Visiting St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church

Few churches can say that their cornerstone was laid by Canada’s longest serving prime minister. Yet that’s precisely St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church’s claim to historic fame. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King laid the church’s cornerstone in 1947 and the congregation held its first service at the new 579 Parkdale Avenue location in October 1948. I visited St. Stephen’s on Sunday, November 23 for their 10:00 am service and found a tight-knit, multi-generational congregation. The minister, Reverend Meg Patterson, walked up to my pew and welcomed me warmly in the moments before the service.

She mentioned that the liturgy would be a little different than usual. The children would remain with the rest of the congregation and Communion service would be included. The congregation included nearly 50 people of all ages in the pews and another dozen choristers in the sanctuary area. Reverend Patterson is one of the choristers, too. The church’s focal point is a beautiful stained glass depiction of the Last Supper above the sanctuary — the church’s oldest stained glass window, I was told.

The prelude, Beethoven’s Für Elise, was performed beautifully by the pianist and helped to centre us as the service was about to begin. Most of the music selection leaned in the direction of traditional hymns, but it did also include a more contemporary piece near the beginning of the service as well. Entitled “Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me,” the song included lyrics that matched the long, dark nights characteristic of this time of year:

The night is dark, but I am not forsaken,
For by my side, the Saviour he will stay.
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing,
For in my need His power is displayed.
To this I hold my Shepherd will defend me,
Through the deepest valley He will lead.
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.

In her sermon, Reverend Patterson spoke about Peter, someone she called a beautifully flawed person. We had just heard a reading from Matthew 14. When the disciples see Jesus in the distance walking on water, they instinctively know that it’s impossible to do and they wonder if it’s a ghost. But Jesus tells them not to be afraid and invites Peter to step out of the boat and to approach him. Peter does follow, walks on water, but then becomes fearful when a gust of wind strikes. He begins to sink into the dark waters, as Jesus reaches out to save him.

Reverend Patterson pointed out that the aspect of this story often missed is that Peter walked on water, too. “Through his faith in Jesus, Peter walks on the water. He’s good, he’s focused on Jesus, he walks on the water, but then he actually realizes that he’s walking on water, he notices the wind and waves around him, and says to himself: ‘this is not safe,'” Reverend Patterson said. When he calls out to Jesus for help, Jesus immediately reaches out and pulls him out of the water. “How often do we get preoccupied with the wind and waves, with the choices we made, and take our eyes off Jesus? We start to sink. And then when we focus on Jesus, we realize how good it is. When we cry out for help, Jesus answers: ‘of course.’ Peter’s little faith was enough to walk on the water. Yes, he doubted. But then he lifted his hand out and Jesus lifted him back up,” she added. Jesus always answers us, even if not always with the answers we want to hear.

In times of need especially, we turn to Jesus, the King of the Universe. Reverend Patterson brought up the example of her church, which has been discussing what sustainability looks like in the years to come and how it reaches out to its neighbours. While the answers may not always be what the community wants to hear, new people have come to explore the community and this month, the congregation received a $38,000 grant for 2026. The community had approved a budget deficit for 2026 and did so in faith, not knowing what would come. That grant will now cover it.

Communion included both real bread and gluten-free crackers, as well as both wine and grape juice. The latter were served in individual little glasses, slightly larger than thimbles. After the 90-minute service, I joined members of the congregation for coffee, tea and refreshments in the church hall. I also witnessed the congregation’s grassroots community spirit. Volunteers of all ages helped to bring up decorations for Advent and Christmas, getting the church ready for the upcoming change in the liturgical season.

Christopher Adam