Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church NHS
Designated a National Historic Site.
www.blackhistorycanada.ca/events.php?themeid=21&id=4
To Janie Cooper-Wilson, the Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church is a gold mine of history, culture and community, and recognition of its restoration by the province is incentive to use it as a beacon of hope.
“These awards aren’t given lightly,” said the historian, referring to the two Lieutenant-Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards received by the Township of Oro-Medonte. “The church has the capability of bringing so many together.”
Last week, Mayor Harry Hughes, on behalf of the township, accepted the Excellence in Conservation Award and the Community Leadership Award for the Oro-African Church preservation project presented by the Ontario Heritage Trust and Elizabeth Dowdeswell, lieutenant-governor of Ontario.
“You never realize how important something is when you’re involved in it, but then you receive an award from the lieutenant-governor general for it, and you feel it’s significant,” said Hughes. “It’s a validation, really.
“It also indicates the values we’re pulling from: inclusiveness, celebrating diversity and working together for the betterment of all,” he added.
The awards were shared with some members of the community who had been involved with the project. As well, those attending the ceremony at council chambers on Wednesday evening viewed a 30-minute video titled, Revival, The Oro-African Church, made by Dave Sullivan, regional producer for Bell Media, documenting the restoration process.
“It’s nice to see it being renovated and coming to the final stage that it’s finished now,” said Twyla Banbury-Campbell, president-secretary Mitchell Square Women’s Institute in Oro-Medonte. “It was very interesting to see that they lifted the building and all the different steps. The gentlemen that did it, did an excellent job.”
Not only was the restoration well done, it also brought together people from varying backgrounds, said Harry Laur, of Barrie, whose wife had been involved in the steering committee of the project.
Cooper-Wilson said the church “connects to all the black sites in Ontario and it shows the collective history as well,” she said. “For so many years, it was pigeonholed as just black soldiers in the war of 1812, but they all had families.”
What worries Cooper-Wilson is that history may repeat itself.
“What’s going on right now with the immigrants trying to escape by crossing the border into Canada, our people did this back when,” she said. “This is just a repeat of the fugitives way back in 1850.”
Although she’s pleased with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach with open borders, Cooper-Wilson said she’s “absolutely appalled” at what’s happening in the United States of America. “I believe in the concept of what (President Donald Trump) wants to do, but he’s approaching it the wrong way,” she said.
But where the situation may look bleak, there’s hope for Canada to take the role of a leader in welcoming refugees, added Cooper-Wilson.
“United States was sitting there with a feather in the cap as the country that the world looked to, (but) I think it’s going to be Canada now,” she said. “And that church is the way to help the young ones to learn. It’s very important.”
The church on Line 3 North is being opened to the public as a satellite location for the Simcoe County Museum, with tours starting this spring, but that’s not where it should end, said Cooper-Wilson.
“I think the municipality is still on a learning curve,” she said. “My job was done when the church was built – I can step back and someone else can take the next roll – but we all have to do our part. It isn’t about one individual. It’s about all of us, where we don’t see colour or economic status; we see a family – Canada’s family.”
Revival, The Oro-African Church, is now available for public viewing via the township’s website at oro-medonte.ca.
Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church NHS
Designated a National Historic Site.
www.blackhistorycanada.ca/events.php?themeid=21&id=4
To Janie Cooper-Wilson, the Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church is a gold mine of history, culture and community, and recognition of its restoration by the province is incentive to use it as a beacon of hope.
“These awards aren’t given lightly,” said the historian, referring to the two Lieutenant-Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards received by the Township of Oro-Medonte. “The church has the capability of bringing so many together.”
Last week, Mayor Harry Hughes, on behalf of the township, accepted the Excellence in Conservation Award and the Community Leadership Award for the Oro-African Church preservation project presented by the Ontario Heritage Trust and Elizabeth Dowdeswell, lieutenant-governor of Ontario.
“You never realize how important something is when you’re involved in it, but then you receive an award from the lieutenant-governor general for it, and you feel it’s significant,” said Hughes. “It’s a validation, really.
“It also indicates the values we’re pulling from: inclusiveness, celebrating diversity and working together for the betterment of all,” he added.
The awards were shared with some members of the community who had been involved with the project. As well, those attending the ceremony at council chambers on Wednesday evening viewed a 30-minute video titled, Revival, The Oro-African Church, made by Dave Sullivan, regional producer for Bell Media, documenting the restoration process.
“It’s nice to see it being renovated and coming to the final stage that it’s finished now,” said Twyla Banbury-Campbell, president-secretary Mitchell Square Women’s Institute in Oro-Medonte. “It was very interesting to see that they lifted the building and all the different steps. The gentlemen that did it, did an excellent job.”
Not only was the restoration well done, it also brought together people from varying backgrounds, said Harry Laur, of Barrie, whose wife had been involved in the steering committee of the project.
Cooper-Wilson said the church “connects to all the black sites in Ontario and it shows the collective history as well,” she said. “For so many years, it was pigeonholed as just black soldiers in the war of 1812, but they all had families.”
What worries Cooper-Wilson is that history may repeat itself.
“What’s going on right now with the immigrants trying to escape by crossing the border into Canada, our people did this back when,” she said. “This is just a repeat of the fugitives way back in 1850.”
Although she’s pleased with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach with open borders, Cooper-Wilson said she’s “absolutely appalled” at what’s happening in the United States of America. “I believe in the concept of what (President Donald Trump) wants to do, but he’s approaching it the wrong way,” she said.
But where the situation may look bleak, there’s hope for Canada to take the role of a leader in welcoming refugees, added Cooper-Wilson.
“United States was sitting there with a feather in the cap as the country that the world looked to, (but) I think it’s going to be Canada now,” she said. “And that church is the way to help the young ones to learn. It’s very important.”
The church on Line 3 North is being opened to the public as a satellite location for the Simcoe County Museum, with tours starting this spring, but that’s not where it should end, said Cooper-Wilson.
“I think the municipality is still on a learning curve,” she said. “My job was done when the church was built – I can step back and someone else can take the next roll – but we all have to do our part. It isn’t about one individual. It’s about all of us, where we don’t see colour or economic status; we see a family – Canada’s family.”
Revival, The Oro-African Church, is now available for public viewing via the township’s website at oro-medonte.ca.