CHRISTMAS GATHERING AT METROPOLITAN UNITED CHURCH
Metropolitan United Church stands proudly at Queen and Church Streets in
downtown Toronto.
Submitted by Joan Moses
On December 10, 2001,
many members of CTGA of Toronto gathered together at the magnificent
Metropolitan United Church to learn more about this historic building –
one of the most prominent on Church Street. The minister himself, Dr.
G. Malcolm Sinclair, a native Torontonian, was our enthusiastic and
informative guide.
The present building,
located at the northwest corner of Queen and Church Streets and dedicated
in 1929, was built on the foundation of the Metropolitan Wesleyan
Methodist Church, built in 1872 and seating over 2,000 people, which
burned to the ground in January 1928. Egerton Ryerson had laid the
cornerstone and John A. MacDonald worshipped here when he was in town.
The first building housing the congregation was a small Methodist chapel
made of logs and constructed in 1818 on nearby King Street. Membership
grew, along with the population, and so in 1831 another site was acquired
on Adelaide Street and a Georgian-style building was opened in 1833 that
could accommodate 1,000 people.
The United Church of
Canada was formed in 1925 by the union of all Methodist and Congregational
and two-thirds of the Presbyterian churches in Canada. That is when this
building became Metropolitan United and was chosen as the site of the
first General Council of the United Church of Canada. It was listed as an
historic building in 1974 by the City of Toronto.
In 1922, Chester
Massey of the famous Toronto Massey(-Ferguson) family presented the church
with the carillon, the first harmonically tuned instrument of its kind in
North America. Since then it has been enlarged twice from its original 23
bells to its current 54 bells, the largest of which is 72 inches in
diameter and weighs 8,456 pounds. Metropolitan’s tower, which is the only
part of the original church not destroyed by the fire, was ideally
constructed to accommodate the enormous weight of a carillon, as its walls
at the base are seven feet thick! Massey gave the carillon in memory of
his wife, Margaret, who during her last illness had found comfort in the
ringing of the bells near her hospital in Pasadena, California. Each of
the original 23 is inscribed “May the spirit of the Lord reach the heart
of every one where the sound of these bells is heard”. Today, many
patients at nearby St. Michael’s hospital are similarly comforted by the
lovely sound of these bells.
A carillon is played
from a keyboard and the stationary bells are sounded by hammers from the
outside or by a clapper hung from inside. Playing the carillon demands
much physical exertion by the carillonneur. The keys
are struck with the underside of the loosely clenched fist and the
foot-pedals sound the heavier bells. In 1738 a Dutch writer remarked
that “for carillon playing a man requires
nothing
more than a thorough
knowledge of music, good hands and feet, and no gout.” The
original key and pedal console was used until 1960 and is preserved in a
glass case in the tower vestibule. The present console, housed in the
tower in an insulated cab just below the bells, was installed in 1971.
To reach it, the carillonneur has to climb a spiral staircase of about
100 steps, so he needs a good heart as well. The present carillonneur
gives concerts every Sunday morning from 10:30 to 11:00 and every
Wednesday from mid-June until mid-August from noon to 12:30 p.m. A
guided tour follows each Wednesday performance or at other times if
pre-arranged.
This church is
famous for its music. It has the largest organ in Canada. Built by
Casavant Frères in Quebec, it was donated and endowed by the Masseys.
It was installed in the rebuilt church and first played in 1930. The
5-manual instrument has been updated and restored over the years but the
original console has been retained and in 1998 a gallery organ was
added. The organ has 8,233 pipes; the largest is 32 feet high and the
smallest is the size of a pencil. Dr. Patricia Wright, the
present organist gave us an inspiring concert, which demonstrated the
range of this spectacular instrument and the incredible acoustics of
this beautiful space.
The cathedral
architectural style has a deep chancel, clerestory and side columns and
lovely stained glass windows, reproductions of the originals by the
Toronto company of Robert McCausland Ltd. A 70-year old winch lowers
the papier-mâché and glass chandeliers from the high ceiling for
cleaning and replacing bulbs – in case the winch fails, there is one
spare chandelier stored in the basement!
While the
congregation has dwindled to about 650 individuals of all ages and
types, the building is used by thousands of people every year. Their 80
volunteers serve about 55,000 meals a year as part of the
out-of-the-cold program including a once a month vegetarian meal
prepared and served by an east-Indian group. The gym has been
transformed into a very successful shelter for 30 men and women and the
connected “sojourner house” run by a Roman Catholic group provides a
home for about 30 refugees at any one time. The surrounding park,
looked after by the City, is well-used by the homeless who are gently
awakened by security before Sunday services and prevented from
pan-handling in order that parishioners may feel more secure. User
groups pay enough to cover costs and various programs are offered such
as computer classes to upgrade skills, art classes, a quiet room where
people can rest and obtain food to take away. Funds are raised from the
parking lot and using the building as a popular movie location – Michael
Douglas and Sylvester Stallone have been filmed here. The longest
running nursery school in the City is located on site where 80 children
a day enjoy the puppet theatre in the playground, the model of the tour
boat “Seguin” to climb on and the herb and butterfly garden to learn
about nature.
This congregation
does not sit still. Plans for the future include redevelopment of the
north end of the property for much needed rental apartments with
underground parking. They also want to finish the restoration of the
main sanctuary and to completely renovate the basement so more
activities can be provided. This is an affirming congregation for
people of all sexual preferences and has a fabulous lay leadership. As
Dr. Sinclair proudly states: “There are no fuddy-duddies here!”
After a thoroughly
enjoyable visit we walked south on Church Street to Front to indulge
ourselves with a beautiful lunch served in style in a private dining
room at one of our favourite restaurants, the Hot House Café. As usual,
Pam Cook
worked
out all the details of this day including the thoughtful gifts and we
ended by delivering a van full of much needed items to the Good Shepherd
Hostel. We felt grateful to be part of this caring City and members of
a group of people who demonstrate the joys of sharing knowledge and
worldly goods. Many thanks to all involved!
