MacKay United resumes regular church programs

We’re back! MacKay United Church opened its doors for in-person Sunday services last spring and has remained open over the summer. Building momentum, Sunday, September 11 was designated as “Welcome Back to Church Sunday”, signalling the resumption of regular church activities.

The facility at the corner of MacKay St. and Dufferin Rd. in New Edinburgh did not sit idle over the summer months. The popular Jazz in June noon-hour concert series returned with events on each Tuesday of the month.

Partnering with Ottawa’s Chamberfest, a series of concerts for lovers of chamber music brought people into the building in July.
Fitness classes, with masks and social distancing, returned to the memorial hall.

And partnering with the IODE (Imperial Order of the Daughters of theEmpire), MacKay opened its doors both as a historic building and a venue for a series of mini-concerts during the New Edinburgh Streetfest on Saturday, September 10.
MacKay’s historian was one of the featured speakers at St. Bartholemew’s Church during Streetfest. His illustrated lecture told the story of one member of MacKay’s congregation who sacrificed himself during the First World War. The historical displays in MacKay’s sanctuary, curated by Alan Bowker and Susan Pitt, detailed the church’s life over the years in the community.

Speaking of history, when St. Paul’s Eastern United in Sandy Hill closed its doors last year, MacKay was the beneficiary of a number of items: a baby grand piano, pew cushions, and a number of bronze memorial plaques. A “St. Paul’s Eastern United Corner” has been established in the sanctuary.

MacKay’s Property Committee oversaw the cleaning of the bronze plaques, some representing St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church and some from Eastern Methodist Church. The two churches had joined together prior to church union in 1928, which made St. Paul’s Eastern United Church official.

Due to the age of the plaster on MacKay’s sanctuary walls, the property committee determined that a false wall needed to be built to carry the weight of these plaques, some of which are quite large and very heavy. Heritage carpentry was required to match the original woodwork in the sanctuary.

MacKay is pleased to announce that Music and Meditation returned in the evening of Tuesday, September 6, and will continue every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. from October 4 to November 1, with a pre-Christmas event on Tuesday, December 6.
Worldwide Communion Sunday is on October 2, and Thanksgiving Sunday on October 9.

MacKay is also pleased to announce that its United Church Women’s group has returned to the facility for its regular monthly meetings on the second Wednesday each month at 1 p.m. This group continued to hold its monthly meetings during her pandemic, using Zoom. The Ladies’ Parlour in the memorial hall will be its new venue. The group offers fellowship for women of all ages, discussion topics, book talk and guest speakers from time to time.

MacKay’s council recognizes that not everyone is comfortable going maskless indoors. At MacKay, it’s a matter of personal choice, although over the summer, most attendees at Sunday services chose to wear them as a courtesy to others who might be immuno-compromised. The sanctuary is large enough that social distancing is not a problem.

Information about Sunday services and coming events can be found on the church’s Facebook page, web site or by calling the office at 613-749-8727. The church can be reached via e-mail at admin@mackayunitedchurch.com.

This article was written by Eleanor Dunn.