maiden voyage, hit an iceberg off Newfoundland and sunk with a loss of over 1,500 lives. It was a tragedy of gigantic proportions and because it happened on the east coast of Canada, it caused all churches,includingCharlottetown Baptist, to hold special prayer services and convey offers of support to survivors.

The Roman Catholics in Charlottetown had dedicated their new stone St. Dunstan’s Cathedral on Great George Street in 1907. On March 7, 1913, it was destroyed in a devastating fire, and no one had to tell Charlottetown Baptists what it meant to suddenly lose their place of worship.

In 1914, a war broke out in Europe, that before it was over would have a major impact on almosteverycountryintheworld. Prince Edward Island’s young men and women began to move overseas with the allied forces fighting German dictatorship, in an effort to protect cherished

St Dunstan’s C athederal Fire on Great George St. Public Archives of PEI

freedoms. Among those

‘ ’ ' concerned would be the families

Canadian ArtilleryinAction of 52 Charlottetown Baptist PainlingbyCapI.KennethForbesCanadianWarMemorial members who volunteered for

service. It was a terrible war, from which many Islanders would not return.

Pastor Zenas Fash left Charlottetown in October of 1915, to accept a calling in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. He, his wife, and daughter Irma had been an energetic family in the continually expanding church, and he had baptized many new members. Interestingly, Pastor Fash’s legacy at Charlbttetown Baptist would be that he almost single handedly encouraged the addition of the Casavant Pipe Organ t° the sanctuary. Zenas Fash would receive a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1937. CthCh officers immediately appointed Deacons Harold Jenkins, Alvin Webster and JOh" Gordon to a Pulpit Supply Committee, but the initial effort to replace Rev. Fash was not successful. They realized it might be some time before a new pastor could be found, so to assure their pulpit would be occupied every Sunday they added eleVen new members to the committee.

Deacon Alfred Sterns had been church treasurer since 1895, except for a three year term in 1897-1900, when Deacon Alvin Webster and Harold JenkIns filled in. Deacon Sterns was in poor health but was determined to see the debt eliminated as soon as possible. By 1915 the amount owing on the mortgage was down to $4,025. On the positive side of the ledger they had an asset in the ChU'Ch building valued at $23,988, and they wondered if they had enough insurance to protect it. Even with the lesson learned in 1888, the church still carried minimf1m insurance in the interest of maximizing debt reduction, and was currently carr)’mg

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