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Attendance varied between 23 and 87 during the first seven months of the mission, which was quite good considering the chapel then consisted only of that part of the church building which is now the Chancel (Choir and Sanctuary). In 1928, the chapel was enlarged considerably with the addition of what is now the Nave, or the main part of the church proper, and 160 people attended the opening service on November 4th. Throughout the war years, church services were carried on through the dedication of its members, notably Mr. Cresswell, a lay reader who conducted services in the absence of full time clergy. In 1950, the entire building was raised by the height of three courses of cement blocks, and many other improvements were made in order to make the basement useful for meetings and for the Sunday School. During this time it is said that the Rev. Canon A.G. Emmett mortgaged his own home to finance many of these improvements. Church members and St. James' Church itself contributed significantly to this project as well. During 1955, St. Athanasius' in the West Ward and St. David's in the South Ward separated from St. James' Parish and combined to form the Parish of Orillia South, which is our present status today. The congregation of St. Athanasius has continued to step forward in faith, and we thank God for His many blessings. Over the years since, our little church has seen many changes and has had several opportunities for celebration. Many of these are detailed in the following list. 1958: The present Narthex (entryway) was added, providing additional seating in the Nave. (An area at the back of the main part of the church had previously been set aside for the robing of clergy, organists and choir, as well as for the storage of church vestments.) The basement was further upgraded at this time as well. 1959: The Parish Hall was constructed, with the men of the parish building the kitchen, furnace and storage room, as well as the connecting vestibule. The right Rev. F.H. Wilkinson, bishop of Toronto, dedicated the hall on October 11, 1959. 1962: On December 16th, at 11:15am, a 35th Anniversary service was held at which all of the organizations and congregation that had supported the growth of the church were recognized. The hope and prayer of the congregation at that time was for St. Athanasius' to become a self supporting parish built around a large fellowship of prayer, witness and well instructed, dedicated and regularly worshipping Christians. 1977: St. Athanasius' marked its 50th anniversary with a SALT weekend, a special Harvest Thanksgiving Service, teen programmes, an Outreach programme, choir reunion, memorial service and a Jubilee dinner held in November at the Sundial restaurant. 1985: Major restorative work was done to the interior of the church including: new oak wainscoting, oak trim, restored ceiling in the Chancel, refinished wood windows in the Sanctuary, drop ceiling in the Narthex, carpeted kneelers and new carpet throughout the church. 1987: In this year the parish hall was refurbished with a new drop ceiling and window coverings installed. 1987 also marked our 60th anniversary. The Parish held a Dinner and Dance at Hotel Orillia on December 4th and a Celebration Breakfast organized by the Youth Group took place on December 5th followed by an Open house in the afternoon. A Service of thanksgiving took place on the 6th at 7:30pm with Bishop Taylor Pryce officiating, followed by a reception in the hall. 1989: On July 25th a Sesqui-Centennial Service was held at 8:30 p.m. to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. The "Sesqui Cross" left St. James Church at 8pm and was passed to parishioners of St. A's on Mississauga Street across from the hospital. It was then carried to St. Athanasius' where a service was held. On October 15th many members of St. A's congregation travelled by bus to the Skydome in Toronto for the Diocesan Sesqui-Centennial Service. |