The congregation of Speedside Church celebrated its 168th anniversary on Sept. 22.
“It has not only been a community of faith for 168 years, but Speedside Church has served the community in many ways,” said Rev. Kyle Benger.
That’s not all they had to celebrate. Over the last six weeks or so, Robert Brown has been re-pointing the eight-sided church. All the old mortar between the stones had to be chipped out and new mortar put in to bring out the stone and give it more of a finished look.
Over time, the mortar can fall out and the stones could eventually fall out as well.
This job hasn’t been done since 1880, when the current church was built.
Recently, the Goldie family donated the trowel that was used over 100 years ago by James Goldie, of Guelph, to lay the cornerstone back to the church.
“[The congregation] may be 168-years-old, but this place is really thriving,” Benger said. He and church members asked Brown if he could use the trowel once again to re-point the church. A time capsule remains in the walls, filled with some relics from the 1880s.
It is said the original architect designed the eight-sided sanctuary so the devil couldn’t hide in the corners.
On Sept. 24 the job was complete and the church’s stone looked almost as new as it did in 1880.
