(scroll down for St. Pauls history)
Christ Church is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in Georgina. The building was constructed in 1862 and the first service was given in January 1863. Christ Church Roches Point has served the surrounding Community throughout the years from this beautiful building.
This building is a well-known structure, having been featured in many publications dealing with rural Ontario. The latest book to feature the Church was “Rural Roots”. A variety of artists, both local and distant, have produced a number of paintings and photographs of this country church.
The church building was designed by the first Rector, the Reverend Walter Stennett, and built on land given by his parents. The Reverend Mr. Stennett was also responsible for the construction of the structure.
The construction was excellent, as the present condition of the structure shows. However, major repairs have been undertaken over the past few years, not only to repair the signs of time, but to upgrade the building.
Major renovations began in 1977 with the restoration of the unique stained glass windows. In the late 1980’s, work began on the exterior of the building. In 1990, the interior of the building was completely refurbished to repair the deteriorating plaster work and to modernize the heating, as well as adding air conditioning. In 1999, the roof braces were reinforced with tie-rods. The most recent renovavtion undertaking was the replacement of all the rock mortar joints in 2002.
St. Paul's is known as the "Travelling Church". St. Paul's has been standing at its present location for the past 57 years. In June of 1999 the parish celebrated St. Paul's 50th anniversary by bringing the parish congregation and families together to share food, fun, and of course stories.
St. Paul's has been moved twice before. Its original location was at the north-west corner of Ravenshoe Rd. and The Queensway. It was constructed in 1875. In the early 1900's, St. Paul's was moved to the corner of Boyers Rd. and Metro Rd. This was quite the event for the early 1900's as it was moved on the ice up Cook's Bay. In 1949, the church was moved to its present location.
1862-1866 The Rev. Walter Stennett, M.A.
1866-1868 Vacancy
1868-1870 The Rev. James Morton
1870-1873 The Rev. Johnston Vicars
1873-1878 Vacancy
1878-1880 The Rev. J.H. Turton
1880-1881 Vacancy
1883-1895 The Rev. C.R. Bell, Mus. Bac.
1896-1900 The Rev. A.M. Rutherford
1900-1904 Vacancy
1904-1907 The Rev. J. McKee McLennan
1908-1911 The Rev. F.M. Dean
1912-1913 Vacancy
1913-1917 The Rev. C.E. Pratt
1917-1918 The Rev. W.A. Pippin
1918-1920 The Rev. W. Creswick
1921-1925 The Rev. S. Ferguson
1925-1927 The Rev. Canon Thomas W. Barnett
1927-1934 The Rev. Fred Ellis
1934-1937 The Rev. A.K. Griffin
1937-1942 The Rev. A.J. Forte
1942-1947 The Rev. J.T. Rhodes
1947-1949 The Rev. H.L. Puxley
1949-1951 The Rev. M.T. Hutt
1951-1953 The Rev. Alfred J. Arthur
1953-1956 The Rev. Edward Morley
1956-1961 The Rev. Frank B. Cooke
1961-1967 The Rev. Jack M. Wiseman
1967-1970 The Rev. Canon Donald Bone
1970-1974 The Rev. Earl Sigston
1974-1986 The Rev. C. Donald Wilson
1986-1991 The Rev. Wayne Carney
1991-1992 The Rev. Canon Elizabeth Kilbourn
1992-1994 The Rev. Canon Terry Tarleton
1995-2012 The Rev. John Coulman
2012-2013 Several Interim Priests
2013-2017 The Rev. Annette M. Gillies
2017- The Rev. Canon W. David Neelands