Where We’re Going. Where We’ve Been.
Fulfilling Our Missional Vision
Congregational renewal is an important part of our identity as a congregation.
The Presbyterian Church as a Church of the Reformation needs to constantly reform in obedience to God’s Word and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
During the last decade Knox leadership and the congregation embarked on a pilgrimage of renewal.
The outcome from a Congregational Visioning Event in 2004 - A congregation is not truly healthy without an active and engaged discipleship and faith formation ministry.
Leaders and members of the congregation participated in Natural Church development surveys in 2007 and 2008.
In 2009 pastoral leadership at Knox changed.
Building on these past renewal perspectives, Knox leadership and the congregation chose 12 Keys to an Effective Church as outlined in Kennon L. Callahan’s book as Knox’s roadmap for the future.
Life and ministry at Knox will focus on being and becoming more and more missional.
Being a missional congregation means at least the following:
- There is an open tomb and we believe in a Risen Lord
- We are a church of the Good Shepherd
- We recognize the strengths God has shared with us and we want to continue Christ’s mission until He returns to make all things new
- We are not preoccupied with our weaknesses, problems and concerns
- We refuse to grow despair, fragmentation and loneliness
- We nurture hope, reconciliation, compassion, caring and justice
- We are effective in mission when we share in the hurts of people
- We have a strong theology of mission and abiding conviction that God is deeply present in the life and mission of His congregation
At Knox we want to see what God sees.
Cherishing and honouring the past is important at Knox.
When we know where we came from we can also face the future with its many challenges as did those who came before us.
Knox Presbyterian Church began its story in 1844
1843 Rev. Thomas Chalmers and some 400 others left St. Andrew’s Church which followed the doctrines of the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland.
August 7, 1844 Knox Presbyterian Church was officially established by the Presbytery of Hamilton with 104 names on the Communion Roll. The congregation met in a school house by the river, the Canada Company’s office, and homes.
November 5, 1847 The Canada Company granted the Congregation a free building lot on Yarmouth Street and a limestone church was built.
1868 A new church was built when Evan MacDonald, a Trustee gave Lot 80 on the north side of Quebec Street to the church for $1.00.
1874 Knox congregation voted to join the union of Presbyterian churches to become The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
1904 A severe fire completely gutted the interior and it was completely restored the same year
1925 Knox voted against union with the Methodists and Congregationalists and chose to remain Presbyterian.
May 20, 1953 The cornerstone was laid for the new Sunday School, parlour, minister’s study/office.
Jan 11, 1997 The newly renovated addition created by raising the roof on the Sunday School Auditorium was dedicated. This provided a new entrance, elevator space, larger office area with door control monitoring, sound system, new kitchen, library, media centre, and numerous meeting rooms all serviced by rooftop heating/air conditioning units.
Please click on this link for a more detailed history of Knox.