On August 1st,
1846, Bishop Mountain visited the newly constructed Grace
Church in Sutton. He relates the following in his journal:
"We descended to Sutton Flats through which a clear little river
winds its way, and upon which the church is situated. The church is
a solid stone building of moderate dimensions with a tower in front
and pierced Gothic arches for windows. These apertures are now
filled with fresh branches of fir (there being no panes in the
windows as yet) and the church is prepared within a rough temporary
way for the service. There were about 200 people present."
Land had been donated by Mr. Billings and Captain Solomon Squier in
1835 but it was not until 1842 that a Church of England Mission was
set up. This took in Foster, Knowlton, Brome, Sutton and Abercorn.
Reverend Cusack, who resided in Knowlton (Coldbrook), was the first
missionary to minister to the people of the area.
Reverend Joseph Scott (1846-1850) was a missionary in charge
of Sutton when Grace Church was built in 1846. As early as 1839 the
Reverend James Reid of Frelighsburg had conducted services in a
schoolhouse in Sutton until the church was built. Those people in
Sutton who wished to marry or have their children christened had to
travel twelve miles to Frelighsburg. The stipends of the
missionaries were paid by the Society for the Propagation of the
Gosepel in Foreign Lands (the S.P.G.) in England.
Reverend Robert Lindsay (1850-1854) was in charge of Grace
Church when Bishop Fulford arrived on June 17th, 1851 to consecrate
Grace Church. During his stay a vestry and schoolroom were built
near the Church which was rented for $60.00 a year for the next
twelve years.
Reverend Hugh Montgomery (1854-1858) While serving the
congregation of Grace Church, the Reverend Hugh Montgomery realized
that the education of the children, beyond elementary school, was
sadly lacking. He rectified the problem by opening a school of
secondary education in the building which had been constructed next
to the church as a vestry room. Montgomery taught here until he was
moved to Philipsburg in 1858. This building was later moved north
and served as a private dwelling when the present Parish Hall was
built in 1907. In 1855 the Ladies Sewing Society was organized with
the women of the church participating in the welfare of their church
through this organization.
Reverend J.S. Sykes (1858-1862) The Reverend Sykes served the
growing congregation for four years and was replaced by the Reverend
Thomas Early, who was in charge for a short while in 1863. In 1858,
the first horse sheds were built and were later enlarged in 1886.
These were dismantled when the automobile replaced the horse as a
means of transportation to and from church.
Reverend John Smith (1864-1888) The Reverend John Smith was
inducted as the first Rector of Grace Church in 1864. He became the
Rural Dean and served the Parish for twenty-four years. During this
period, in 1874, Grace Church became self-supporting and was no
longer a mission church. In 1879, the east wall of the church was
broken through in order to add a chancel, which was built of wood
instead of stone, at a cost of $633.00. When Grace Church was built
in 1846 the cost was $1,850. Materials used in finishing were $217;
and the church steeple, built in 1854, cost $333. Much of the work
on the steeple was done by members of the congregation.
Reverend Charles Bancroft (1888-1893) Through the four years
that the Reverend Bancroft ministered to the congregation the
numbers increased and the services were well established.
Reverend E.T. Capel (1893-1903) In 1894 the Vestry (the
minister and churchwardens) was prepared to take up subscriptions in
order to build a new church. The congregation was worried about the
safety of the building.The south wall was falling outwards. However,
an architect was hired who said that the damage to the walls was due
to frost and advised digging a ditch along the south wall. Steels
rods were also placed inside the church connecting the walls
together. This remedied the situation, and the idea of a new church
was cancelled, saving this historic building for future generations.
In 1899, the old rectory, which had adjoined the church, was sold to
Mr. L.E. Dyer for $300, which included one quarter of an acre on the
south end of the glebe and the house was moved there. A new rectory
was built, at that time, at a cost of $1,700.
Reverend J.H. Bell, R.D. (1904-1911) In 1907 the present
Parish Hall was built to replace the first one at a cost of $3,500.
The previous building was moved north, next to the railway tracks
and is still in use today as a private dwelling. Meetings of the
Ladies Sewing Society and the women's organization called the
Daughters of the King, were held here as well as Vestry Meetings. In
the vestry minute book of 1905, there is a reference to the
Daughters of the King paying for the painting of the rectory. In
1910, both the church and the rectory were wired for electricity.
The Venerable Herbert Charters (1912-1947) In 1912 the
Reverend Herbert Charters was inducted as rector of Grace Church
where he continued to serve the parish for thirty-five years. He
became Archdeacon Charters and Rural Dean of the Brome-Shefford
Deanery. He will always be remembered for his fatherly concern for
all of his parishioners. He was both priest and friend to all, often
going into homes to baptize whole families of children, whose
spiritual needs had been neglected. When he became Archdeacon, a
postion which he held for many years he, on formal occasions, donned
the gaiters and coat which were appropriate to his office. Everyone
mourned his passing in 1947. When he first became rector of Grace
Church in 1912, the front wall of the church was taken down, the
stones numbered and after a reinforced base was put in, the stones
were replaced in the wall in the same manner as before. The porch
was replaced and its neat appearance graces the front of the church
today. During the closing years of Archdeacon Charter's tenure, a
junior chior was organized to assist at the Evening services. Both
junior and senior choirs acquired vestments in 1946. Barbara Cowan
was the directress and Shirley Cowan was the organist for both
choirs at that time. The high point of the junior choir activities
was the Candelight Carol Service. The new Casavant Pipe Organ was
dedicated in 1958.
Reverend Kenneth B. Keefe (1948-1953) Shortly after Reverend
Keefe became rector, work began on the Memorial Cloister, a building
to connect the Parish Hall with the church and to contain a vestry
office, choir rooms and a storage room. This was dedicated in 1948
to the memory of the late Archdeacon Charters. During the Reverend
Keefe's time the horse sheds out back of the church were finally
torn down. With the Reverend Keefe's ministry there was an influx of
members, both young and old. There were many activities in the
parish hall, which involved the whole congregation. The Annual
Auction Sale was started in 1950 and brought many people to the
church grounds for the big event. In 1980, close to the 40th
anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate, Canon Keefe retired
to the hills of Sutton, which had exerted an irresistible pull for
many years. He was Honorary Assistant at Grace Church and faithfully
served at St. John's, Bromont and the deaneries of Brome-Shefford
and Bedford until his sudden death on April 19th, 1984. Kenneth was
a man who did so much for so many people, he was loved and respected
by everyone. Ken and Margaret enjoyed their years together in
Sutton. Margaret continued to live in Sutton and support Grace
Church until she moved into Montreal in 1996.
Canon M. Brett (1953-1973) During the twenty years of Reverend
Brett's ministry the congregation continued to be active with three
choirs: senior, intermediate and junior. The Sunday School, with a
full complement on Sunday mornings, kept the children involved and
interested in their Christian education which helped them to
discover their place within the Church. A Memorial Chapel and Vault
was built and consecrated in 1968 at Grace Church Cemetery. Canon
Brett retired and built a house in Sutton, where he and Mrs. Brett
continued to participate in Grace Church activities until they moved
to Ontario.
Reverend Roy Darcus (1974-1976) The Reverend Roy Darcus
served the parish with dedication for two years.
Reverend George A. Long (1976-1986) The Reverend Long served
the congregation of Grace Church for ten years and was appreciated
for his concern for the sick and the elderly in the congregation.
Reverend Long was responsible, along with Father Francois Tanguay of
the Paroisse de St. André, for the
beginning of the Ecumenical Services with the Protestant and Roman
Catholic Churches sharing in worship. At the end of his ministry at
Grace Church, Canon Long was called to minister to the veterans at
Ste. Anne's Military Hospital.
Reverend Grahame Thompson (1986-1990) During the Reverend
Thompson's four years as rector of Grace Church the services were
well attended. In 1989 a section at the north end of the glebe was
sold to the Quebec Government in order t construct low-cost housing
units for senior citizens of Sutton. The money was used to repair
some of the buildings in the parish. A Parish Coucil was held once a
month with the other churches in this three point parish
participating; All Saints in Abercorn and the Church of the Good
Shepherd in Glen Sutton. The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) was
used for the first time at Grace Church during the Reverend
Thompson's ministry.
Reverend Timothy Smart (1990 - present) Reverend Smart was
inducted as rector of Grace Church in December of 1990 and continues
to be our minister. He has introduced courses in Adult Education,
more Ecumenical services, including Lenten Lunches where members of
the other churches in Sutton share in a meal. He has established an
increase in ministry with the children, such as the Kid's Club once
a week, Summer Day Camp and an active Sunday School. In 1995 the
Reverend Smart was appointed Rural Dean of the Brome-Shefford
Deanery. The Parish Council continues to be an active group in the
parish. Attendance at the 10:30 am Eucharist has increased in the
past few years. We hope that Tim will be with us at Grace Church for
many years to come.
The Anglican Church Women (ACW) The Ladies Sewing Society,
started in 1855, became the Anglican Church Women in 1962. The
ladies of the parish of Grace Church have worked very hard through
the years and are highly commended in the Vestry records for their
financial and spiritual support over one hundred and forty years.
The ACW is an active group today and the members enjoy the
fellowship of working together to support their church.
Many memorial windows of stained glass, along with numerous
plaques, adorn the interior of this beautiful stone church. As the
sun streams through into the nave and the chancel the colours of
these beautiful windows are spread throughout the church, reminding
us of those members of the congregation who worked hard to build and
maintain, not only a house of worship, but one of great beauty.
References:
Grace Church 125th Anniversary: Rev. M. Brett
Sutton Sesquicentennial 1802-1952
Contributions to the History of the Eastern Townships (1866): Cyrus
Thomas
Copyright: by Jean Darrah McCaw
A Word from the Rector: the Rev. Tim Smart
Church histories often focus on the history of the buildings and its
clergy. But there are many people whose names, while not recorded in
official records, still were important in the building up of God's
spiritual church, the body of Christ. We think of the impact of the
rector's wife and children on the life of the parish and recognize
their unique contribution. We recall the work of the many ladies
groups whose fund-raising and fellowship down through the years kept
the church alive and going. We recognize the wide ranging
involvement of lay people as wardens, treasurers, choristers,
sacristans, and so on. And there was the commitment of the people to
Sunday worship and their daily witness to Christ in their words and
in their deeds. Without these people, there would be no history of
Grace Church to record. To these people, we give thanks, and to God
we give glory, whose Son Jesus Christ is the foundation on whom we
continue to build our faith and our lives.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in
vain."
(Psalm 127:1)
Copyright: Grace Anglican Church, Sutton