A Brief History of the Burtch Baptist Church

 Last updated: November 28, 2017

The Beginning

We say that our beginning was in 1869, but what was the day? At the back of our first minute book is a "List of names of the Branch at Burtch's [sic] Corners of the regular Baptist church at Boston." (The Boston Church had been organized in 1804.) The earliest date of membership in the branch, given beside the names of 35 members, is June 7, 1869. A contract, dated June 10, 1869, specified that a chapel was to be built within five months. A deed for the land, dated June 14, 1869, was taken by the "Trustees of the Regular Baptist Branch of Boston Church at Burtch's Corners," upon "the special trust that the same shall be forever hereafter held and enjoyed for the use of the Members of a Regular Baptist Church." The trust deed then went on to define our beliefs and practices.

A summary of this activity was given in a letter from the Boston Church, digested in an appendix to the minutes of the thirteenth annual meeting of the Grand River Association South, June 11 to 13, 1869. The letter included the following:

This past year has in some respects been encouraging; a good work has been done at an out Station, called Burtch's Corners; twenty-two in that locality, have been added to the Church by baptism, and nine (relics of the Oakland Church) by experience, and have been organized as a branch of the Boston Church, and are preparing to build a chapel, which they hope to finish this year; they have an interesting Sabbath School, of 58 pupils, and 9 Teachers all Church Members, with a Library of 100 vol. The interest there continues good, with a prospect of more being added soon.

The chapel was officially opened on February 16, 1870. The oldest minutes in our oldest book are dated February 24, 1870.

At its twelfth annual meeting in 1856, the Grand River Association had decided to reorganize itself into North and South divisions for 1857. Then, in 1869, the Grand River Association North decided to further sub-divide itself for 1870. Its southern division became the Brant Association. Initially, the Brant Association included no churches south of the Grand River.

The Grand River Association South (which at that time included the churches at Boston, Burford, Scotland and Ohsweken) could thus became again, simply, the Grand River Association. There appeared, in the minutes of its fourteenth annual meeting, June 9 to 13, 1870, another digest of circular letters:

BOSTON (or Burtch's Corners.)--During the past year a branch has been organized at this place of 41 members, transacting their own business, under the auspises [sic] of the Church, their Prayer and Covenant meetings are well attended, Sabbath congregations average 250. Their new brick Chapel is nearly finished, and they have a flourishing Sabbath School.

On November 5, 1871, it was "Resolved that we apply to Boston Church for letters of dismission for the purpose of organizing our selves as a Regular Baptist Church." On December 3, 1871, it was "Resolved that we organize our selves into a Regular Baptist Church," and "Resolved that we adopt the New Hampshire [sic] faith." The latter reference is, presumably, to "The New Hampshire Confession" as given in J.M. Pendleton, Church manual, designed for the use of Baptist churches (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1867), pages 44 to 61. A later work by E.T. Hiscox, The new directory for Baptist churches (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1906), provides, at pages 538 to 542, a good account of the history of this Confession.

Following these resolutions, invitations were sent out to neighbouring churches, and on December 28, 1871, a council was held at Burtch's Corners. There it was resolved, unanimously:

That we recognize this church as a Regular Baptist church.

The delegates who formed the council represented Boston, First Brantford, Paris, Scotland, Waterford, Hartford, Cheapside, First Onondaga, Villa Nova, and the Tuscarora Mission.

Associations

The newly recognized church, no longer a branch, resolved, on January 30, 1872, to apply for admittance into the Brant Association. In 1897, the Brant Association joined with the Woodstock Association to become the Oxford-Brant Association. Our Church continues to be a member.

The pastor of the Boston Church, from 1868 to January 1872, had been the Rev. Joel Reddick (1824-1890). When Burtch was recognized, he resigned both pulpits and moved to Kansas. The minutes indicate that our pulpit was supplied for much of the rest of 1872 by students from the Canadian Literary Institute in Woodstock (see below). The Rev. Joseph E. Vining (1820-1876) served both Burtch and Boston from January 1873 until his death on August 5, 1876. There are hints in the minutes of a mission at Newport during his time, but nothing further is known of it.

It is unfortunate that our second book of minutes was lost, apparently in a fire. The last entry in the first book was for January 4, 1876. The first entry in the third book was for January 1, 1892. In attempting to fill this gap, previous historians supposed that Burtch continued to share a pastor with Boston between 1876 and 1905. Unfortunately, it wasn't so simple. The Rev. Malcolm P. Campbell (1842-1916) accepted a call to Boston in January 1877, but the 1877 and 1878 volumes of the Baptist Year Book show a vacancy at Burtch.

The Rev. Joseph H. Hyde (1839-1913) accepted a call to Boston in October 1878; his name appears for Boston in the 1879 Baptist Year Book. The pastor listed for Burtch, however, was "S. McConnell." This could only refer to the Rev. Shook McConnell (1810-1889), whose residence was at Port Burwell. Most likely, he was supplying Burtch as an interim pastor. Rev. McConnell's obituary tells us this: "His robust physical frame, about twelve years ago [that is, 1877], became subject to debilitating fainting fits, which incapacitated him for discharging ministerial duties with confidence and strength, and he was compelled to resign the pastorate of the Jubilee church." The pastor listed for the Jubilee Church in Port Burwell in the 1878 and 1879 yearbooks was the Rev. Jacob A. Iler (1818-1912).

From late 1878 to September 1882, we had our own pastor, the Rev. William Haviland (1823-1918). From 1882 to 1891, we shared pastors with the East Ward Church (later Calvary) in Brantford.

When our minutes resume in 1892, our pastor was the Rev. Paoli Randall Foster (1836-1911), known simply as "P.R." He had been called to serve both Burtch and Boston, starting in March 1891. He remained until April 1895. The last pastor whom Burtch and Boston shared, the Rev. Wilbert F. Spidell (1866-1934), served from December 1901 to December 1904 (the year of Boston's 100th anniversary).

On February 10, 1905, Burtch voted to separate itself from Boston, to get supplies from Brantford until the summer, and then to have a student. The Rev. John H. Kelly (1858-1939) supplied on an interim basis for some of this time. On May 6, 1906, Burtch voted to unite (that is, share a pastor) with Scotland. The Rev. Goodman Hugh Saunders (1872-1925), who had been with Scotland since November 1903, remained until December 1909.

Our relationship with Scotland Baptist Church continued until 1973.

The Convention

In the early years, churches would associate to serve immediate needs. The first priority was to maintain the relationships necessary for the supply of the pulpit, and for the calling of councils to recognize churches and to ordain pastors. Broader associations came later, with objectives such as the support of missions and education. One such event with lasting significance was the formation, at an 1851 conference in Hamilton, of the Regular Baptist Missionary Convention of Canada West (or Ontario, starting in 1867).

Another event with lasting significance was the organization, at an 1857 meeting in Woodstock, of the Canadian Literary Institute (which, in 1883, became Woodstock College.) The Institute provided opportunities for students to be educated for Baptist ministry from 1860 until 1881, when the Institute's theology department became the Toronto Baptist College. Although the Toronto Baptist College and Woodstock College were reunited, as McMaster University, in 1887, the Toronto and Woodstock campuses continued to be separately maintained until 1926. McMaster moved from Toronto to Hamilton in 1930.

In 1880, the Baptist Union of Ontario was formed, but there continued to be both a Regular Baptist Missionary Convention of Ontario, and a Canada Baptist Missionary Convention East (for eastern Ontario and Quebec). Then, in 1889, the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec was formed. Since 2010, it has been known as the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. Our Church continues to be a member.

The greatest challenge to our relationship with the Convention came in 1927 when, under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Todhunter Shields (1873-1955), amidst controversy over the teaching at McMaster, the Union of Regular Baptist Churches of Ontario and Quebec was formed. In November 1927, Boston voted to leave the Convention and to join this Union. The Rev. Thomas L. White (1888-1972), our pastor from September 1924 to December 1927, wanted Scotland and Burtch to do the same. On November 27, Scotland voted to remain with the Convention. On December 11, Burtch voted as follows:

Whereas our Pastor, Rev. T.L. White, has seen fit of his own accord to tender his resignation of the church, owing to the controversy in the Convention, Therefore be it resolved that we, in the best interests of the unity, love and witness of our church, do hereby accept his resignation with regret, praying that in his future career our pastor may be guided and favored of our Heavenly Father, and that he may yet be used to magnify the Name of Christ.

Rev. White proceeded to organize Union congregations in Burtch and Scotland. Within a few years, however, the Union church at Burtch had lost its visibility; its property (a former creamery near the intersection of the Cockshutt and War roads) was sold in 1939. In 1931, Scotland left the Union (along with Boston), in due course joining the Fellowship of Independent Baptist Churches. By the time Rev. White left for Barrie in 1937, he had also established a mission in Burford. This mission was recognized as a Fellowship Church in 1946, and continues today. The Fellowship church at Scotland disbanded, however, in 1958. Rev. White later served in Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Huntsville.

Our new pastor, who served from March 1928 to December 1930, was the Rev. William K. Batty (1903-1977). He was ordained at Scotland on September 4, 1928.

The Property

Our original chapel, erected in 1869, still stands today. The wooden ceiling was added in the mid-1920s. Additions to the rear of the chapel were made in 1905 and in 1957. After additional land to the south was acquired in 1965, the gymnasium was built in 1975.

Additional land was purchased across the road in 1933 for a parsonage. Following the demolition of the School in 1996, the school property was acquired (subject to an easement) from the Township of Brantford in 1997.