A meeting was held in October, 1927 at St. George’s parish to plan the future parish of Christ Church. Services began in Dr. S. J. Phillips School (at the time known as North Simcoe School) on February 26, 1928.
The first vestry meeting was held March 28, 1928 to discuss the purchase of land at the corner of Mary and Hillcroft streets. The work on the basement began and the cornerstone was laid on Saturday, October 20, 1928. As this was the time of the Great Depression, the young parish remained in their basement home for many years until 1947.
In 1945, in memory of those who died during World War II a tower was erected and the name changed to Christ Memorial Church. The superstructure of the church was opened and dedicated March 13, 1947.
A new sanctuary was erected in 1956 to form an ‘L’ shaped building along the south side of the property. The previous sanctuary was converted into the parish hall and is still used for activities today.
On January 28, 1976 the interior of the sanctuary was destroyed by fire. While the church was being rebuilt, the congregation continued to worship at a Seventh Day Adventist church which graciously offered their facilities as soon as word of the fire was out.
While this brief history has described the changing shape of the building, the story of Christ Church has been, and continues to be, about the people who worship, learn, and serve here.
In the 70′s and 80′s the renewal movement touched Christ Church and many people discovered a new and fresh faith. Since 2003 our congregation has been on a journey learning how to reach out to the neighbourhoods around us, growing strong ties with our local hospital, nearby schools, and several agencies and ministries doing great work helping those in need.
Christ Church continues to be a place where people come to know and follow Jesus, and where they are enabled to share their faith at home, at work, and in the community of Oshawa.
Anglican History
From the website: Anglican.ca
The name “Anglican” means “of England”, but the Anglican Church exists worldwide. It began in the sixth century in England, when Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine to Britain to bring a more disciplined apostolic succession to the Celtic Christians. The Anglican Church evolved as part of the Roman church, but the Celtic influence was folded back into the Roman portion of the church in many ways; perhaps most notably by Charlemagne’s tutor Aidan. The Anglican Church was spread worldwide first by English colonization and then by English-speaking missionaries. The Anglican Church, although it has apostolic succession, is separate from the Roman church.