Editor’s note: In 2024, two churches in the Diocese of Saskatchewan celebrated their 100th anniversary as a parish: St. John’s, Nipawin, and St. Mary’s Birch Hills.
Birch Hills (Skwn) — On Aug. 25, St Mary’s celebrated its 100th anniversary, and over 100 years ago, on Aug. 25, 1922, the Rev. William Sheasby held the first service in St. Mary’s Church in the Village of Birch Hills.
St. Mary’s Church was built by people of strong faith and conviction. It was furnished through the generosity and dedication of Anglicans in the community. The bell was purchased and shipped from England. The red velour drapes that covered the east window were also purchased in England.
The cover on the first altar, originally a kitchen table, and the matching lectern and pulpit hangings were made and presented by women of the parish.
Also, the lectern and bishop’s chair were both hand-carved by Mr. Smith, with the chair still in use. A pump organ was purchased from St Alban’s with several parishioners willing to play for services to the accompaniment of a robed choir. A parish hall was added to the west side of the Church in1936.
As was the case in Nipawin, the congregation outgrew their church and in 1990 it was decided a new church should be built. Bill Lewis along with Rev. Dewey McClintock spearheaded this project.
The new church opened in 1997, and all loans were paid off in the fall of 1999. This church is known as the church pennies built. This idea captured the imagination of locals, Canadians from coast to coast and people from around the world.
Parishioners Dora and Bud Austin counted and rolled the pennies every week.
The first reading during the centennial service was from Hebrews 11:13-16, 12: 1-2, sometimes referred to as the “Hall of Faith,” not to be confused with the hall of fame, noted the Rev. Jordan Draper.
He went on to explain it is a catalogue of heroes from the Old Testament: people who stepped out in their generation, who spent their lives for eternal purposes.
These role models who God gives us as examples, pointing to them for us to learn from them — what they all have in common is that they staked their lives on God’s word to them. They never saw the big picture in this life. They never got the big pay-off. They died in faith.
We remember the ones who have gone before us precisely because of the way they have stepped out in trust and belief in what could not be seen or touched because God spoke to them. As in the Morning Prayer, Psalm 95, “Today, oh that you would hear his voice.”
Today we are remembering how the hallway of faith follows up through the last century from the founding of St. Mary’s Church and even to our own day. Some of you are tempted to give up the faith your forebearers have passed on, like a torch to be carried.
You may feel you’ve run hard in your own journey but run out of steam. You might be disheartened you tried to pass the faith on but somehow the flame didn’t catch fire.
We have no clearer notion today of what the next 100 years will look like than the founders of this church 100 years ago. But they laid a foundation for us upon the surest of footings. Christ is still the Solid Rock on which we are founded.
This church stands here, in this community, in the 21st century for no other reason but for us to hear God’s word so that we may follow his lead, whatever the future holds.
