Sawyerville Baptist Church Sawyerville QC

Sawyerville Baptist Church is a The Fellowship church in Sawyerville, Quebec.

We are a fellowship of believers, made in God's image and called as disciples of Christ to share the Good News with everyone through learning, listening, praying and working together actively to reach out to our communities.

We are a place to believe, belong, and become!

 

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S.B.C. is located at 33 Cookshire Street (Route 253) in the village of Sawyerville, approximately 25 miles east of Sherbrooke and 100 miles east of Montreal in the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec.  

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The Sawyerville Baptist Church has just celebrated her one hundred and ninetieth (190th) anniversary as an organized Baptist Church. The Baptist work in the Eaton area is over two hundred and twenty (220) years old. The Sawyerville Baptist Church congregation can look back on more than two hundred and twenty years of faithful witness in the Eastern Townships of Quebec! Yes, our Gospel work and witness is seventy-three years older than the confederation of our country and we were an organized Baptist Church forty-five years before Confederation.

The Earliest History

From 1793 until the War of 1812, Baptist evangelists and pastors were very active in the Province of Quebec. Elder Elisha Andrews, pastor of the church in Fairfax, Vermont, visited Caldwell's Manor on Lake Champlain. Quite a number were converted, but for some reason, none were baptized at this time and the organization of a church did not take place until 1794.

In January of 1794, these converts asked Pastor Andrews to return and baptize about 30 people ranging in age from ten to fifty. The night of his arrival he preached to a large number of people crowded into a house and the following day, from 9:00 AM, he examined candidates for baptism. The next day a hole was cut in the ice of Lake Champlain and "fifteen of those happy and devoted disciples were, in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, immersed agreeable, according to the command of the divine Saviour." The baptism of the remaining fifteen was deferred until the following Monday, "it being their choice to have it performed in the vicinity where they resided."

Baptist Church of Christ in Caldwell's Manor

After a week spent in visitation, preaching and baptizing, elder Andrews returned to Fairfax and came back a month later with a delegation in order to form a council to extend recognition to the new congregation in Quebec. Several more converts were baptized at this time and the church was recognized as "The Baptist Church of Christ in Caldwell's Manor," which is in the Missisquoi Bay region of Lake Champlain.

Soon after the ordination of one of the church's young men, Wm. Marsh, the whole congregation moved to Eaton Township. This group is believed to have been the nucleus of the Baptist testimony in the Eaton area.

The First Settlers

The first settlers to come to the Sawyerville area came through the woods from Caanan, Vermont through the Hereford district. The first settler, Captain Josiah Sawyer, after whom the village is named, built his first log cabin in Sawyerville in 1794, and proceeded to clear his farm. The early settlers lived in log cabins, with no conveniences, generally one room structures with one window, and in many cases, an earth floor. The tables, beds, chairs, etc., were made from materials at hand. As there were no mills nearby, they were obliged to depend, for the most part, on wild game and roots for a supply of food. The First Church Services The first preaching services of any kind held in Eaton (the early name of the district of which Sawyerville was a part) were in 1805. A Congregationalist minister came in from Vermont through Hereford, following a blazed line, or bridle path, along the line used for the greater part, by Highway 27 at present. During the course of his visit he mentioned that a Methodist minister would be along shortly. The Methodist minister, Rev. Asa Kent, arrived in due time, and a service in the home of Captain Josiah Sawyer was arranged for the next afternoon. Rev. Kent started house-to-house visitation, and in Eaton Corner met a good, pious man, a Baptist, by the name of Deacon Alger, who was said to be the only praying man in three townships. Mr. Alger strongly insisted that a service be held in his house the next morning. A large number of settlers assembled around the cabin at the appointed time, and by the time the meeting closed there was a good congregation. That afternoon Rev. Kent preached at Captain Sawyer's home in Sawyerville. From 1805 to 1822 no records exist of meetings held by Baptists in this area.

However, it is recorded that in the district were found Congregationalists, Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians, who were church loving folk. No one group was strong enough to have a resident pastor, so, in order to have a clergyman among them, they jointly hired Rev. Jonathan Taylor, who called himself a Presbyterian. Rev. Taylor came to Eaton in 1810 or 1812.

Early Growth

The Eaton Baptist Church was organized December 15, 1822, with a membership of thirteen. They had neither written creed nor catechism, but founded the church on the Word of God.

The church first met for communion on January 26, 1823. By June, 1823, the membership had increased to twenty-five. On March 7, 1832, Amos Dodge was added to the church by letter. He was chosen as a candidate for the gospel ministry. A council was called; he was examined, approved, and installed as pastor.

By October, 1833, thirty-three had been baptized and added to the church, and nine had been added by letter. Some of these letters of recommendation are still on file. Year by year members had been added to the church. Such phrases as "Baptised and added to the Church," and "We had the blessing of the Lord and outpouring of His Holy Spirit, and souls were converted" are often found in the early church records.

On October 1, 1833, the church voted to make choice of Edward Mitchell as pastor. Pastor Mitchell was a mulatto, and a native of Martinique, French West Indies. He later became pastor of the Baptist Churches at Georgeville and Magog, and was buried at Ive's Cemetery near Georgeville.

September 21, 1835, a series of meetings was started in a shed that stood south of a member's residence. The meetings continued until October 5, 1835, and "the meetings were precious ones - the Holy Spirit was present in mighty power, and many souls were converted." In 1836 a Methodist minister of the Vermont conference relocated in Sawyerville. Active in the Master's service, he could not be idle. He preached for the Baptists for two years and then formed a society of Methodists.

Grove Hill Church Built

In the fall of 1853 a committee was appointed to take into consideration the building of a house of worship. Preparations were made during the winter, and during the summer of 1854 a union church was built by the Regular Baptists and Free Baptists of Eaton and Newport, including was is now Bulwer. Alternate services were held until 1889 when the Free Baptists were not able to keep up regular preaching. The building was located on the hill near Grove Hill Cottage, the residence of Pastor Gillies. The contractor's price was $340.00 for labour, not including boarding, clapboarding and shingling.

One item concerning the construction of the new building is of interest. Deacon Charles Annable had been cutting lumber for a new house. When the decision was made by the church to build, Deacon Annable donated the lumber to the church and continued to live in his old house.

On January 17, 1855, the completed building was dedicated to the worship of God. A series of evangelistic services followed which resulted in many conversions.

Extract from the papers of the late Levi W. French: "There were at that time (the dedication of the Grove Hill Baptist Church in 1855) forty-one members - a list of the names of the members was included here - During the thirty-five years the church remained at Grove Hill one hundred and eighteen persons united with the church, ninety-eight by baptism, by letter and experience and restored, twenty."

Throughout his thirty-eight years as pastor, the history of Rev. A. Gillies and Sawyerville is sacredly and inseparably interwoven. As a pioneer pastor he was necessarily more of less the servant of most of the churches in the Eastern Townships. He was literally burdened with anxiety for the spiritual welfare of his people, and in urging the people to sustain the meetings he used to say, "Be sure and do not neglect the meetings. If you break your neck in getting there, get to the meetings."

The following extract is from an appreciation written in the Sherbrooke Gazette, October 4, 1889. "We may not attempt to sum up the results of those long years of 'Work of faith and labor of love'. One thing we might specially note. The Eaton Church is worthy of being copied by many of our churches as a model - in the intelligence and spirituality of its membership, and in the exercise of the gifts of the brethren, and the maintenance of the regular means of grace with or without a pastor, and especially, perhaps, in a most commendable and exemplary spirit of Christian benevolence. Such character and development could be only after long training and under wise leadership and enforced by precept and example."

Pastor Gillies, while visiting the Baptist Church in Sherbrooke, selected the choice site for the Baptist Church building. The site at the time was on the outskirts of the city, and adjacent to a pasture dotted with stumps. To a critic who said, "Whatever is your reason for choosing a lot in such unsuitable surroundings?" he replied like a prophet or seer: "Sherbrooke is going to be a city some day." This occurred in 1874.

During the early years of Rev. Gillies' pastorate many a long ride on horse-back over rough roads, in all kinds of weather, were some of his hardships. Money was scarce, and at times it was difficult to raise even the subscription for the weekly papers. A young pastor in a loving tribute to his memory, said: "Father Gillies was strong and noble in possessing and developing humility, self-forgetfulness, patience, endurance, and a never-failing love and devotion to his brethren and to the cause."

During 1878 Rev. Gillies resigned the pastorate on account of ill health. He continued to live beside the church and preached when the pulpit was vacant. Following Rev. Gillies' resignation the church had as pastors Rev. A Burwash and A. McNeil, and three students: R. McKellop, W.J. Mackay (late editor of "The Canadian Baptist"), and Charles Gould.

At a service commemorating the fortieth anniversary of Rev. Gillies' ordination he stated that during his ministry in the area he had preached approximately 4,200 sermons.

Present Church Built

The first church was built by the united efforts of the Regular Baptists and Free Will Baptists alternately. The Free Will Baptist Church was comprised of Eaton and Newport, including what is now Bulwer. After a few years the Free Will Baptists became weak and were not able to keep up regular preaching, when that part known as Bulwer became identified in part with Moe's River. After this the Regular Baptists occupied the church every Sabbath until the summer of 1889 when they thought that it would be more advisable to have the church in a more central place. Accordingly it was decided to move the old church to Sawyerville, but upon more mature consideration, they resolved to build again, and the present Baptist Church building in Sawyerville is the result of that decision. The building was erected at a cost of $2,465.00 and dedicated to God and opened free of debt on October 7, 1889.

Renovation of Buildings

In the fall of 1958 then pastor, Rev. W.O. Cooke, highly esteemed by the whole community, began his ministry in Sawyerville. Rev. Cooke, a former building contractor from the city of London, Ontario and pastor of Gladstone Baptist Church since 1934, brought with him his carpenter's tools, and the sound of saw and hammer was heard both early and late for weeks on end. After much deliberation it was decided to rebuild the parsonage rather than build anew, and out of the horse hair plaster and square nails, arose one of the most modern dwellings in the village. The parsonage grounds were levelled and landscaped, and where once there was an eye-sore, there is now a spacious lawn set out with shade trees.

The church building underwent a transformation as well. The basement was excavated and a concrete floor laid and stone walls covered. The building was properly drained, an oil burning heating system, washrooms and kitchen were installed. The basement once served as a Bible School room for seven classes. The dividers for the classes could be converted into tables so that the basement could be used for fellowship suppers during times of conferences and special weekend rallies. There were two classrooms on the first floor. A fire escape was made for the three classes on the second floor. A P.A. system, electric organ and nursery were also added to the facilities of the church.

Pastors of Sawyerville Baptist Church

1822 John Ide 1832-1833 Amos Dodge 1833-? Edward Mitchell 1841-1878 Archibald Gillies 1878-1879 R. McKillop 1880-1884 Adam Burwash 1884-1885 W.J. Mackay 1886-1888 A. McNeil 1889-1890 Chas Gould 1890-1899 A.C. Baker 1900-1902 H.C. Newcombe 1903-1905 W.T. Lorymer 1905-1906 W.H. Cooke 1906-1908 W.A. Johnstone 1908-1910 W.H. Stevens 1910-1916 W.H. Elliott 1916-1917 J.M. Newby 1917-1922 Robert Dick 1922-1925 J.S. Rough 1925-1930 W.H Vincer 1930-1942 R.E. Jones 1942-1946 G.M. Reeve 1947-1949 D.L. Day 1949-1951 Robert Mailey 1952-1958 N.M. McKenzie 1958-1970 W.O. Cooke 1970-1974 G.W. Covey 1974-1978 Kenneth Kaiser 1978-1981 David Mitchell 1981-1985 Bruce Kaiser 1985-1991 Raymond Johnson 1991-2004 Walter Gawa 2005-2008 Jamie Cahill 2008- Michel Houle