The brief history of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church began in May 1955 when the Bishop of Toronto sent Ronald Sharp, a young theology student from Wycliffe Theological College in Toronto to conduct a survey on community interest in an Anglican Church. There was an empty field at the corner of Wilson Road South and Orchard Avenue (later to be called Hoskin Avenue), which was considered to be an appropriate site for a church. Over a three month period, Mr. Sharp visited approximately 1200 homes in the immediate vicinity. One hundred and seventy-eight families expressed interest and support for the establishment of an Anglican Church in the area.
Mr. Sharp was then appointed as the first minister of the church. During the autumn of 1955, a small wooden portable was constructed with most of the furnishings and required items being donated from other congregation within the Toronto Diocese. The portable held approximately 56 people. There was no electricity and it was heated by an oil space heater. It was extremely cold on Christmas morning in 1955. Overnight the pipes had frozen and burst. The men rolled up their sleeves and got busy cleaning up all the water!
“St. Matthew’s is where many friendships have grown with the sharing of life’s joys and challenges and the place where we have gathered to offer our support to the families of our friends who have been called to their final resting place in Heaven.”
