Canadian Presbyterians have a long history. We are

- part of the Old Testament story of God's covenant relationship with the world.
- part of the 2000 years of witness to Jesus Christ, and
- part of a distinctive Reformed and Presbyterian history.

Presbyterians get their name from the Greek word "presbyteros" meaning "elder". This word occurs many times in the New Testament and also in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It refers to mature members of the community who are respected for their experience and faithfulness. The word may also designate a particular office of leadership. A Presbyterian church is one governed by elders. Today, Presbyterian churches in Canada are governed by elders who are elected by members of the congregation. Although elders are ordained for life, congregations may choose term service for elders.

Presbyterians also claim the names "Reformed", and "Protestant". Our denomination came out of the Protestant Reformation, a major religious movement that occurred in the early and middle years of the sixteenth century. At that point in history, the Christian Church had divided into two main branches - the Eastern Church (Greek and Russian Orthodox) and the Western Church (Roman Catholic). In the sixteenth century, church leaders began to protest the corruption of the Christian Church and seek its reform. They were called "Protestants" because they were bearing witness to what they regarded as New Testament Christianity.

The chief leaders in the reformation movement were Luther,.... Calvin, Knox,.... Zwingli.... and Cranmer..... These leaders were intense, courageous, zealous, and assertive. They believed that people were put right in the sight of God by God's grace alone. They said people received God's grace by faith and not by anything that they had done. These Reformers believed that all people had access to God through prayer and the Bible. They believed that God's forgiveness could be received directly without the intervention of a priest. The Reformers also claimed the "indwelling" of Christ in the believer and stressed the sovereignty of God. They will always be recognized for their hope and confidence in the power of a loving God and for recovering the concept of the "priesthood of all believers".

Today Canadian Presbyterians consider themselves to be both "Reformed" and "reforming".

Here is a picture of our old church taken circa 1985. We built our present church in 1984.

Presbyterians in Canada

The roots of The Presbyterian Church in Canada are Scottish (our mother Church was the Church of Scotland which is Presbyterian), but our Canadian heritage includes the work and witness of French Huguenots (Protestant) settlers who came to Canada in the 1600s. Of course, many people have come, and continue to come, into our denomination from other branches of the Christian Church.

Many Presbyterians in Canada have their churches named after Reformers, particulary John Calvin (a Frenchman) and John Knox (a Scot who was influenced by Calvin's teachings). John Calvin (1509-1564) has often been called the "father" of Presbyterianism. Calvin lived in Geneva, Switzerland. From there, Presbyterianism spread through Europe. Calvin, like other reformers, worked hard to develop a church where everyone, not just the clergy, shared responsibilities. Schools were established to provide education for both clergy and laity. John Knox (1515-1572), after studying with Calvin in Geneva, returned to his native Scotland to establish Presbyterianism. It soon spread to northern Ireland, the United States and Canada. In 1875 several groups of Presbyterians formed a union and called themselves The Presbyterian Church. Our Church has been independent since then.

Today, The Presbyterian Church in Canada has about 1000 congregations with members coming from many national and racial backgrounds. For example there are now 20 Korean congregations. Within our denomination there are many different languages and styles of worship. There are congregations that worship in English, French, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese and Twi. In the 1990's The Presbyterian Church in Canada has welcomed new Korean and Ghanaian congregations.

This is one of our Clean up days	This is another shot of the great workers