VERA FORBES, DOREEN MACLEAN, HAZEL RAMSAY

(SMITH)

199

Reflection on church services held at the Southwest School.

Rev. Eddie Aitken, who served as the United Church min- ister from 1927 to 1932, began the practice of holding a church service and Sunday School in the Southwest School. Many people from the upper end of the community had no means of transportation to the Central church nor did they own pews in the church. An organ was placed in the school and was played for the afternoon service by Mrs. Hattie (Mac) MacLean. Mrs. Lorna (Clayton) Forbes also played on occasion. Mac MacLean served as superintendent for the Sunday School which many children attended. The school desks served as pews for those in attendance at the worship service. Rev. Christie often walked to the school to hold ser- vices. The Rev. Dr. Prince was the last United Church of Canada minister to hold services in the school. There were several developments that contributed to the ending of the school church services. In April of 1945 Murdo and Dolly MacLeod took up residence in Southwest and began hold~ ing mid-week worship service. They were successful in attracting a number of people who had attended the United Church services. Attendance fell at the Sunday United Church services when Rev. Dr. Prince failed to connect with the people and draw them to him.

Rev. Leslie Dignan of St. james’ Anglican Church in Port Hill also held services in the Southwest School for a period of one to two years starting around 1940. Mrs. Dignan would travel with him to play the organ. The ser- vices were not continued when Rev. Dignan left Port Hill. He left those who attended in care of the United Church.

Raised in Southwest Lot 16, daughter of jessie Smith. . The following is a record of Dorothy Gamble’s conversation With her grandmother, Wilma (Smith) Ford, age 94 in 2003.

What Church did you attend when you were a young

girl? . My father was Anglican, he was buried in Port-Hill. But my mother (Jessie) and I went to the little Methodlst Church in

CHURCH REFLECTIONS