick trim in an Italianate styles. The high wooden spires were recently covered with copper sheeting. Try to imagine the building of this church long before Highway 5 was constructed in 1930 and had bypassed the village.

The pressed bricks for the front were puchased in Brantford for $10 per thousand and the rest from Samuel Wood's brickyard at the west of Troy for $6 per thousand. The architect, Mr. Mellish, who also designed the Cainsville church, and contractor Mr. Watt, had given a tender of $7,128 fir a building 40 x 65 feet. Troy people were to supply local stone, bricks and lumber and water - likely from Fairchild's Creek - for the mortar.

Coloured glass for the windows was carefully transported by wagon from London, Ontario. However in spite of all the care that was taken earlier, the lovely newly-installed rose window was broken during a storm. Then another trip to London was needed to replace it.

In the minutes of a meeting of the building committee of 1873, there is a motion: "to appoint a group of ladies to devise some scheme to raise money to furnish the church." This sounds like a plan that women have continued to do throughout the years! The difference is that there are fewer people in the congregation at the present time.

Let us look back to 1835 for the first recorded church congregation in Troy, worshiping in a log cabin set among apple trees. This was the home of Hugh Mulholland Sr. and family, located southwest of the present-day Troy cemetery on Highway 5.

When the settlers met for religious services, large blocks of wood were brought into the house and pine boards laid across to form seats. Sermons by licenced Elders, or local preachers who arrived on horseback, lasted between two and three hours. Reverend Stoney was the first minister in official records.

Troy, Lynden, Mount Zion, Westover, Rockton and Rock Chapel formed the first Beverly Circuit. Circuit work demanded men of strong physique and indomitable courage. Their journeys through forest infested by wild animals, blocked by fallen trees, and over rivers and streams which horse and rider frequently had to swim, made pioneer work extremely hazardous. Their efforts were most highly appreciated by the settlers whose hospitality gave the best their humble log houses could provide to make the "Saddle Bag" minister comfortable.

After nine years of such worship, the first Episcopal Methodist Chapel was built in 1844. It was a frame building 30 by 40 feet, located on the hill towrad the southwest corner of Troy Cemetery. This land was donated by Conrad Misener.

The semi-circular wooden headboard inscribed "E.M.Chapel A.D. 1844" is retained in the present brick church in the village of Troy. Rev. Barney Markle, who was preaching at this time, lived on Concession 2, Beverly on a farm known as the Romasz farm (recently purchased by D. Bannister).

There was no musical instrument in the first frame church at the cemetery. The music for the hymns or psalms was set by a precentor (a person who assists in worship) who used a tuning fork to set the pitch for congregational singing.

Since music has been a large part of church worship services through the years, everyone is invited to join us for an Olde Time Hymn Sing on Sunday Sept 19 at 7 p.m. It will be only one of the events celebrating 175 years of church services in Troy. There will be a free will offering.

Another event will be a Harvest Luncheon at noon on Monday Oct. 4 at Troy's Mount Carmel United Church on Highway 5.

The 175th Anniversary Services will be on Sunday Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. followed by a social time.

The annual Roast Beef Supper is set for Friday Nov. 12, in Lyndon.