The Madill Church will get a long-awaited renewal this summer, and the organization overseeing its restoration now needs those who promised to support the project to come forward and honour those commitments.
It will cost about $70,000 to complete the work needed on the historic church, and last year the committee heard from many people who said they’d be willing to help out. But first the board needed to finalize their charitable status so that they could offer tax receipts to donors. With that ability now in place, they’re confident the community will support the restoration as promised.
The Madill Church Preservation Society was established in 2017 after the United Church of Canada announced that it no longer had use for the aging church, which was built in 1873. If no one had stepped forward to take ownership, it would have been demolished.
The church holds a great deal of meaning for each member in the society—almost all of the members have a special family connection to the property.
Carolynn MacKay, president of the society, and her family owned a drive-in movie theatre on Madill Church Road when she was a child. The nearby church was special to her family and both of her grandparents are buried at the cemetery on site. And she often hears from people who have their own connections.
“At one of our open houses you wouldn’t believe all of the couples that visited and told us they were married in the church many years ago,” said MacKay. “That inspired us to start a little project and collect photos from the weddings here over the year and display them on a board in the church once the refurbishment is complete.”
Although it has no hydro, the church still holds services on special occasions and is even hosting another wedding this July.
“We’re all so excited to start renovating and refurbishing,” said MacKay on behalf of the board. “There is a lot of work and TLC that needs to go into it but I know it will be lots of fun as there are so many great people in the society.”
Madill Church Preservation Society board members at a Madill Church open house in 2018 (back from left) Carolynn MacKay, Barry Groomes, Lynda McLeod, Donna Collins, Keith Collins, Cynthia Hampton; (front from left) Paige Phillips and Anne Collins.
The refurbishments will commence this summer and the society is eager to get started. Donations to the project will go toward a new roof, the foundation, log replacement, chinking, and a new vestibule and entrance.
MacKay says that the Ontario Historical Society in Toronto has been an integral part of the Madill Church Preservation Society’s formation, and that they’ve received much supportive direction from Teri Souter, the Town of Huntsville’s Manager of Arts, Culture and Heritage.
If you want to make a donation or have any questions about the church or the project, contact the Madill Church Preservation Society at [email protected].
Correction, April 11, 2019: An earlier version of this story identified the Huntsville Historical Society, rather than the Ontario Historical Society, as having been helpful to the Madill Church Preservation Society. It also omitted mention of the assistance of Teri Souter at the Town of Huntsville. We regret the errors.
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I am so happy to hear of this building being preserved. Do you have an address where I can mail a cheque to or perhaps a go-fund account I can share on Facebook with my friends and family?
Hi Esther,
There is an email address for the group listed at the end of the story.
Please provide contact info on this to volunteer with the renovations.