Prior to 1925 there were three Presbyterian churches in Truro. In 1925, with
Church Union in Canada, the majority of Presbyterians chose to join the United Church, leaving those who chose to remain with the Presbyterian Church with no large church building. To remedy that situation this building was erected in 1928-1929. Today there are two Presbyterian churches in Truro, St. James and St. Paul's, a smaller wood framed building on the outskirts of town.
Built entirely of stone, possibly ironstone, St. James is a massive appearing building, with an equally massive corner bell tower/steeple which serves as the main entrance. Low and to the right of the entrance is the building's cornerstone, proclaiming St. James Presbyterian Church a church of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Below is the date of construction, 1928. Above the cornerstone is a bronze plaque commemorating, among other things, the formation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1875. It also commemorates the erection of the first two Presbyterian Churches in Canada, the Truro church being one, as well as the fact that the first Presbytery to be formed in Canada was the Truro Presbytery, in 1786.
Following is the text from said plaque.
LEGEND
THIS PLAQUE COMMEMORATES
THE CENTENNIAL OF THE FORMATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CANADA IN 1875;
THE MINISTRY OF THE REV. DANIEL COCK. (1771-1805) OF GREENOCK, SCOTLAND, AND THE REV. DAVID SMITH (1771- 1795) OF ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND;
THE ERECTION OF THE FIRST TWO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES IN CANADA, AT GLENHOLM IN 1771, AND IN TRURO IN 1772;
THE FORMATION IN TRURO OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERY IN CANADA IN 1786 AND THE FIRST BIBLE SOCIETY IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.
THIS PLAQUE IS PLACED HERE THROUGH THE COOPERATION OF THE PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA, THE TOWN OF TRURO, THE SYNOD OF THE ATLANTIC PROVINCES OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CANADA, AND THE KIRK SESSION OF ST. JAMES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, TRURO.
Though the congregation becomes smaller with each passing decade, the church claims a congregation of about 267, with an average attendance of 143.
The Formation of The Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada has its historical roots within the Church in Scotland, following closely its doctrine, church government and forms of worship. The structure of the Church of Scotland itself, stems largely from the work and thought of John Calvin (1509-1564). Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, published in 1536, along with the form of Church government and discipline he established while in Geneva, appealed strongly to those leading the movement towards church reform in Scotland. Most notable of these leaders was John Knox (1515-1572). Knox admired the pattern of church life he saw in Calvin’s Geneva, and through his influence, a Calvinistic pattern was imposed upon the Church. Following the death of Knox in 1572, the movement towards a Presbyterian style of church government within the Church of Scotland was consolidated by Andrew Melville (1545-1622), and later confirmed by King James VI of Scotland in 1595. Through the settlement of Eastern Canada by Scots Highlanders beginning in the 1700s, and through the migration of Loyalists into Upper and Lower Canada in the late 1700s and early 1800s, Presbyterianism was brought to the “New World”.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada was formed in 1875 from the union of four separate Presbyterian groups. Due to the fragmented character of Presbyterianism in Scotland, there was a corresponding fragmentation in this country as well, and by 1850 there were seven distinct Presbyterian organizations in what is now Canada. The forces of disunity, however, began to retreat and by 1868 several regional unions had taken place, leaving four Presbyterian groups in the new Dominion of Canada. After several years of meetings and discussions, these four branches came together in 1875 and agreed to unite as one body called The Presbyterian Church in Canada. The first General Assembly of the new Church was held in Montreal in June 1875, and Rev. Dr. John Cook, minister of St. Andrew’s, Quebec, was elected Moderator of the 1st General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
From the Presbyterian Church in Canada