St. Michael's Anglican Thunder Bay: Important Dates

THE HISTORY OF
ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH
(PORT ARTHUR)THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO


1857	Francis Brown moved from Collingwood Ontario to The Bay and settled where the Marina Inn used to be.

1860	After the Ice Shove, Mr. Brown moved inland and settle on a plot of land consisting of 103 acres south side of the Dog Lake Trail. (Red River Road south to John Street, Clarkson Street west to Rockwood Avenue). This plot of land became known as Brown’s Cemetery. Other departed persons started to be placed there. Mr. Brown buried two children in the north east part of his property. A neighbour passed away, and was buried beside his children.

1868	Mr. Dawson was commissioned to build a proper trail to Dog Lake. The Dog Lake Trail was renamed Dawson Route.

1870	General Wolesley renamed the city from The Bay to Prince Arthur’s Landing (It was also known as Thunder Bay and the Station before the General landed) Some of his soldiers were buried in the cemetery. The plot of land also became known as Dawson’s Cemetery because it was on Dawson’s Trail.

1872	The Church of St. John The Evangelist was founded under the leadership of Rev. C.B. Dundas. The congregation soon wished to have their own place to rest their dead. Rev. Dundas approached Bishop Fauquier requesting him to buy the cemetery from Mr. Brown for use for St. John’s deceased. The Bishop agreed.

1875: July 8	Plot of land on Arthur St. (now Red River Rd.) Between Rockwood Ave. and Windermere Ave. was deeded to Bishop Fauquier and the Diocese of Algoma in trust of St. John’s Church by Frank Brown. The Diocese spent $100.00 to clean up the land and put a fence around it. It now became known as St. John’s Cemetery. Bishop Fauquier consecrated the cemetery. Only Anglicans and Lutherans could be interred there. St. John’s Cemetery was registered at the Land and Titles Registry.

1887: July 21	Rev. C. J. Machin put a notice in the Daily Sentinel addressed to all Anglicans and Lutherans that there was to be no more interments into St. John’s Cemetery. The people of the Church of St. John The Evangelist wished to save an unused portion of the cemetery for future church use.

1906	Many services were held in the home of Mr. Bagley. Most of them were Prayer services, but Evening Song also took place. There were baptisms, but no Communion services. There could be as many as thirty people attending any service (on a Sunday). We were known as an "Outstation" to St. John’s Church. The families who attended the Bagley services wished to have their own church near where they worshiped. They asked the Bishop for the unused parcel of land in the cemetery. The Bishop gave the small group permission to build a small mission church on the northwest portion of the cemetery.

1906: Dec. 2	A meeting was held in the home of James G. Bagley, (Great Grandfather of Bill Greaves) to plan the building of the mission of St. Michael’s. The service was conducted by the Rector of St. John’s Church Rev. C. W. Hedley and assisted by Richard Roberts. There were twelve people present. Our name was chosen by putting various names into a hat and the name St. Michael and All Angels was chosen. From there, the name was sent to Synod for approval.

1907: Jan. 13	Six children were baptized in the residence of J. G. Bagley in Carrick Addition. (We had become known as the "Carrick Addition" due to Carrick buying up the land all around the cemetery)

1907: Jan. 31	A committee consisting of Messrs. Francis Keefer, W. M. Brown, George Chapman, and Mr. Boyd met to build a Mission on the N.W. corner of the cemetery. St. John’s Church donated $700.00 in building material for the construction of our Mission and the men of the Mission built it.

1907: March	By the end of the month, there were no more services held in the Carrick Addition until the Mission was complete.

1907: June 15	The first time an add was put in the paper for services to be conducted at our Mission. The advertisement was for the "Dawson Road Mission Hall". We were known to the town as the "Dawson Mission" but to the people of St. John’s Church, we were known as the "Little Mission"

1907: June 16	Rev. C. W. Hedley conducted the first service in the new Mission with twenty-five persons present at 4:30 p.m.. Collection amount was $1.30. Sunday School started right away, but may have been run by St. John’s Church. It was not until 1910 that it was brought up at the Vestry Meeting.

1907: Sept. 14	The Bishop had given us the okay to be called "St. Michael and All Angels Mission" and this was first advertised on this date.

1907: Oct. 7	The first Vestry meeting was held. The first wardens were W. F. Bagley (People's Warden) and Sam Whatley Sr. (Rector's Warden). Mr. A. E. Thornham was Vestry Clerk. At the Vestry meeting, it was decided to hold a work bee on Thanksgiving to clean up the Mission yard and paint the Mission.

1907: Oct. 14	Fifty people attended the first Harvest Thanksgiving.

1907: Dec. 22	The first service of Baptism was conducted with four people being baptized.

1908: May	A work bee was set for Victoria Day to clean up the Mission yard, fix the fence around the cemetery, and clean inside the Mission.

1908: April 18	The first sacrament of Holy Communion was administered to eleven people.

1908: June 11	The first marriage took place between Edmund William E. Cooney and Grace Guise-Bagley.

1908: Oct. 29	The Chancel Guild was asked to be formed.

1908	A series of concerts were put on to raise money for the building fund.

1909	Mr. George Elliott would bring his own coal over to the church for the furnace since we could not afford to buy it. He also supplied wood for the furnace. The furnace could take a four foot log! (He lived on the north side of Red River Road and Windemere Ave.; his rink/carnival was between Windemere Ave. and Rockwood Ave.)

1910: Mar. 29	It was reported at the annual Vestry Meeting that the Ladies Auxiliary gave the Sunday School $5.00. There were 50 children enrolled.

1910: April 20	The envelope system was put into effect. It lasted for only a year.

1910	It was agreed that Rev. Hedley have an assistant, a Lay Reader from Trinity College to take the services at St. Michael’s Mission.

1910: May 1	The Venerable Gowan Gillmor visited our Mission. (His nickname was the Tramp! He travelled all over Algoma spreading the news about God, first by foot and then by rail. He had no fixed address.)

1910: June 22	A fixed time was secured for the services so that Mr. Mayes, our Lay Reader, could be available.

1911: April 3	Mrs. Mary Law, Sam Whatley’s daughter was our first recorded funeral-burial.

1911 - 1915	Rev. George Sherring was our part time rector with Rev. Hedley still Priest-in-Charge. Rev. Sherring was an assistant Curate of St. John’s Church who not only took our services, but worked right along side of us. He helped keep the grounds up, painted fences, helped raise money, enjoyed the concerts, etc.

1914	Our total income for the year was $164.39 as reported at the Vestry meeting. There were a total of 62 children registered for Sunday school.

1917: May 12	The Finance and Advisory Committee of St. John’s church passed a resolution with the Archbishop and Chancellor being present, consenting to the division of the mother Church, St. John The Evangelist, and the three Mission parishes. The three Missions were St. Michael and All Angels, St. George the Martyr, and St. Mary Brent Park.

1917: Aug. 1	All Anglican Sunday School Teachers came together for a social.

1917: Oct. 6	The Three Point Parish became official. The Missions of St. Michael, St. George, and St. Mary Brent Park became one parish.

1917: Dec. 18	We re-adopted the envelope system. This time it lasted for almost 2 years.

1917: Aug. 20	The Sunday School Teachers had their first known meeting in the Mission.

1923: July 9	There were forty-two students and three teachers in the Sunday School. A Cub Pack was formed.

1923: July 23	We are still considered the "Carrick Mission Church".

1923: Aug.	The Sunday School Picnic was to be held on the second Wednesday of August at Current River. $5.00 was spent on prizes.

1923: Aug. 20	There was a Church Boys Choir camp held from Aug. 20th to the 30th. They used four tents and the older boys cooked.

1924	The envelope system was once again used.

1925: Aug. 19	The Mission held a Garden Tea Party.

1925: Sept.	The Mission was broken into by a Fort William youth, who tore the Lector Bible and scattered it on the floor. Mr. And Mrs. A. L. Browning donated their family Bible to the Mission for the services. Mrs. R. A. Gurney sang a solo that day call "The King of Love My Shepherd Is".

1926	The envelope system is still in place.

1926: April 26	St. Michael’s Mission became self supporting.

1926: July 28	The Sunday School Picnic was held at Current River Park (Wednesday).

1926: Aug. 5	A Garden Party was held. It consisted of lights, balloons, and streamers. The booths consisted of candy, ice cream, pop, a Ran Tub (a fishing novelty for the children), and fortune telling. They then had supper, and the First Lake Superior Regimental Band which provided the evening music.

1926: Oct. 22	Mrs. Britton held a novelty shower in her home in aid of the Women’s Guild Christmas bazaar. The Scout Troop had been organized with 20 boys so far enrolled, and formed into 2 patrols -the Beavers and the Bulldogs with the Wolf patrol almost formed. The leaders came from Fort William. Scoutmaster was J. Muriell, and Honourary Scout Master and Chaplain was Rev. Hill. Their colours were blue and white and they met Wednesdays at 7 p.m..

1926: Nov. 27	A letter was drafted, to be sent to forty men of the Mission to be part of a committee to have a basement put under the hall. There were three reasons stated for this addition: to provide a convenient place for meetings, to have the furnace under the floor so that the building would always be heated well, and the sides of the Mission were sinking. The cost was estimated at less than $1,000.00.

1927: Jan. 5	A meeting was held to discuss the putting a basement under the Mission at approximately cost of $1500.00

1927: Jan. 19	There was a full house in the Mission for the concert that night.

1927: Jan. 28	A letter was sent to the Bishop of Algoma for permission to make plans and start their campaign for money in order that the work may be commenced in the Spring.

1927: Jan. 31	The Bishop responded asking for plans of the basement in time for the Executive Committee meeting and gave permission to start a campaign for raising money.

1927: Jan.	An extra envelope was put in with the regular envelopes to raise money for the Algoma Mission Fund. A committee of eleven people and one chair to oversee the money and this campaign was started when the new envelope season started in June.

1927: March 12	Plans of the basement were sent to the Bishop along with permission to move the Mission back 20 feet from the street.

1927: March 23	Permission was granted to build a basement.

1927: April 4	Two new regulations were added to the existing Women’s Guild rules: Offices held by Communicants and there is to be a Monthly Corporate Communion.
1927: April 20	Rev. Hill requests that the Three Point Parish be dissolved and St. George the Martyr become a Church on its own.

1927: June 21	We asked the Bishop for a loan to build the basement. It was turned down by Synod Treasurer, Rev. Colloton. He advised us to see about a mortgage from Canada Permanent but the deed to the property was in the possession of Synod and the name was still that of the old St. Johns’ cemetery and Synod would not consent to mortgage all of it. We were advised to see if St. John’s Church would mortgage part of the property.

1927: Sept. 22	A special meeting of the Vestry of St. John’s Church was held on a resolution and passed authorizing the release of the trust in connection with the land their cemetery and St. Michael’s church stands.

1927: Oct. 31	The Quit Claim Deed was executed by the Rector and Wardens of St. John’s Church to the Synod of Algoma, "as trustee for the congregation of the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Port Arthur."

1927	The Girls’ Guild was disbanded which was replaced by the Altar Guild.

1928: Feb. 3	The Quit Claim Deed was made legal in the eyes of the law (City of Port Arthur).

1928: May 6	St. Michael’s met with St. George’s at St. George’s Church with Rev. Keppel Hill. This was an official recognition of efforts the people in making the mission Parishes. Rev. J. C. Popey, Rural Dean, acted as the Archdeacon and Mr. Lee I. Green of St. Stephen’s Mission was the Bishop’s Chaplain.

1928: May 21	We found out that the Deed on our parcel of land (Part Lot 3A, Con. A, South of Dawson Road, McIntyre) is defective and the title to the land is bad. There is no description registered of Francis Brown’s land and therefore we cannot make head nor tails of the description in the Deed of 1875.

1928: Aug. 19	Rev. Hill left our Parish.

1928: Oct. 19	Rev. Graham was our new Priest-in-charge.

1929	We were advised to drop the matter of putting in a basement. The deed had not been sorted out and we were no longer in a position to put the basement in. We were advised that, due to the length of possession of land, we have a perfectly good title to the land.

1929: Oct. 31	A Quit Claim Deed was obtained by the Mission of St. Michael and All Angels releasing St. John’s Church of their rights to the land.

1930: Nov. 3	A young people’s club was started. It was an hour per week and it was just for fun.

1931	Communion was set for the second Sunday of every month. Up to then, it was whenever a Priest could come.

1934	A lock was put on the doors of the church to keep the homeless and children out of the church at night.

1934: Feb.	A Valentine Social was put on by the W. A. and the men of the Mission.

1935: Sept.	We sold vegetables and fruit at the Harvest Festival.

1936	The taxes on our land had not been paid for some time and The City of Port Arthur took over the property. Synod paid $100.00 for the redemption of the portion of land occupied by the Church.

1937: April 9	Synod received the deed to the land occupied by St. Michael’s - we had the responsibility of carrying the loan from the diocese.

1937	The roof was reshingled on the south side thanks to the Ladies Guild who raised the money. The ladies were also responsible for cleaning the church and half the loan. There were ten celebrations of the Holy Communion.

1938: July 27	Special Vestry Meeting held to discuss the building of a Parish Hall. Motion moved to apply to the Bishop for permission to build a Parish Hall. The Parish Hall had been in use since October. Lumber had been purchased for the lining inside and the electric wire had also been installed but not hooked up. We started having Holy Communion on the third Sunday of every month.

1940	Special diplomas were signed by Rev. Smedley for perfect attendance in the Sunday School for Barbara Greaves and Phyllis Corbett. Phyllis missed only one Sunday in four years.

1941 - 1942	Pews replaced the kitchen chairs in the Church.

1943: Sept.	The Bishop of Fredericton and our Rural Dean, Rev. F. S. Yeomans, visited us.

1943	From June 7th to Sept. 13th we had a student Missionary in the person of Mr. W. W. LeVatte. Honourary Sidesmen were elected due to the men on active duty in the War.

1944	Mr. Height, Lay Reader, had looked after us for seven years but was now in ill health and could no longer take the services. As of the end of Sept., no service was held due to Mr. Height's ill health. However, Sunday School did continue. NOTE: Our priest-in-charge was Captain Rev. J. S. Smedley and, due to his church and military obligations, he could not really look after us due to a lack of time.

1944: June 11	A special Vestry meeting was held to decide the amount of money to pay towards the stipend of a student Missionary. It was agreed to pay him $30.00 per month, half the monies to be paid by the Ladies Guild. The Sunday School was shut down the middle of November due to Mr. Height’s illness. It reopened January 13th, 1946.

1945	A Vocational School was held for two hours in the morning for five days run by Mr. Sutherland. A new carpet for the Sanctuary was purchased and a wire fence put up.

1946: March	The Mission was consecrated by Archbishop W. M. Wright.

1946	Young Britons used the Church Hall on Thursdays, but this was later changed to Tuesdays.

1946: June	Rev. Alvin Thomson took over the ministry till 1952. His pay was $30.00 a month in which the Ladies Guild was responsible for half that amount.

1947	There were twenty-five services during the year of which eight were Holy Communion.

1947	Mr. C. Seal sent a letter to the Bishop requesting a new minister.

1947: June 10	A special meeting held: the furnace needed to be repaired. It was decided to buy a new one.

1947: Oct. 19	It was decided to adopt the envelope system to help raise money to help pay the bills.
1947: Oct. 29	The Girls Auxiliary started with a membership of thirteen girls.

1948	We decided to adopt our own bulletins with advertising on the back. The Sunday School had to be split up due to too many children: There were 125 registered: older students at 11 a.m. and junior and primary classes at 3 p.m..

1948: June 14	It was our forty-first anniversary. We held celebrations.

1948: June 23	We decided to put an ad in the paper about our drive for money to put a basement in.

1948: Aug. 8	A special Vestry meeting was called for the approval of building a basement containing modern conveniences underneath the present church building a an estimated cost of $6,000.00, of which $3,000.00 were already available in cash or pledges. The Incumbent and Wardens were to apply to the Executive Committee of the Diocese of Algoma for permission to erect a basement, to secure a mortgage of $3,000.00, and to request a loan of at least $500.00 from the Diocesan Church.

1949: Feb. 14	The Ladies Guild agreed to pay $50.00 per year for the upkeep of the Mission. (They actually gave $60.00).

1949	Lenten Boxes were given out to families of the Mission.

1949: April 3	Our own bulletins were handed out for the first time with advertising on the back.

1949: April 27	An offer was put in to buy the organ from Knox United Church.

1949: May 17	The new organ was installed.

1949: June 14	Mr. Squiers and Mr. G. Elliott were invited to turn the sod for the basement.

1949: June	The building was raised and a basement was built under it.

1949: July 26	Bricks from the old chimney were sold for 1 1/2 cents.

1949: Sept. 15	We held a Lawn Party to raise money for the basement.

1949: Nov. 19	St. Michael’s celebrated Mission day.

1949: Dec. 8	It took six months to complete the basement. It was ready for use on this day.

1949	All through the years, the church was supported by a small faithful congregation and a very active Women’s Guild. George Elliott, a General Store merchant across the street from the church and a very faithful supporter of the church, held a carnival and bazaar in his empty lot on the other corner. The income from this helped finance the church for yet another year. This became an annual event during the forties and fifties. The Girls Auxiliary was disbanded and reorganized. The Junior Auxiliary was not operating.

1950's	There were teas, outings and lots of fun during this decade.

1950: June	We purchased the property behind the church.

1950: Aug.	The carnival was held on the 3rd and 4th which included a parade, turtle races, corn on the cob etc.. It used to be held at the end of June.

1951: Jan. 19	At the annual Vestry meeting, the Advisory Council was given the okay and authority either to buy or to build a rectory. If the St. John’s Vestry approved, we could have Rev. Thomson as our full-time rector.

1951: Feb. 1	Rev. Thomson became our full-time rector with the approval of St. John’s Vestry.

1951: Sept. 25	All laymen were requested to attend St. John’s Parish to hear two speakers: the Archbishop of Quebec and the Bishop of Algoma.

1951: Aug.	The annual carnival was held. WE BECAME A CHURCH INSTEAD OF A MISSION WITH THE BUYING OF THE RECTORY AND A FULL-TIME RECTOR!

1952: Jan.	The Bible class purchased a telephone for the Church. The Church purchased a telephone for the Rectory. The rectory was at 21 Marlborough Road in Port Arthur.

1952: Feb. 6	A property committee was set up to look after the Church and rectory.

1952: April	A sign was put up on the outside of the Church with our name on it.

1952: May	A new Rectory was purchased at 36 Rupert Street, Port Arthur.

1952: May 14	The Bishop attended a dinner on Wednesday, at the Church with the Advisory Council. There was a Confirmation Service that night.

1952: Aug. 28	The carnival was once again held. The Scouts helped to run the carnival.

1952: Sept.	Rev. Thomson left our parish.

1952: Oct.	The Church purchased a duplicating machine for $123.48. (Mr. Bradford put in $95.00, the Sunday School put in $25.00, and the church put in the rest.)

1952: Nov. 13	Rev. Ken Rutter, his wife and two children arrived to take over the Ministry of St. Michael and All Angels Church.

1953: May 11	The new Chancel was dedicated.

1953: May	Choirmaster Dave Bradford was commissioned as a Lay Reader.

1953	Two of our Scouts went to the Canadian Jamboree held in Ottawa.

1954	One of our Scouts was chosen to go to the World Jamboree held at Niagara on the Lake.

1955	The mortgage of the Church was burned.

1955: Nov. 10	The end of an era in the sudden death of Mr. George Elliott in the basement of the Church while attending an advisory meeting. He was laughing, and just fell over dead.

1956: Jan.	The George Elliott Memorial Fund was established.

1956: May 28	Mr. Brown of Welles Organization was the guest at an Emergency Vestry Meeting. It was about Stewardship, how we should be giving more of ourselves to the Parish.

1957: March	An organ was purchased and dedicated in George Elliott’s name.

1957: May 26	Rev. Ken Rutter conducted his last service at St. Michael’s.

1957: July 29	Rev. John Jordan, his wife Phyllis and daughter Elizabeth arrived from Cobalt Ontario.

1957: Sept. 18	Rev. John Jordan was inducted by The Venerable Archdeacon J. F. Hinchcliff.

1958: Jan.	A committee was struck at the Vestry meeting to tender for a new building.

1958: May 5	An all-member canvas for building fund pledges began. The building committee consisted of Dr. Sid Smith, Harry Adderley, Dr. E. N. Wright, Harold Pett, Lorne Oliver, Gordon Whatley, Earl Wallace, Dave Bradford, Tom Townes, and Mel Miller. A contract was awarded to Kambay Builders of Fort William for $98,500.00. A $100,000.00 loan was obtained, $50,000.00 from the Bank of Montreal and $50,000.00 from the Bishop Wright Church Extension Fund.

1958: July 13	Sod-turning ceremony was held. The congregation processed behind the crucifer and the Spade carrier over to the new site of the Church. A small ceremony was conducted with Ven. Archdeacon J. F. Hinchliffe, Mr. Dave Bradford (parochial lay reader), Douglas Adderley (crucifer), Sandy Gingras (spade bearer), Rev. J. E. Jordan (St. Michael’s Minister), and Mrs. E. C. Greaves (the oldest member of the congregation)

1958	Parts of cloth, buttons, pieces of bones were being dug up as the church basement was being dug. As these were being unearthed, Rev. Jordon blessed them and then they were put into a ruff box and taken to Everst Funeral Home by Mr. Niemi for safe keeping. Once they were sure there were no other bodies or remains left, the ruff box were taken to Riverside Cemetery for burial in the Potters field.

1958: Dec. 4	The foundation stone was laid by The Venerable Archdeacon J. F. Hinchcliffe for the new Church building.

1959: May 24	Trinity Sunday, the first service was held in the new Church by the Rev. John Jordan. Mel Miller was the Bishop’s Chaplain and he carried the Staff and laid it on the Altar in the new Church.

1959: June 8	Archbishop W. M. Wright conducted an open service and dedication of the new Church.

1959	The Choir held a Tea to raise money so that they could purchase maroon-coloured gowns for the newly formed Girls Choir.

1960: Oct. 9	The former Bishop of the Diocese of Qu’Appelle and the Right Rev. Michael Coleman conducted a week-long Parish Mission.

1962: Oct. 22	The old Church building was demolished and removed at no cost to the church.

1962	The Mission to Seaman was started by Rev. Hinchliffe and it was known as the "Flying Angel Mission".

1964: June 24	A special vestry meeting approved the selling of the present rectory at 36 Rupert St. and eventually buying a newly built home at 235 Maple Ave.

1967: Dec.	Rev. John Jordan conducted his last service as rector of St. Michael’s Church.

1967 - 1970	We had our only Church Verger: Bert Harding. His job was to open and close (lock) the church every day, to change the candle on the Altar and to mop the floors.

1968: March	Rev. Mark Conliffe takes over the ministry of the Parish.

1968	Rev. Conliffe was appointed Rural Dean for Thunder Bay.

1968: Oct.	A parish visitation determined that there were 344 registered Anglicans and 126 Protestant families who have no known affiliation with respective churches.

1969: Dec.	Our $50,000.00 bank loan was retired.

1971: July	Church Army Captain Dickson arrived to take his place as assistant to the rector.

1974: Sept. 8	Archbishop W. L. Wright retired.

1974	Archbishop Frank Nock was elected Bishop of Algoma.

1975	The 100th anniversary of the deeding of the property to the Diocese. The deed is presently held in trust by the Diocesan office.

1978: Oct. 1	The Church was consecrated by Archbishop F. Nock.

1978	Dave Bradford was celebrating 25 years as a Lay Reader.

1979	The first of seven stained glass windows was installed in the West wall.

1980: May 27	Mr. Dave Bradford was made a Deacon of the Church.

1980	Tony Hitsman was assigned to St. Michael’s for further training and, after his ordination to Deacon, stayed on as an assistant.

1981	The Church was broken into and $200.00 was stolen and there was extensive damage done to all types of records.

1983	Anglicans In Mission (AIM), a national campaign for funds was a success.

1983: May 27	Mr. Dave Bradford was raised to the Priesthood by Bishop F. Nock.

1983	Rev. Mark Conliffe was appointed Canon by our Bishop.

1983	Algoma elected a new Bishop, Right Rev. Leslie Peterson.

1984: May	Rev. Susan DeGruchy arrived to assist Canon Mark Conliffe. We bought the property of 18 Sydney St. for future consideration.

1985: May	Ordination of Rev. Susan DeGruchy by Bishop Peterson.

1986: Oct.	Rev. Allan Knight came to St. Michael’s as an assistant to our Rector.

1986: Nov. 30	Canon Mark Conliffe was appointed Venerable Archdeacon by Bishop Peterson.

1989: June	Construction began on the extension to the church building. The addition and renovations to the church was for improved and expanded facilities.

1989	A Worship Committee was set up and was responsible for people doing the Sunday Readings.

1989	Mr. Justice John deP Wright was a member of the Supreme Court of the Anglican Church of Canada.

1991: Jan. 27	Jerry Pearce was introduced as our new Lay Reader in training.

1991	A new men's fellowship group was started. They meet the last Saturday of the month for breakfast and a meeting with various speakers at times.

1992: Sept. 19	A Christian Education Workshop was held at our Church. Both Anglican and other denominations came together in fellowship and learning.

1992: Dec. 1	Rev. Dave Bradford was appointed Canon by Bishop Peterson.

1992	A Property committee was formed to look after the Church, rectory, and our other property. It consisted of Howard King, Shirley King, Elaine Wright, Gordon Whatley, Ralph Wyrozub, and Van Bailey.

1992: Dec.	The large spruce tree in front of the church was adorned with 500 Christmas lights and turned on for the Christmas season by singing "Oh Christmas Tree" after the 7pm service. (The lights were supplied and put on the tree by Howard King).

1993: Feb. 10	A Small Group was formed for the purpose of studying the Bible. The group is to be no larger than ten people. They meet every other Tuesday morning at different people's homes.

1993: Mar. 27	Fm. P Kennedy of the Order of St. Lazarus joined us in the Service.

1993: April	The Rectory had extensive work done to it due to a fire which started in the dryer and went up the wall into the kitchen cupboards. Florence Johnston opened her heart and home to our Minister and his wife Ena. The parish later held a "fire shower" to help replace items that were lost to the fire.

1993: April	Canon R Vopri was our guest speaker.

1993: May	Mutual Ministry: The Venerable Archdeacon Mark Conliffe was asked by the Bishop to be Priest-in-Charge of St. Luke’s Cathedral in Sault Ste. Marie for a three month period. The Mutual Ministry was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Church. Dave Bradford was our Priest-in-Charge for this period (May 10-July 17, and July 22 - August 5).

1993	The Church Advertisement was taken out of the paper and put in the yellow pages of the telephone book.

1993: May	The Scouts (11th Port Arthur) went to the Canadian Jamboree in Alberta.

1994: Feb.	We took over the sponsorship of a couple from Iran. Mr. And Mrs. Farokhi were refugees. Elsie Brown and Jerry Lavery were responsible for their daily needs for two years.

1994: March	The Church ad was placed in the telephone book and taken out of the paper.

1994	Calling and Caring was formed and put into practice by Flora Ozburn. On March 27 a workshop was held to train members of the Parish to work with Flora.

1994: April 7	The A. C. W. had a fashion show.

1994: May 10	Birthday envelopes have been sent out to the congregation. They are to be filled by donations of a $1.00 per year of life lived and returned to the Church.

1994: May 31	Bishop Peterson retired.

1994 - 2003	Mr. Justice John De P Wright was on the Diocesan Committee for Canon and Constitution. (He also served on the committee from 1983-1989).

1994: June 12	The Church Picnic was held at Gammondale Farm from 3 to 6 p.m.

1994: Oct. 15	The first of many Beef and Lobster Dinner fund-raisers was held at the Armory. For the entertainment there was gambling with funny money which, at the end of the evening, you could use to bid on items that were donated by parishioners.

1994: Oct.	Work started on the Memorial Gardens outside the East wall of the Church.

1994: Oct. 22	A Servers and Readers training program started for five weeks. Mr. John Dunnill is responsible for scheduling of the servers and readers.

1994: Nov.	The first service of the Consecration of Ashes was held in the Memorial Gardens. Mr. W. M. Brown’s Ashes were entombed.

1994: Nov. 20	Friend Day was held with a spaghetti supper. Activities included crafts, board games, cards, and watching the football game.

1995: Jan.	It was the first time three youths sat on the Advisory Board, (Geoff Potvin, Jon Thompson and Heather Pike).

1995: Feb.	The name "Advisory Board" was changed to the "Parish Team Leadership Board".

1995: June	The Church parking lot was paved.

1995: Sept.	We started the Pictorial Directory.

1995: Sept.	A "Whole People of God" workshop was held: anyone interested could come, but it was mainly for Sunday School Teachers.

1995: Oct. 29	Bishop Sehon Goodridge of the Windward Island was our guest speaker at the 10 am service.

1995: Nov.	Creighton Youth Centre, Green Co. AA Group decided to rent two rooms in the addition for their meetings place.

1996: Jan. 7	Jason Scriver became our new organist.

1996	A Brass Plaque was purchased for the Memorial Garden.

1996: Jan. 18	The Thursday morning Service was canceled due to a blizzard.

1996: Feb.	The Green Acres AA Group continues to meet in the Church addition. The Math Tutor is also meeting once a week at the Church.

1996	The computer and printer were stolen. A security gate was installed at the main hall door to prevent people from, wandering upstairs when the church is not in use.

1996	Verginia Stead taught the Sunday School Students how to use the bells. The children performed songs with them for the congregation.

1996: March	Ministry 2000 was put into effect which replaced the completed "Bishop’s Appeal".

1996	The Pictorial Directories were published and distributed through a visiting team.

1996: April 24	An Evening of Music was held with the J. Family Singers and the Sweet Adelines with our Jason Scriver playing the organ and piano.

1997: Feb. 9	Bishop Ferris confirmed thirty-three people.

1997: Feb. 15	Archbishop O’Driscoll was a guest speaker at our 90th Anniversary Dinner held at the Airlane Hotel.

1997: Feb. 16	Archbishop O’Driscoll was our quest speaker at both the 10am and the 7pm Deanery Service.

1997 - 1998	The Bishop appointed Mr. Justice John DeP Wright to be President of the Diocesan Court and Mr. Robert Stead, Legal Counselor for the Diocesan.

1997: June	The Church picnic was canceled due to rain. A few families showed up at Gammondale and the skies cleared. The families were treated to ice cream and could watch the birds.

1997	Jeff Potvin was hired to do a survey of Christians and possibly active Anglicans in the area. Jeff had been an active member of the Church. He was in the Scouting movement, on the Advisory Board, a Reader, and a member of the Sunday School including the senior class until he left for university in Sept. of 1996.

1997: Oct. 9	Joyce Primmer was responsible for starting the Alpha Course. It ran for ten weeks with the last night being in Jan. of 1998. There were thirty-nine people who would come for supper, watch a video, and then discuss it. There also were other members of the church who worked in the kitchen preparing the food and cleaned up. The time length of the evening was from 6pm to 9pm. A one day retreat was held at Hazelwood.

1997: Nov. 29	The choir held a fun night of singing to raise money for new choir gowns.

1997: Nov. 30	The Church held a Deanery Service which consisted of only Advent hymns.

1997: Dec. 21	The Sunday school and the GA put on their Christmas Pageants.

1998	Mr. Justice John de P Wright served on the Diocesan National Committee.

1998	Rebecca Wright was hired (June to August) to survey the Forest Park area. She took over where Jeff Potvin left off. (Rebecca was a member of our Sunday School.)

1998	Fliers were delivered to homes in the area about our Church.

1998	Bill Davis did a portrait of Canon Dave. Bradford which hangs on the wall in the narthex.

1998: Aug.	Our annual Beef on a Bun was held.

1998: Sept.	Our annual Harvest Thanksgiving Dinner was held.

1998: Oct.	Our annual Craft Sale was held.

1998: Dec.	The Parish became involved in "Operation Christmas Child". We were to fill a shoe box with small items for either a girl or boy and by age. These were to be sent to places where children do not receive gifts at Christmas due to a lack of money.

1999: Jan. 27	Prayers for Christian Unity, Ecumenical Service held.

1999	A new Property Committee was formed consisting of Bill and Trudy Berezowski, Bill Corston, Lou Kallos, Don Lamke, and Don Murphy.

1999	Garnet Walker was licenced as parish Lay Reader (during the summer).

1999: Aug.	Edie Boyle became our Church Secretary.

1999	Rebecca Menhart was hired to complete the job that Jeff Potvin and Rebecca Wright had started.

1999	A Volunteer Appreciation reception was held in the Church Hall.

1999	A Jubilee banner was created by Sue Simonsen and Joan Hanton.

1999	A new sound system was put in the Church by Howard King.

1999: Fall	We started to use the Book of Common Praise as our main Hymn Book. People were encouraged to buy one for the Church in Remembrance of a Loved One.

2000	Children’s Focus started (a short talk to the children about the readings of the day). The presenters were Debbie de Bakker, David Morden, Bob Stead, Garnet Walker, and Irene Wyrozub.

2000	Marilyn Collins was hired for the summer to do a parish assessment by observing and having a dialogue with parishioners. Peter Tonge, a student in the Church Army was also hired to canvas homes to question residents about their attitude towards church and religion. Both of them ran the Vacation Bible School.

2001: May 24	A Special Vestry Meeting was held with our Regional Dean, Rev. Paul Carr to elect a "Concurrence Committee" to report only to the Bishop of Algoma. Members of the committee were Trudy Berezowski (Secretary), John Breen, Debbie de Bakker (Vice Chair), Bert Harding, Liz Krupa, Joyce Primmer and Robert Stead (Chair). There first meeting was after the meeting the same night. They were to compose a Parish Profile and it should be ready by the end of May or the beginning of June and taken to the PTLB for approval. Nothing could happen until it was sent to the Bishop. They had three tasks to do right away: sell the rectory to Archdeacon Conliffe, find accommodation for our interim Minister, Bishop Peck, and purchase a new rectory.

2001	Rev. Mark and Ena Conliffe purchased the rectory from the Church. They had lived in it for thirty-four years and could not see themselves living elsewhere.

2001	The Parish purchased 2 Sidney as the new rectory.

2001: June	Sheri Zale, a student, was hired for the summer. She was a great help to our seniors.

2001	A new Photo Directory was published and distributed so that the new Minister would be able to learn about our families.

2001: Sept. 30	We celebrated Archdeacon Conliffe’s forty-one years or Ordained Ministry. In attendance was Bishop Ferris (Bishop of Algoma), Bishop Peck (Retired), and Archdeacon Andrew Hoskin.

2001: Oct.	There was a dinner with evening entertainment by the Parishioners, which was held at the Valhalla Hotel to say good-bye to Rev. Mark Conliffe and Ena.

2001: Oct. 30	There was a fairwell Service for Archdeacon Mark Conliffe and his wife Ena.

2001	Retired Bishop, Rev. Jack Peck, became our interim Minister. He put a lot of life and confidence back into the Parish. (He was with us from October 4th to December 30th.)

2002	Samantha Harding, a life long member of the Parish, went to Azerbaijan as a missionary partially sponsored by the Parish. She went to help teach English.

2002: Feb. 1	Our new Minister, Rev. Peter Smyth arrived from Ireland with out his wife Elizabeth. He started his duties Feb. 10, 2002.

2002	Rev. Smyth helped out at the Scouts annual Pancake Supper.

2002	Roy Larson, chair of the 11th Port Arthur Scouting Committee presented Rev. Smyth a spatula for helping out in the kitchen during the dinner. Rev. Smyth responded with thanks, but said he did not cook.

2002: March 11	This was Rev. Peter Smyth's official date to start his ministry at our Parish, even though he had been busy at the Church for almost a month. Archdeacon Andrew Hoskin presided over the "Service of New Ministry".

2002	"The Wandering Minstrels" joined us on various occasions to sing and perform skits.

2002	The Parish donated a total of thirty-six bags of food to the food bank which was collected at the services of Thanksgiving and Epiphany.

2003: Feb. 23	"The Wandering Minstrels" performed "I.M.A.G.E." after the 7pm Service.

2003: March 4	The annual Boy Scouts Pancake Supper.

2003: July 24	Edie Boyle, our secretary, left for the East Coast as her husband, David was joining the Church Army.

2003: Sept. 4	Deacon Nancy Ringham’s first service as Rev. Peter’s assistant.

2003: Oct.	Katie Kirkpatrick became our new secretary.

2003: Oct. 4	The first annual "Service of the Blessing of the Pets" was held in the Church Hall.

2003: Nov.	Anna MacEachern displayed her paintings to raise money for Aids and a retired Bishop of Central Newfoundland was our guest speaker.

2004: Feb. 4	Frances Smith, a long time member of our parish passed away.

2004: Mar. 5	An Ecumenical World Day of Prayer Service was held at our Church.

2004: April	A Time & Talent Auction was held to raise funds for a new Church sign.

2004	The Quilting group was started by Karen Baker. It meets Thursday evenings in the church hall.

2004	Life in the Eucharist Program was started in the spring with another one in the fall. It was about teaching children the meaning of Communion and more. This program allows the children to receive Communion without being Confirmed.

2004	A new property committee was formed. The members were Liz Krupa, Matt Wilson, Bob Brown, Bill Corston, Gordon Earle, Bob Brown, and John Lambden.

2004: June 20	Nancy Ringham returns to our church as an ordained Priest. (She was ordained that day.) She was with us until Aug. 14, 2005 and then she went to Murillo as Minister of her own Church.

2004: Sept.	The Sunday School embarked on a new way of teaching. The students will learn one Bible story over a six week period in which they rotate to different workshops telling the story in different ways. On the seventh week, they present their learnings to the congregation in a form of a play. They gather at the beginning for prayers, the Lord’s prayer and the doxology before they go off to their groups. The groups are preschool, junior kindergarten, senior kindergarten, grades 1-3, and grades 4-7.

2005: Feb. 6	Ralph Browning passed away. He was a lifelong member of the Church.

2005: Mar. 6	We celebrated Canon David Bradford’s 25 years as an Ordained Minister.

2005: May	This was the end of the 11th Port Arthur Scout Group. It closed down for a number of reasons: the cost, lack of leaders and youth, the changing of programs.

2005: May	We had a healthy competition in the parish for a new Mission Statement. Joan Lamke won. It is "We strive to follow Christ’s teachings of caring, sharing, hope, peace and understanding."

2005: June 12	The annual parish picnic held at Gammondale Farm from 3:00 to 6:00pm.

2005: (July and August only)	Our Parish was a test congregation for a new Hymn Book called More Voices published by Wood Lake Books. No Sunday evening services held for the months of July and August.

2005: July 3	Canada Day Potluck Lunch was held after the 10 am service. People brought what they thought was "Canadian" food. Fun had by all.

2005: July 27	Funeral Service for Howard Arnold King was conducted. He died July 22, 2005. He was a member of the Church his whole life.

2005	Late one summer night, someone put the nozzle of the garden hose through the mail slot of the Church and turned the water on slowly. The rug to the offices were soaked so much that the water dripped from the ceiling into the basement ruining the ceiling tiles, the ladies bathroom and the nook under the stairs. The water also ran down the stairs, flooding the choir room, the other two bathrooms and into the hall.

2005: Aug. 24	The annual Beef on a Bun was held Wed. from 5 to 7pm.

2005: Aug.	We had a "Pulpit Exchange" with Our Saviours/Immanuel Lutheran Church. Rev. Matthew Diegel participated in our service including giving the sermon and Rev. Peter Smyth did the same at the Lutheran Church.

2005: Sept. 11	Rev. Nancy Ringham, our Priest Associate’s last Sunday with us. She became the Rector at the Parish of West Thunder Bay starting the following Sunday. A luncheon in her name took place after the 10am Service.

2005: Sept. 18	Harvest Thanksgiving service was held with guest speaker Lid Haugen Strand, Chaplain, Thunder Bay Regional Hospital.

2005: Sept 21	The Harvest supper was held from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

2005: Sept. 22	The Quilting Group has started up for another season. It met every Thursday evening from 7 to 10 pm.

2005: Sept. 25	The Rev. Canon John Jordan was our guest minister.

2005: Sept.	Our own web site was set up and put on the internet: www.stmichaelsthunderbay.net.

2005: Oct. 7	The service of Blessing of the Pets took place. An offering was collected to help out abused or homeless animals.

2005: Oct. 13	Both the 13th and 14th, the annual craft sale took place. Lunch was available for $6.00.

2005: Oct. 30	A baby shower was held from 2 to 4pm in the church hall for our Minister’s wife, Liz. Both Peter and Liz were in attendance. The Sunday school led congregation in the service. It was written and performed by the students.

2005: Nov. 3	The choir participated in the Thunder Bay Centre of the RCCO held at Knox United Church. We sang two pieces on our own, joined in on two pieces, and listened to other choirs sing.

2005: Nov. 18	Couples Dancing Lesson was held from 7:30 to 10:00pm as a fund-raiser. Tickets were sold for $25.00.

2005: Nov. 20	A pancake breakfast was held after the 10am service. This was one of many throughout the year. It was put on by Joe and Moe Carroll.

2005: Dec. 3	The Christmas Tea was held between 1 and 3pm.

2005: Dec. 4	The Bishop was here for Confirmation.

2005: Dec. 18	A new Christmas was acted out by the Sunday School. Karen Baker wrote the play to fit the ages of the students.

2005: Dec.	We sponsored two families this year for Christmas. We purchased gifts for the children and extras for the day. Homemade cookies were dropped off at the church. They were sorted, packaged and give out to seniors.

2005	The Church building had quite a lot of work done over the past year by the property committee. Outside windows painted, all the pews were stripped, cleaned, and refinished, the carpet in the narthex, energy efficient light bulbs were put in the addition, six sun fitters were added to the windows on the north east side of church, the rug down stairs in the addition was taken up and a tile floor put in, the walls redone and the tiles in the ceiling replaces, the ladies bathroom was redone.

2006: Jan. 6	Both Jan 6th and 8th a play written by our Lay Person Sue Simonsen was performed to a sold-out church. The play, "Go Tell It On the Mountain", was about St. Matthew's Gospel: the Magi. Tickets cost $5.00 The words were narrated by different people and the characters were dressed in black while holding up masks that portrayed them.

2006: Jan. 29	It was decided at the Vestry meeting that there should be Deputy Rector’s and People's Wardens. Liz Krupa, no longer a People’s Warden, was given a paint brush with her name on it. She was all ways painting things like the girls bathroom!