"A History of McPhail Memorial Baptist Church
On November 1, 1886, a Sunday school was started in an abandoned stable known as Fisher Hall, with an attendance for the first year of 35. About one year later, the Young Men's Mission Association of the First Church led the Maria Street Church to procure a lot on Bronson Avenue and erect a hall thereon, with a seating capacity of about 200.
On July 18, 1888, a special meeting of the Maria Street Church was held where a number of members brought up the question of organizing a separate church there. On October 20 of that year, the first baptisms were administered, and on Monday October 21, the ordinance of the Lord's supper was first observed in the new church.
For the first few years, students under the auspice of the Home Mission Board led the work of the ministry. However, in 1891, a call was sent to the Rev. W.T. Graham at a salary of $800 per annum. Rev. Graham's ministry was short, but he was the first settled pastor and under him the foundation was well and truly laid.
Rev. A.N. Firth was the next minister and commenced his pastorate on September 4, 1892. During his ministry, the present church building was begun and in less than eighteen months from the time he took charge, it was completed. When the new church was opened, it was given the name it now bears, McPhail Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of the late Rev. Daniel McPhail.
A Short Biography of the Rev. Daniel McPhail, 1811 - 1875
Daniel McPhail was born in Scotland, but he was raised in Quebec where his father preached the gospel in the town of Chatham. In 1838, at the age of 27, Daniel McPhail graduated from Madison University in Hamilton, New York.
Early in 1839, the young missionary came to the township of Osgoode (south of Ottawa) and began his work. People were converted; some were baptized and hundreds were influenced to the good. Shortly thereafter, a need for a church was realized and on July 14, 1839, a Baptist church was founded with 45 people as its first members. In 1840, McPhail was ordained as its minister and entered the pastorate for 24 years.
The church at Osgoode was the base from which he worked the surrounding country. Entirely forgetful of self, he toiled year in and year out for the glory of God and the good of others. Churches were founded by him at South Gower, Winchester, Kenmore and Ormond. Ormond was the last of the churches that he helped to found, and as it was not far from Osgoode, he assumed its pastoral oversight.
During his 24 years as pastor, great numbers of people were converted and he personally baptized more than a thousand of them. In September 1865, he was called to two churches - South Gower and Ottawa. He accepted the call to Ottawa, and became the pastor of First Baptist Church (whose congregation was instrumental in establishing the congregation that would later become McPhail Memorial Baptist Church. After five years in Ottawa, Rev. McPhail felt called to leave pastoral ministry to do itinerant evangelism.
For a few months, he went about the country as he had done before - strengthening the churches he had helped organize and doing the work of an apostle. It was because of his work in church planting and evangelism that he became known as "The Elijah of the Ottawa Valley".
On January 8, 1871, he was dispensing the sacrament of communion in the church at Winchester and in the midst of the service was stricken with a paralytic stroke. For three years his affliction was patiently borne and on August 23, 1875, he passed on to his glorious reward.
It was as a man of prayer that Daniel McPhail excelled. Add to this his tremendous passion for reaching the individual, the love that crowned all that he did and the faithfulness with which he served the Church, and you have said all that can be said about his contribution to Canadian Baptist history."
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