St. John’s Sponsors The Creation as Part of Its Bicentennial Celebration
The Church of St. John the Evangelist, founded in 1826 and occupying the oldest building in continuous use in the county, is sponsoring Haydn’s The Creation this May, a joint performance of the Peterborough Singers and the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra. When asked how this sponsorship fits into the church’s bicentenary, Reverend Canon Brad Smith, the rector of St. John’s, explains: “We wanted to do things that support the community and … that get the word out…. The Creation is both an oratorio that speaks to our Christian tradition, and it is also a joint concert, so what a great audience! … It seemed natural to pick this concert as a thing that we would like to support as part of our bicentennial celebration.”
Church of St. John the Evangelist
There are other reasons for this sponsorship, ones deeply rooted in Anglican traditions and in the practices of worship at St. John’s. “Historically, Anglican churches have been very connected to different expressions of art as part of our own liturgical life because so much of our worship is sensual, in that it engages all the senses,” explains Smith. Think of incense, music, the spoken word, the inspiring architecture and stained-glass windows, the rituals and other symbolic representations. Smith continues, “You know, I wear different coloured vestments” to signify different seasons, feasts, or theological themes – “Everything has a meaning.” So acknowledging the bond between the spiritual and the artistic played an important role in the decision to sponsor The Creation. “We decided that we wanted to support artists because art and beauty are so much a part of our worship tradition,” Smith says.
Reverend Canon Brad Smith
“The role of the church is not just to try to get people in our doors for worship but … to enhance the life of the whole community…. The beauty of choral music is something that speaks to people’s souls and lifts them up. So our support of The Creation is perhaps, on the surface, not supporting a religious endeavour, but I think it is part of the role of the church to bring beauty to people’s lives…. Supporting something like this is a natural extension of the church’s ministry.” – Reverend Canon Brad Smith
Another reason for this sponsorship springs from the transformation of the church’s understanding of itself from “a church on the hill” to “a downtown church.” “Part of that understanding,” Smith notes, “has evolved into wanting to be more than just a parish church serving the Anglicans in this parish … we now want to be a spiritual centre for the downtown part of the city.” As Smith puts it, “This is not just about having lots of services and worship but about offering things that feed people’s soul, so part of doing that is to encourage connections to the artistic community.” One practical aspect of encouraging this relationship involved refurbishing the interior of St. John’s. The church took out pews and put in chairs, which made the building more physically accessible as well as more adaptable to uses outside of worship, such as lectures, concerts, or other performances.
Indeed, the church plans to make good use of its transformed space during its 200-year festivities. A High Tea is planned for May 31. It will feature the music of the Peterborough Concert Band. And two evensongs will take place with guest choirs: one on May 3 with the Oriana Singers and another on June 7 with the Peterborough Singers. In September, the church will welcome the community during Doors Open. But Smith is most looking forward to something less tangible this anniversary year: planning for the church’s future. “What does our third century of ministry in the city look like.” How amazing is that!
If the Church of St. John the Evangelist continues on its current trajectory of working to enrich the spiritual and artistic life of the whole community, it will be pretty amazing indeed.
For more information about the bicentennial celebrations at St John’s:
St. John’s Office
705.745.7624
stjohnsptbo@gmail.com
