GC11E90 Historic St. John the Apostle Church (Traditional Cache) in British Columbia, Canada created by Seek&GoHide

This cache has been archived.

Skookum Bear: As there has been no response from the cache owner, I am regretfully archiving the cache.

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GC11E90 ▼

A cache by Seek&GoHide Message this owner

Hidden : 3/13/2007

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Larger cammoflauged Lock & Lock container that can hold medium sized trade items. Cache is placed with permission of the church, but please be respectful of the area and foliage. I hope you enjoy learning a little bit about this historic church and it's links to early Port Moody.

Placed as part of the BCGA's Blitz '07 event.
On March 23. 1884,the Rev. Charles Blanchart held the first Sunday service of the Church of England, and on May 1, Bishop A.W. Sillitoe came to Port Moody, said prayers and preached a sermon to a large congregation. Then he baptized the first white infant born in this community, namely Charles Moody Pogue. After the service, Captain and Mrs. Clarke entertained the bishop at their home. As more and more people decided to live in Port Moody the desirability of more permanent facilities became apparent. As a result, the construction of St. John's Anglican Church began in the late 1890s by Mr. A. Noon. It was completed in 1899 on a lot donated my Captain Clarke.

Bishop Right Rev. John Dart of New Westminster consecrated St. John's Anglican Church on Christmas Day, 1901. In 1899, St. John's Anglican Church was the only church building of any kind in the community, It was an attractive structure with it's nave, chancel, sanctuary, bell tower and vestry. The altar consisted of frontals in the ecclesiastical colours and was decorated with a wooden cross, brass vases and wax candles.

Services were held regularly with a good choir in attendance. Adjacent to the church was a roomy vicarage. It sat on a lot donated my Mr. John Charles Keith, a Scot, son of an Anglican minister, who had become the first manager of the Bank of BC in Vancouver; The vicarage was built with money derived from the sale of a lot donated by John Murray Sr. The Murrays and the Clarkes were some of the early supporters of this church... and yes, the nearby streets are named after them. St.John's Street is NOT named after the church as some may believe. It was actually an error that was made. The street was to be named John St. after another prominent Port Moody family, but an error was made and John St. became St. John.
In 1959, it was expanded to accommodate the growing congregation.

Stucco was applied over the original siding. Although stone cladding was added at the foundation level and the original windows were replaced, it's original structure is still recognizable and it remains one of the oldest surviving buildings in Port Moody. At the time, the biggest worry was that the expanded church would be too small to accommodate the rapidly growing community and congregation. The original church is now the reception area for the enlarged church and the original altar area is left as a chapel with much of it's original detail.
In 2000, the parish began a "Legacy Project" which made significant improvements to the heritage building next four years.

The improvements include wheelchair ramps and a fully accessible washroom. The altar railing was moved forward, allowing wheelchair users full access during Holy Communion. The church’s congregation, mostly through donations, financed the $140,000 renovation. “True to history of our church, much of the renovation involved recycled materials and donated labour,” noted Reverend Catherine Hall. The renovations were also sympathetic to the heritage character of the building.
In 2005, the City of Port Moody’s Community Care Committee named St. John the Apostle Anglican Church the recipient of the 2005 Peter Hulbert Accessibility Award. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments that result in greater opportunities for persons with disabilities within Port Moody through either awareness, innovations, architectural improvements or architectural innovations.

St. John the Apostle not only serves not only its own congregation but also as a meeting place for community groups such as study groups, EfM (Education for Ministry), a Family Food Bank (1st and 3rd Thursdays),12 step programs, a Korean church, musical programs. It is home to a very active ACW (Anglican Church Women) and runs a very successful Vacation Bible School each August among its many other initiatives. It is a friendly and welcoming place.
When visiting the cache location, be sure to take note of the fence to get an idea of how historic even the fence is judging from it's relationship to the trees. Isn't that unusual?
Please replace just as you found it and please respect the property by not damaging the bush.

If you are a Geocacher in the province of British Columbia, please join the British Columbia Geocaching Association. The BCGA is your portal to caching in and around BC. Visit bcgeocaching.com for details!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

UVqqra va ohfu orgjrra cnexvat ybg naq srapr. Nccebnpu sebz onpx/srapr fvqr naq fyvqr vg bhg nybat gur tebhaq engure guna qvfgheovat gur ohfurf. Gnxr n pybfr ybbx ng gur gerrf nybat gur srapr. Vfa'g gung vagrerfgvat?

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

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Historic St. John the Apostle Church Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

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