Illustration: St. Paul’s Ottawa sanctuary interior/Robert MacKenzie
Biblical teaching, lay leadership, and care for others are essential ingredients of faithful church life.
We first came to Ottawa and the newly-established St. Paul’s church in the late 1950s. It was a time of rapid growth for organized Christianity in all its denominations. Unlike today, the Christian faith was welcomed then as a beneficial influence on Canadian society as a whole.
A relative of mine by marriage, Bill Duffy, was called as the first full-time minister by St. Paul’s. He was an energetic man who had been, like me and my husband Ron, very active in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. Ron, for example, helped to organize the visit of the famous Biblical scholar John Stott to the University of Toronto campus.
Bill’s background in IVCF stood him in good stead when he began his ministry. The enthusiasm of IVCF’s activity and the building of relationships among those involved carried over into church life after university. Attracting and keeping new members and adherents at the new Ottawa church required personal contact, which was one of Bill’s strengths. He was a people person. Visiting was built into his ministry, with the aim to visit every congregant at least once a year. The inter-denominational nature of IVCF also made it easy for him to approach and connect with non-Presbyterians who loved the Bible and were looking for a faithful ministry for themselves and their family.
The careful attention to people and solid teaching bore fruit at St. Paul’s in a fairly big way in terms of its wider ministry.
To build up newcomers in the faith, Bill offered teaching at Sunday evening services. They were popular with members and even with people from other churches who often joined in to benefit from the training in Christian doctrine and living. Christian camping, such as that provided by IVCF’s Pioneer camps, was an effective way to reach and teach children. Strong ministries of this kind built up a solid congregation.
I am grateful that the faithful Biblical teaching has continued with the ministers who followed Bill, as well as the many gifted lay leaders with whom the church has been blessed.
From its early years onward, St. Paul’s committed to support various mission efforts in as personal a way as they could. They would keep track of the work being done and those engaged in the missions, supporting them in their challenging labours. One of the first missions with which they partnered was conducted in the backwoods of Indonesia. This kind of active involvement in missions continues to the present day, having expanded greatly from that first small attempt to serve in this way. We all benefited from sharing in the Lord’s work in local and in distant places.
The strength of a church is the Lord’s doing and not ours. That’s why there is always hope for the future.
The careful attention to people and solid teaching bore fruit at St. Paul’s in a fairly big way in terms of its wider ministry. Some 14 members went on to be ordained as Presbyterian ministers and others served in leadership roles in different denominations and church-related ministries. And some married ministers, as did my daughter! The son of one of our ministers, Brian McConaghy, in 2025 is celebrating 35 years of service in Cambodia through Ratanak International, which he founded in response to the devastation caused by the “Killing Fields.” Ratanak ministers to women and men exploited for gain by human traffickers.
Strong lay leadership by women and men in the areas of mission, education and social outreach programs such as recovery groups also strengthened the bonds of fellowship within the congregation. Teamwork was essential.
Of course, the strength of a church is the Lord’s doing and not ours. That’s why there is always hope for the future.
I loved reading this Muriel. Thank you for taking the time to write and remember for those of us who have been here a shorter time. You capture the essence well!
Muriel, your article on the work of the life and work at St Paul’s, Ottawa is indeed an inspiration to read. I have often wondered if you were still there, and it is my joy to read this wonderful tribute to how God is still working through you and the faithful ministries of your church. May the LORD continue to use you: keep writing!