Knox Presbyterian Church is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is named after

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

, a founder of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

History

Knox was founded as a result of the split within the congregation of St. Andrew's, Ottawa's first Presbyterian church, between those loyal to the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

and those supporting the

Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...

movement, as had occurred in

the year before. The supporters of the Free Church in Ottawa and environs, set up Knox Free Church in 1844, just after the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

was split. Designed by Donald Kennedy in 1845, the original Knox Church was located in Sandy Hill at the corner of Daly Avenue and Cumberland. In 1866, a number of members formed a congregation on Bank Street, that is now

Dominion-Chalmers United Church Dominion Chalmers United Church is a large United Church of Canada, United church, located in downtown Ottawa, at the corner of Cooper and O'Connor Street (Ottawa), O'Connor Streets (with access from Lisgar Street). It is a 1962 merger of two key ...

, just two blocks west at Cooper and Lisgar. In 1874, the Knox congregation moved

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

, leaving their building to the first St. Paul's Presbyterian, that became St. Paul's-Eastern United Church (Eastern

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

) after

church union Church union is the name given to a merger of two or more Christian denominations. Such unions may take on many forms, including a united church and a federation. United churches A united church is the result of a merger of churches of vari ...

in 1925. This second Knox Church was built on Elgin Street at Albert Street next door to the

Second City Hall (Ottawa) Ottawa, Ontario's second city hall was built in 1877 on Elgin Street between Queen and Albert Streets and next to Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontar ...

on what is today the site of the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

. It was designed by

Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley (26 November 1836 – 1907) was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 a ...

1872-74. It opened prior to the formation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1875; the General Assembly of the Canada Presbyterian Church was held at Knox in 1874 where the deliberations over the Union took place. The Regimental and King’s Colours of the 207th Battalion were "laid up" at Knox in 1919. They now rest in the sanctuary of the present church in a display case with a plaque dedicated to the memory of those who served in the

207th (Ottawa-Carleton) Battalion, CEF The 207th (Carleton) Battalion, CEF was a battalion of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force. It was organized at Ottawa by Lt Col Charles Wesley MacLean with members recruited by the 43rd Regiment "Duke of Cornwall's Own Rifles" and ...

during the First World War. The Regimental Colours had been donated by the

American Bank Note Company American Banknote Corporation (parent to American Bank Note Company), trading as ABCorp, is an American corporation providing contract manufacturing and related services to the authentication, payment and secure access business sectors. ABCo ...

and presented by Major General Hon. Sir

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. After a stormy tenure in the position, he was dismissed by Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden in 1916. Early life H ...

, K.C.B., M.P. to the Battalion on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

on November 18, 1916. In 1930, the City of Ottawa expropriated this area to widen Elgin Street and Knox Church, which had remained within the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1925, was forced to move a few blocks to its present location at the corner of Lisgar and Elgin. The second church was demolished in 1932. The Drawings Collection at the Ontario Archives contains the set of plans by Langley for this ecclesiastical commission 889-98. The present Knox Church building, designed in 1931 by John Albert Ewart and

Henry Sproatt Henry Sproatt (June 14, 1866 – October 4, 1934) was a Canadian architect who was prominent during the early 20th century. Born in Toronto, he trained in Europe and in New York City. He formed a partnership in 1890 with another celebrated arch ...

opened in 1932. The church has hosted the General Assembly of the

Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...

three times: first in 1937, then in 1981, but only for the opening Worship, as the nearby

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

was the scene of the proceedings. In 2008, Knox again hosted the opening Worship at General Assembly, while the remainder of the activities took place at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

Ministers

The following is a list of ministers at Knox: * Thomas Wardrope, 1845 - 1869, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1891. * William MacLaren, 1870 - 1873 left to be Professor and Principal (1905 - 1909 of Knox College. Moderator Presbyterian Church in Canada 1884, * Francis W. Farries, 1875 - 1893. * James Ballantyne, 1894 - 1896, left to become a Professor at Knox College, Moderator Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1920, * David M. Ramsay 1897 - 1913. * Robert B. Whyte 1916 - 1923. * E. Lloyd Morrow 1923 - 1926 left to become a Professor at Knox College * Robert Johnston 1927 - 1947, Moderator Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1932 while minister of Knox Church. * Colin Miller 1948 - 1955. * H. Douglas Stewart, 1956 - 1972, left to become minister at

St. Andrew's Church (Toronto) St. Andrew's Church is a historic Presbyterian Church in Canada, Presbyterian church (building), church located at the corner of King Street (Toronto), King Street West and Simcoe Street in the city's Downtown Toronto, downtown core of Toronto, O ...

. * Malcolm McCuaig 1972 - 1985, * Donald F. Collier 1986 - 1992, * Stephen A. Hayes 1993 - 2004, called to minister at St. Andrew's Church (Quebec City) * Douglas Kendall 2005 - 2009, called to minister at St. Andrew’s Church (Stittsville) * David J. Thom 2011 - 2013 returned to Scotland, from where he had been called * James E. Pot 2015 - Present The current minister is the Rev. James Pot. Raised in Southern Ontario and educated at Redeemer University College (Ancaster, Ontario) and Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan) he was ordained in 1992 in the Christian Reformed Church. After ministering in that denomination with two Alberta congregations and one in Ontario, he was accepted as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 2013 and served as pulpit supply for both denominations in the Hamilton area before being called to Knox in 2015.Pot, J - Personal communication File:Knox Presbyterian church Ottawa.jpg, Knox Presbyterian church, 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON File:Knox Presbyterian Church Ottawa north.JPG, Knox Presbyterian church, 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON

References

;Bibliography *

External links

*
The Presbyterian Church in Canada
{{Authority control Presbyterian churches in Ottawa Knox's Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada 20th-century Presbyterian church buildings in Canada