Knox Presbyterian Church is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is named after

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

, a founder of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

History

Knox was founded as a result of the split within the congregation of St. Andrew's, Ottawa's first Presbyterian church, between those loyal to the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

and those supporting the

Free Church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...

movement, as had occurred in

the year before. The supporters of the Free Church in Ottawa and environs, set up Knox Free Church in 1844, just after the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

in Kingston was split. Designed by Donald Kennedy in 1845, the original Knox Church was located in Sandy Hill at the corner of Daly Avenue and Cumberland. In 1866, a number of members formed a congregation on Bank Street, that is now

Dominion-Chalmers United Church Dominion Chalmers United Church is a large United church, located in downtown Ottawa, at the corner of Cooper and O'Connor Streets (with access from Lisgar Street). It is a 1962 merger of two key congregations from both the Methodist and Presbyte ...

, just two blocks west at Cooper and Lisgar. In 1874, the Knox congregation moved

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

, leaving their building to the first St. Paul's Presbyterian, that became St. Paul's-Eastern United Church (Eastern

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

) after

church union Church union is the name given to a merger of two or more Christian denominations. Such unions may take on many forms, including a united church and a federation. United churches {{main, United and uniting churches A united church is the resu ...

in 1925. This second Knox Church was built on Elgin Street at Albert Street next door to the

Second City Hall (Ottawa) Ottawa, Ontario's second city hall was built in 1877 on Elgin Street between Queen and Albert Streets and next to Ottawa's First City Hall, built in 1848. Built by architects Horsey and Sheard of Ottawa, the Second Empire French and Italian St ...

on what is today the site of the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...

. It was designed by

Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley (26 November 1836 – 1907) was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 a ...

1872-74. It opened prior to the formation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1875; the General Assembly of the Canada Presbyterian Church was held at Knox in 1874 where the deliberations over the Union took place. The Regimental and King’s Colours of the 207th Battalion were "laid up" at Knox in 1919. They now rest in the sanctuary of the present church in a display case with a plaque dedicated to the memory of those who served in the 207th (Ottawa-Carleton) Battalion, CEF during the First World War. The Regimental Colours had been donated by the

American Bank Note Company ABCorp is an American corporation providing contract manufacturing and related services to the authentication, payment and secure access business sectors. Its history dates back to 1795 as a secure engraver and printer, and assisting the newl ...

and presented by Major General Hon. Sir

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. He was notable for being the last Liberal-Conservative cabinet minister, until he was dismissed from his cabinet post ...

, K.C.B., M.P. to the Battalion on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectu ...

on November 18, 1916. In 1930, the City of Ottawa expropriated this area to widen Elgin Street and Knox Church, which had remained within the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1925, was forced to move a few blocks to its present location at the corner of Lisgar and Elgin. The second church was demolished in 1932. The Drawings Collection at the Ontario Archives contains the set of plans by Langley for this ecclesiastical commission 889-98. The present Knox Church building, designed in 1931 by

John Albert Ewart John Albert Ewart (April 20, 1872 – April 21, 1964) was a Canadian architect and son of Chief Dominion Architect David Ewart. Personal and early years Ewart was born in Ottawa on April 20, 1872, after his father's arrival in Canada. Ewart st ...

and

Henry Sproatt Henry Sproatt (June 14, 1866 – October 4, 1934) was a Canadian architect who was prominent during the early 20th century. Born in Toronto, he trained in Europe and in New York City. He formed a partnership in 1890 with another celebrated arch ...

opened in 1932. The church has hosted the General Assembly of the

Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada (french: Église presbytérienne du Canada) is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to ...

three times: first in 1937, then in 1981, but only for the opening Worship, as the nearby

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

was the scene of the proceedings. In 2008, Knox again hosted the opening Worship at General Assembly, while the remainder of the activities took place at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

Ministers

The following is a list of ministers at Knox: * Thomas Wardrope, 1845 - 1869, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1891. * William MacLaren, 1870 - 1873 left to be Professor and Principal (1905 - 1909 of Knox College. Moderator Presbyterian Church in Canada 1884, * Francis W. Farries, 1875 - 1893. * James Ballantyne, 1894 - 1896, left to become a Professor at Knox College, Moderator Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1920, * David M. Ramsay 1897 - 1913. * Robert B. Whyte 1916 - 1923. * E. Lloyd Morrow 1923 - 1926 left to become a Professor at Knox College * Robert Johnston 1927 - 1947, Moderator Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1932 while minister of Knox Church. * Colin Miller 1948 - 1955. * H. Douglas Stewart, 1956 - 1972, left to become minister at St. Andrew's Church (Toronto). * Malcolm McCuaig 1972 - 1985, * Donald F. Collier 1986 - 1992, * Stephen A. Hayes 1993 - 2004, called to minister at St. Andrew's Church (Quebec City) * Douglas Kendall 2005 - 2009, called to minister at St. Andrew’s Church (Stittsville) * David J. Thom 2011 - 2013 returned to Scotland, from where he had been called * James E. Pot 2015 - Present The current minister is the Rev. James Pot. Raised in Southern Ontario and educated at Redeemer University College (Ancaster, Ontario) and Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan) he was ordained in 1992 in the Christian Reformed Church. After ministering in that denomination with two Alberta congregations and one in Ontario, he was accepted as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 2013 and served as pulpit supply for both denominations in the Hamilton area before being called to Knox in 2015.Pot, J - Personal communication File:Knox Presbyterian church Ottawa.jpg, Knox Presbyterian church, 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON File:Knox Presbyterian Church Ottawa north.JPG, Knox Presbyterian church, 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON

External links

Knox's Web SiteThe Presbyterian Church in Canada

References

;Bibliography * {{Commons Presbyterian churches in Ottawa Knox's Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada 20th-century Presbyterian church buildings in Canada