A LEGACY OF FAITH Chapter 3 Meetings, and a New Baptist Church A few other Charlotte Town residents joined Thomas DesBrisay in accepting baptism by immersion, administered by visiting Baptist clergymen who were mainly preachers from the Northern Nova Scotia Baptist Association and their Home Missionary Committee. Once baptized, men became referred to in all church conversation and records as "brothers", and ladies were called "sisters". Early in the 19th century, those ministering in the Baptist faith, once ordained to preach, were generally referred to as "Elder", although their formal designation was Reverend . They were also referred to on a local basis as Pastor, but no matter what their title, their main function was to minister and spread the word of God. In the spring of 1835, Thomas DesBrisay convinced a few of the believing brethren that they should assemble on a regular basis for fellowship, discussion and prayer. The small group began to hold weekly worship services at the home of local watchmaker John Jury . It was located at , about mid-block, on the north side of the street between and what is now ; roughly at the site of the current parking garage. The large room (perhaps storage or attic) on the second floor of John Jury 's house, which they rented for a small fee, would seat about 100; but initially there was only a quarter of that number attending. One of those who came to the meetings from time to time was a young Baptist preacher by the name of Benjamin Scott . He lived in Alexandra, just east of Charlotte Town , on . Benjamin Scott arrived on Prince Edward Island in the summer of 1830. While on a voyage from , Nova Scotia , to Charlotte Town , he was shipwrecked near Alexandra, in a severe storm. The sailing ship, ironically, was commanded by Theophilus Wood , whose home was in Alexandra. Later this same summer, there was great excitement when the SS Richard Smith became the first steamship ever to arrive in Charlotte Town harbour, and its entrance caused natives in the Rocky Point area to flee into the woods, calling it a "smoke boat". Interestingly, the second steamer to arrive at Charlotte Town was the SS Royal William , which became world famous as the first steam powered ship to cross the . An early Charlotte Town church was under construction at this time, and in August of 1831 the Presbyterians opened their first small wooden Kirk of St. James Chapel , on . Rev. Benjamin Scott , who had been licensed to preach in his home town of , stayed with the Wood family in Alexandra for almost two years;