Small Rural Churches Thrive in NB

Katherine Tapley-Milton

What makes small New Brunswick churches like St. Ann’s near Sackville and St. Agnes’ in Gray Rapids expand instead of merge with larger neighbouring churches? Their congregations are small and building materials are expensive, however, both these churches have recently pulled off successful additions.

At St. Ann’s the decision to build a new hall (right) came from the grassroots. Parishioner Martha Ritchie remembers one vestry meeting. “We had had a particularly good crowd. I think we were too crowded in the old hall. Our feet were cold because the floors were cold and we all jokingly said around the table, ‘We need a new hall!’ We started by pricing renovations to the old hall [but] the contractor said it should be condemned.”

St. Ann’s seats one hundred and has an average Sunday attendance of 44. Rev. Kevin Stockall said, “The community has looked to St. Ann’s as their local church, even for those who are not active in the congregation. The hall played an important part in family celebrations. The logical thing, with another Anglican church just five minutes away, would be just to merge. However, there is a very different flavour about St. Ann’s.” It is a country church compared to Saint Paul’s in Sackville which is an “uptown” university church. St. Ann’s new 3,500 sq. ft. hall cost in excess of

$300,000.

Martha details the fundraising efforts: “We started by having potluck suppers and then breakfasts. The pie sale and the talent auction were big. Once people saw something being constructed the money started coming from different places.” Martha’s husband Doug told how the men, “helped make pies, then had a breakfast and they were involved in washing dishes and cooking sausages.”

Coffee in the woods

St. Ann’s new hall hosts not only wedding and funeral receptions, but also a popular coffee klatch called “Coffee in the Woods.” This outreach project gives the retired men who watched the construction of the hall somewhere to socialize now that the building has been completed. “Coffee in the Woods” draws 50-100 people. “I thought they’ll want it once a month,” Martha Ritchie recalls, “but they said ‘No--once a week!’”

Rev. Douglas Barrett also has seen one of his churches on the Miramachi River expand against the odds. Shortly after arriving in the parish, Father Barrett attended St. Agnes’ vestry meeting. “Somebody mentioned that they would like to sell the parish hall [which was some distance down the road] and put in a basement in the church. I asked how many would be in favour of that and everybody raised their hands.” Since the church was not in debt, Father Barrett gave the plan his blessing.

St. Agnes’ has a seating capacity of 55 people. The church put the old hall up for sale and proceeded with the building project. The new basement (kitchen pictured to the right) cost almost $110,000 and most of it was paid for from direct donations plus $21,000 from the sale of the old hall. Since the expansion St. Agnes’ holds more parish meetings and events such as their Christmas party. It also hosts baby showers and weddings. Father Barrett notes, “It has been an outreach, not only to the community, but to the whole parish.”

He feels that the 150-year presence of St. Agnes’ Church makes a significant difference in Gray Rapids which is plagued by drug addiction and other social problems. Sherman Sturgeon of St. Agnes’ reports, “The basement of the church wasn’t that big, so we extended it twelve feet wide and forty-two feet long.” Kathleen Coughan describes their fundraisers, “We had some bake sales; we did a fashion show; we published a cookbook and we’ve had some breakfasts. It seemed to bring the congregation much closer together as we began to work together on the project. St. Agnes’ is  in a very small community, so there was a lot of interest in the community from Anglicans and non-Anglicans.”

Both St. Ann’s and St. Agnes’ are historic, rural churches very distinct from their “uptown” cousins. At St. Ann’s the average Sunday attendance rose from 35 to 44 since the expansion while at St. Agnes’ the attendance has remained steady at fifty. Both churches have almost completely paid for their renovations--a testimony to their vibrancy.