Harvie - A Rich History:
"... but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13

GOD WITH US:
"Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"
By Royson James April 1999

April 1999 was called the "Harvie Month". It was a month of celebration, a month of reminiscing, a month to recall victories won, assess current dreams and embrace future challenges of the West Toronto Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Thirty years after West Toronto members, through tremendous sacrifice, bought their own house of worship and created a landmark site where the word of God would prosper among blacks in Greater Toronto, God has called His people to move to another "country" and another vineyard where His name can be called blessed.
Harvie Month is the culmination of a mighty work done at 10 Harvie Ave. by a people who have been willingly led by God. You can call the brothers and sisters of this congregation, Toronto West or West Toronto, The Mother Church or just plain Harvie. Whatever the appellation, the same image is evoked: a vibrant, lively, pioneering church in the heart of Toronto's Little Italy, near Landsdowne and St. Clair Aves.

Once inside the warm sanctuary, with its high ceiling and stained-glass windows dating back to the beginning of the century, the visitor easily forgets the bustle of St. Clair Ave. and is caught up in the swirl of fellowship and praise. Toronto West is a church of firsts - the cradle of the Adventist work among blacks in Toronto and the forerunner of a work God would bless and multiply to exalt His name. It is here that so many new Caribbean immigrants to Canada received their first handshake of love and acceptance, and the first current of emotional and spiritual support in their new home called Canada. Many have never strayed far from 10 Harvie Ave. Others have spread their wings abroad and have served or are now working around the globe.
Dr. Walter Douglas left for Andrews University and now teaches ministers at the SDA Theological Seminary.
Pastor Wintley Phipps honed that beautiful baritone in Harvie's church basement before unleashing it on a grateful world audience.
Pastor Roy Adams, associate editor of the Adventist Review, got his start at Harvie as an associate pastor to Rudolph James, the church's first pastor and spiritual leader.
Members like Winston Hurlock, Samuel McKenzie, Edwin Richards and Leroy Coleman accepted the call to the gospel ministry after they sat in the church's antique wooden pews and felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit.
Some, like Urich Ferdinand, served in the inner councils of our government.
And many others serve in a wide array of professions - lawyers and lay preachers, educators and electricians, domestics and dietitians, missionaries and masons, nurses and news reporters.

Harvie's membership is now over 900, a huge growth over the 34 who signed the Conference Registry as charter members of the West Toronto SDA Church on Dec. 14, 1963. The church has directly spawned four congregations - Toronto Perth, Apple Creek, Malton and Toronto Central. Several others have benefitted from the many talents the Lord has incubated and allowed to flourish at Harvie.

The church came about because several members of Caribbean descent felt something lacking in their fellowship at the two major churches in the central Toronto area. They wanted more - youth meetings, socials, a sense of belonging and emotional support, the essential elements they felt were missing.
By 1961, about 11 members were meeting in the homes of Iva and Milton Saunders, Neville and Sheila Smith, Urich and Eulice Ferdinand, Roy and Lurline Sulker. They decided to strike out on their own and on Dec. 16, 1961 they held the first Sabbath School at rented quarters in the British Methodist Episcopal church at 460 Shaw St.. Some of the pioneers who stepped out in faith were Fitzgerald and Enid Peterkin; Marjorie Greenidge, Margaret Leon, Agnes James, Veta Walker, Virginia Campbell, Rhoda Lambert, Lillette Melbourne, Myrtle Gooding, Juanita Greaves, Ruby Grey and Rudy and Rhoda James. Sis. Agnes James still worships with the West Toronto believers.
These pioneers were joined by scores of others. Two months after achieving full church status, Rudy James was named West Toronto's first pastor. He was the first person of African descent to be assigned to an Adventist church in Canada. (The thrilling story of Pastor James' ministry, his success despite much discrimination, and the working of the Lord in setting up this church can be found in the book, The Life and Works of Rudolph James, by Gershom Nelson).
Fortunately for our denomination considering the explosion of the work among Caribbean Canadians he was not the last. Indeed, two (E. R. Bacchus and Derrick Nichols) of the nine senior pastors to follow him at Harvie have gone on to serve as Ontario conference president. And the 14 former associate pastors now serve with distinction all over the province and abroad.

The church grew rapidly in the early 1960s. Before long, a building committee was formed. Already, it had $35 seed money proceeds from an in-home banquet hosted by the Saunders. The BME Church, led by Dr. A.S. Markham was hospitable and supportive. But the new church was outgrowing its old borrowed nest. God led West Toronto to the landmark location at 10 Harvie Ave., the spot most associated with the work of Adventists among black immigrants to Canada.
The church was bought in March 1969. The saints worshiped at Shaw St. for the last time on June 14, 1969. The next Sabbath, June 21, a congregation of over 250 and more than 100 children moved into the first Adventist church in Canada established by blacks. Two months later, on August 24, 1969, Elder E.E. Cleveland was the guest speaker for the inauguration service.

Just 17 months later, Toronto Perth was the first offspring, beginning with 50 members on Jan. 1, 1971. Perth now has more than 1,100 members. Apple Creek followed in Jan. 1977 and Malton on Dec. 4, 1978. Toronto Central was launched in 1986.

Despite the changes, West Toronto has continued with its pioneering ways. It was the first church in Ontario to elect and ordain a female elder, Merlyn Sparks. It started the Mutual Benefit Society that now serves Greater Toronto churches. It started the annual drug awareness march, now in its ninth year. And the youth department, led by Karen Bingham, developed the Feed the Homeless effort that has now spread to many Greater Toronto churches.

One of the blessed ironies of West Toronto's history has been its relationship with the BME Church, affectionately called Shaw St., after its street location. Dr. Markham, who would later became bishop of his church in Canada, was more than a benevolent landlord. He was a true friend and gave Pastor James tremendous support even offering him several congregations to pastor, when the Ontario Conference refused to hire him.
An example of his love and concern occurred on the day West Toronto officially became a church, Dec. 14, 1963. Pastor James had been forced to go to North Bay to work as a colporteur because he was not hired as a pastor. As his church was being officially formed, he sat in the pews and watched conference officials and other "strangers" perform the duties. By the end of the service, Dr. Markham could not contain himself any longer.
"If I do not speak out against this unjust treatment of Elder and Mrs. James, the walls of this church, yea the roof of this building will cry out," he said, before chiding the conference leaders about their treatment of the Jameses. The incident was not easily forgotten and both congregations have shared a special bond.
Providentially, when the BME Church tragically burned to the ground in 1998, West Toronto was able to come to their aid and offer them a place to worship. As well, their choir will perform at our official closing ceremony, March 24th.

After 30 years at 10 Harvie Ave., West Toronto is on the move again - to 1621 Albion Rd., at Martingrove., in the northwestern part of the city of Toronto. For some, it is the end of an era, the end of the Mother Church's presence in the inner city.
But for most, this is an exciting opportunity. God has a mighty work prepared for West Toronto. The new mission field is teeming with men and women who are receptive to God's word and who are in need of Christian love as expressed through the food bank, community services, Pathfinders, prison ministries or one our many outreach ministries.

The new church is located in one the high needs areas of the city. There are more kids in this ward (Rexdale-Thistletown) than anywhere in Toronto. There is, on average, more poor, unemployed, new immigrants - many of them black. In other words, this is the perfect place for God's people to shed their light and erect a lighthouse and a refuge for broken people.

The new church has parking for about 160 cars. It has a basement/fellowship hall, 16 meeting rooms (some can be used for day care or a school), and 5 offices for the church's administrative staff. There is a main-floor washroom, another set in the basement and one restricted for the children in the cradle roll division. As well, a renovation program to be completed prior to move-in will see more windows installed, new carpet, a parents' room and other modifications.

West Toronto has again embraced the challenge to take God's word to a dry and thirsty land. The Lord Jehovah is Our God. He will lead us. He will multiply the fruits of our labour so His name will be glorified and many will rise up and call His name blessed.

FORMER PASTORS

CHARTER MEMBERS

We, the undersigned, loyally subscribing to the tenets of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and covenanting together by the grace of God to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus and to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, do on this 14th day of December, 1963, constitute ourselves to be the Toronto West Church of Seventh-day Adventists.

First Elder's Farewell Message

Outward Bound

We have come this far by faith, and we give God the praise and glory.
From Shaw Street to Harvie; from Harvie to Albion. That's the dynamism, growth and faith of this great congregation, affectionately known as Harvie. Harvie is outward bound, with a mission to serve God and spread the Gospel.

As you know, Toronto West S.D.A. Church was the first and foremost Black Seventh-day Adventist Church to be established in Ontario, starting from a humble beginning of a few faithful saints in the 1960's to a dynamic movement consisting of over 800 members in 1999. During the Harvie years, (1969 to 1999), we have given birth to five powerful daughters with a combined congregation of well over two thousand members. We give God the glory.

After thirty years at Harvie Avenue, having outgrown our church facilities, we have decided to move. This move will provide greater opportunities for nurturing our growing numbers of children, young adults and seniors. At our new location at the corner of Albion and Martingrove roads, we will be a beacon of hope bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a neighborhood that is ripe for the harvest.

However, it is with sadness that we vacate this beautiful edifice, our church for thirty years. Some of us were born in this church, others got married or found their spouses here. Harvie has nurtured, given stability and a home to many immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa. From Harvie's womb came forth doctors, lawyers, teachers, social workers, nurses, poets, journalists, accountants, computer specialists, musicians, actors, skilled tradesmen, colporteurs, Bible workers, ministers and departmental workers in the Ontario Conference. The President of the Ontario Conference, Elder Derrick Nichols, is a former pastor of Harvie.

We are proud of our heritage, but we must not be consumed by it. We must aspire to greater accomplishments, and confront more challenging opportunities if we are to fulfil God's mission for His church. Harvie is outward bound. Let's praise God and celebrate our history, but we must move on and embrace our challenges. Remember, we are but sojourners in a strange land. Let's not forget that lest we lose out on the Kingdom of God.

As we celebrate Harvie month with speakers from far and near, and calling on the services of former pastors, first elders and other members, we invite you to celebrate with us, thanking God for the way He has led us and prospered us.

We look forward to the challenges and opportunities that Albion presents. Through the health message and our community and evangelistic outreach programs, we will bring hope and a new lifestyle to many people.

Please join with us as we take up the challenges of the new millenium. We solicit your prayers and financial support. If Christ is for us, who can be against us?

Dennis Marshall - First Elder

We'll Remember The Laughter In These Walls

I pass a lot of churches
On my way home
Some pretty, some big, some expensive and some inviting.
But my heart always skips a beat when I turn down the road
And see my church nestled in the corner of Harvie St.
I guess I am especially proud of this church and the way it looks.
Because I've attended here every Sabbath.
It started out large enough for us at first.
Now one by one members have gone away,
To work to College - to new Home - to Serve
Soon we will be here no more.
Every corner, every room, every chair is crowded with memories,
Memories of picnics, parties, Christmas overnight vigils
Summer sales, winter lunches, pot luck dinners together,
going barefoot, running in socials
Gatherings of youth.
Graduations, Vacation Bible Schools
First dates, ball games, arguments, junior church
Running around and a thousand other things
That fill our lives with Love, Laughter and Song
Soon we will be leaving. We're going to miss this church.
After many years you and I will sit quietly and Listen to the Laughter in
These Walls.

By Lynette Patrick