Christ Church McNab bell tolls for final service

It was hard for many to keep their emotions in check at Christ Church McNab last Sunday. The special ceremony was the final one at the historic church, marking the end of 175 years of worship in the former village just off of Lakeshore Road. 

Shirley Sherwin is the third generation of her family to be part of the Anglican congregation. The choir member was choking back tears while describing her feelings during a reception in the church hall following the celebration of the parish’s ministry. 

“It’s tough,” she told The Local. “It’s an aging congregation, though. I’m probably one of the youngest ones here, and I’m 63. My daughter was raised here, but she doesn’t come here. Both of my parents are buried in the cemetery here. My parents actually met at a dance here in this hall. And I went to Brownies and Girl Guides here, too.”

Archdeacon Bill Mous, executive officer of Niagara’s Anglican Diocese, was there to assist Reverend Dorothy Hewlett for the final celebration, along with Regional Archdeacon Sheila Van Zandwyk.

Van Zandwyk began the ceremony with the declaration of intent, stating that, “We come together to acknowledge our grief and sorrow at the conclusion of this parish ministry, and to remember that we do so with hope for the future based in our faith in Jesus Christ.”

“Today marks a passage for this congregation,” she continued to a gathering of about 70 parishioners and their friends and guests. “God is calling the members of Christ Church McNab to new ministries. Congregations are formed and congregations are dispersed, but the Lord our God reigns forever.”

Indeed, the 25 to 30 current members of the congregation spoke after the service about their plans to gather either individually or with one another at other Anglican parishes in the region now that the doors of McNab will no longer be open. 

Usher Colleen St. Amand’s daughter was married at Christ Church McNab and her youngest granddaughter was baptized there. Generations of her family are buried in the cemetery, and she met her closest friend, the late Janet Bissell, on the steps of the church. 

“We are planning on getting together regularly,” said St. Amand of the McNab ladies. “Quite a few of us will go to St. Columba Anglican Church on Geneva Street in St. Catharines. We will meet new friends, and that will be important. But it’s going to be hard. This was the hub of the community.” Cheryl Fraser said it felt bittersweet arriving at the church Sunday. 

“When I put my keys in to open the door,” explained Sherwin’s fellow choir member, “I took a picture because that was the last time I will be opening the church. It’s going to be sad. My parents and my grandparents also came to this church. It’s been such a great family, such a great community.”  

Christ Church McNab was founded by Reverend J.F. Lundy in 1847. Three years later, William B. Servos donated and deeded to the parish the land on which the church, parish hall and cemetery are now found. His brother James, along with Edward Hiscott, mortgaged their farms to finance the building of the church itself. Its first service was held on Christmas Day, 1853. Construction began on the parish hall in 1913.

Descendants of both the Hiscott and Servos families were in attendance for the final ceremony. In fact, distant cousins, both named David Servos, met for the first time just before Sunday’s celebration.  The elder David Servos grew up in the church, attended other Anglican parishes over the years, and came back about seven years ago. 

“Times are changing,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of churches come and go. Life goes on, the community goes on, and our faith goes on. But it is sad to see it go. I would like to see this converted into some sort of museum in the future.” 

The younger David Servos hopes to be involved somehow in the preservation of the legacy of his ancestors. Whatever ends up becoming of the buildings, he expects that once some of the items inside the church get dispersed to other Niagara Anglican parishes some will find a place in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum. Mous, who had never taken the pulpit at Christ Church McNab until Sunday, explained that the closing of any church in the diocese is usually led by the congregation itself.

“Usually they have the sense that they might be called to bring their gifts to other ministries,” said Mous. “This congregation has been working over the last two to three years on that discernment process. It’s grown smaller over time, and that’s one of the indicators in that process.”

Mous acknowledged the changing make-up of the McNab community as a whole in the decision. As farms consolidated and families moved out of the small village, fewer families were left to gather at the former community hub. 

“There are new ways that the community gathers,” he explained. “With those shifting demographics, the vitality of this particular location gets shifted along the way.” The Niagara diocese will now look at options for the future of the buildings and the cemetery that surrounds them. 

“Having the cemetery here shapes what those future possibilities might be,” confirmed Mous. “You’re not dealing with a blank slate. We obviously want to ensure that the care of the souls that lie in rest here is continued. That’s of utmost concern for us.”  A few of the congregants expressed hope that another denomination might move into the 100-capacity church that is not designated as a heritage building.

For Hewett, the reverend says she will do some “church-hopping” for a few months before pinning down the next church she will call home. The Alberta native who has been at McNab and its sister church in Homer since 2003 first saw the writing on the wall about 12 years ago. 

“Ever since I came here the finances have been an issue,” said Hewlett. “I did a sermon called The Elephant in the Room, about how we were ignoring how our volunteers were disappearing, and that we weren’t getting enough new people in the church to replace those that left or were dying. This has been a group decision, and it was pretty unanimous the last six months.”

Fittingly, one of the last people to leave the post-mass gathering was 101-year-old Len Crombie, who arrived at the church driving his own car. 

“I’ve been attending this church for about 30 years,” Crombie said Sunday. “I haven’t made up my mind yet where I’ll go now. I’ll think about it this week. I don’t like to see this church close. It’s been a big part of my life for a long time.”