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St. George's Anglican Church typifies
not only early church history, but the early history of the Okanagan Valley. Enderby was
established long before there were cities such as Vernon and Kelowna, and settlers first
expected Enderby to become the centre of industrial, commercial, cultural and spiritual
activity for the Valley.
Those expectations extended to St. George's. As settlers moved to this area, one of the first edifices they erected was their church, and it was the centre for a segment of the community. The church was ready for worshippers in 1891, making May 9 the day celebrated by Rev. Shildrick and his parishioners as the birthday of the church for many years afterward.
While St. James Anglican Church in Armstrong is the oldest structure in the Valley, St. George's is the oldest Anglican church still on its original foundation. St. James was moved from its location in Lansdowne when the coming of the railway established the settlement of Armstrong further south.
Settlers from throughout the province supported the church financially, and the register of donors from 1891 read like the Who's Who of B.C. history. Messrs. C. O'Keefe; S. Gibbs, manager of Columbia Flour Mill in Enderby; T.G. Vernon; O. Harvey, the first postmaster; M. Lumby; J.A. Mara; J.N. Fletcher; A.L. Fortune, reported to be the first white man to come to this area and the first Justice of the Peace; Clinton; C.A. Lambley, Salmon River Ranch; Earl of Aberdeen, absentee landlord; Robert Bailey, first policeman; T.B. Young, one of the Overlanders who was to have a road named after him; James Schubert; Dewdney, an MP, Road Engineer and former Lieutenant-Governor of BC; Basil Gardom, homesteader and, later, MP, after whom a lake is named; Rev. F.B. Venables, an incumbent in the parish from 1903-08 who has a Vancouver city street named for him; Oliver -- these were the people who established the cities and towns throughout the interior of the province, and all gave their support to St. George's. Many of these people had been in the group of Overlanders who came from the East, heading for the gold fields in the Cariboo. Some of their number stopped in the Okanagan, preferring the rich fields here rather than take their chances on finding gold. Catherine Schubert was a rarity among that number -- most of the men came alone, sending for their wives later. Mrs. Schubert wouldn't be left behind, and became the first white woman in the area.
These people, many of whom were the younger sons of wealthy fathers back in England and Europe, brought their education, love of music, drama, writing and all the arts, and their gentry manners. They also brought their spiritual values and their enthusiasm for discovery -- all qualities which formed the city of Enderby in its early history. Many of the descendants of those early settlers remain.
Any history of Enderby must be linked with the railway. After all, the naming of the city took place because a post office was needed to cash postal money orders for the railway construction crew. While Enderby had a series of names, this final one, brought out at a tea party, was decided on in 1886.
Before coming of the railway, people travelled mainly by horseback or by horse-drawn vehicles. Rev. Shildrick, an Anglican church missionary working out of the Kamloops Hudson Bay Post, was responsible for the building of the church at Lansdowne. But before the structure was built, he made his rounds by horse and buggy or on horseback. Services were held where the people were -- in homes, school houses, barns. His trips took him to Priest Valley (now Vernon), O'Keefe Ranch, to Penticton and Grand Prairie (now Westwold.) When Trinity Church was built in Vernon, his circle moved north, still taking in Grand Prairie, Armstrong, Enderby, Grindrod and Mara, but now including Salmon Valley, Salmon Arm, and all points in between.
With the coming of the trains, delivery of goods and travel was improved. People used the trains, as modern residents use their cars, as a main mode of transportation. The teacher at Mara came on the train each week, doctors came to Enderby, Grindrod and Mara from Armstrong. The train also make it easier for residents in the district to attend St. George's. Train travel accommodated the constant movement of people from Mara to Enderby, Enderby to Armstrong and Vernon, and back again. It was the most efficient means of receiving and sending goods and mail, and was a daily form of entertainment as people would flock down to the station just to watch the train come in. It was a centre of activity, and socialization.
Of course, horse and buggy travel remained the means of transportation for people living in the area. Caroline Bawtree, daughter of a pioneering family and who died in 1989, recorded her memories of hitching up horses and traps in good weather, sleighs in the winter, to go to church from their home in Ashton Creek. During very bad weather, children were given spiritual lessons through Sunday School by post. At the Church, horses were hitched up outside while their owners held their worship. Years later when the church grounds were being cleaned up, many horseshoes were found imbedded in the ground all around the building. A tie shed was also located on the grounds it's believed to have been situated on George St.
Focus of the town, and on transportation, began the next change in the early 1900s with the advent of the motorized vehicle. Mr. Fulton and Mr. Polson were the first to drive cars to church services in Enderby.
The church as community wasn't a new idea to these settlers. They were willing to do whatever was needed in order to make the church run smoothly, and to keep the needs of the congregation satisfied. The ladies were brought up in society; they held afternoon teas at which much of the needlework was done, altar clothes made etc. These were the same women who helped form the Women's Auxiliary for the cottage hospitals in later years, and who made the costumes for performances at the Opera House, located on Cliff St. where Saena Electric now stands. Community involvement was total, and welcomed.
To illustrate the importance of music, a notation in the financial statement 1891 gives the freight costs of $15.40 for the delivery (by train) of an organ for the church. One of the first duties of the congregation was the establishment, in 1885, of an organ fund. It only took until 1891 to raise the money and receive the instrument.
Music played an important role in the lives of the people. The church organ was one instance. On Sept. 30, 1906, there is a notation in the registry that the Free Masons, in full regalia, had marched to St. George's, led by the City Band (which was under the direction of Mr. Wheeler.) It's remarked that this was the first outing for the newly-formed Band. While it's not noted in the registry, the story goes that the small parade took place down the dirt streets after a period of heavy rain. Band members found themselves mired down in the mud more than once, but kept playing and gamely continued their march to the church.
The community at large continued to be a part of the church. Whether it was the Knights of Pythias, the Free Masons, or others, many groups included St. George's as part of their activities.
Music rang out in the community again, with another 'first.' This time it was Christmas Day of 1906, when people heard the first ringing of the new church bell, contributed by the C.P.R.
The original organ was well-used for many years by Mrs. Lawes, who continued as organist until early in 1911. She asked to retire and was replaced by Mr. R.J. Spear. When he moved away in October of that same year, Mrs. Lawes found herself once again at the keyboard.
In March of 1911, a new Sherlock-Manning reed organ was placed in the chancel. Funds had been raised by a group called The Willing Workers, a guild consisting of the young girls of the Parish under their president, Mrs. H.W. Harvey, wife of the postmaster.
Still, music played its important role. Special holidays were celebrated with special performances, and each were punctuated with music. September 22, 1907, R. Gibbs sang a solo for the Harvest celebration. March 16, 1908, the congregation marked Maundy Thursday with the singing of the Crucifixion. That was again marked May of 1909.
Throughout those years, the Rev. Venables held daily services. His notations in the register have left history with a personal look at the lives of the people of the time. Through his records we learn of the first marriage to be held in St. George's -- on July 8, 1896 when Adam Taylor wed Frances Bales. A notation on Feb. 3, 1907 tells that few turned out for services because temperatures overnight had plunged to 42 degrees below zero Fahrenheit; by Feb. 20, the weather had turned mild and it rained. He notes his frustrations at low turn-outs some mornings, his disgust with the poor singing at others. The comments on the mornings when the singing was good, the congregation large, and the collection plate full were made in large letters, showing his joy at sharing the worship. His experiences show that the lot of the minister hasn't changed all that much.
Many of the Church's successes and material donations came from the surrounding community. The story of the church lighting portrays that link, and shows how important the church has always been to the people it serves. The congregation started off with candle power, and were later given brass oil lamps. Then, on June 30, 1907, electric lights were used for the first time at an evening service. The Rogers Lumber Company in Enderby provided the electrical power, and the oil lamps were later taken to other local churches. In the late 1980s, one of those original lamps was recovered by a parishioner and brought back to St. George's. It hangs in the church now, a symbol of the days past.
Churches throughout North America have gone through a period where dwindling numbers have turned out every Sunday. Church and community appeared to be losing their importance to society. But that trend seems to be changing, as more people are again turning to their faith. Churches, like St. George's, are again benefiting from the feelings of community, and of self-sufficiency that today's parishioners are bringing to worship.
Judy Reimche, 1990
Enderby Commoner