The Tintern Church of Christ has a rich heritage in the Niagara Region that goes back almost 200 years. Large scale Gospel meetings or “barn meetings” were held frequently along Mud Creek (the early name for Spring Creek) for a period of more than 60 years starting in the 1820s and during that time believers in the area traveled seven miles to meet with the Smithville Church of Christ.
According to one account, “as a result of good interest in the community, a place of meeting was completed in 1892 on a lot given by Lution Huntsman from a corner of his farm on Spring Creek Road” for the sum of $1. The official records show that the property was deeded, on March 23, 1892 to Norman Comfort, Adam Haist and Joseph Ozra Martin, trustees of the Disciples of Christ.
The diaries of Adam Huntsman (Lution’s father) for 1891 and William Stewart (Adam’s son-in-law) for 1892 give day-by-day accounts of progress on the “meeting house from the foundation on July 21, 1891 to the making of the door on January 5, 1892.” The 1892 meeting house had a shed in back to house the horses during the services.
There is no indication that there was ever a full-time preacher with this church during all these years – over a century – since the first baptisms in the area. Charlie Waterworth, Clifford Lumley, John Gladwell, John Williams, Alex Stewart, C.G. McPhee, and Herman Johnson, and others would occasionally come and speak on a Sunday morning for the new church.
Increased membership and attendance and more prosperous times made it possible to, in cooperation with the church in Smithville, employ Herman Mason in 1950. He served the two churches until 1952. At this time, Eugene Perry, a home boy, was asked to do the preaching from 1952-1957. Vacation Bible School was first held during the summer of 1957.
In 1956 Charles Hannah, Oliver Tallman and Ernest Perry were appointed as the first elders of the congregation. In the same year the building was raised up and moved back from the road onto a basement containing a furnace and a number of classrooms. Then in 1960, Barry Hannah, Jim McPherson, Ellis Moore and John Wallace were appointed as deacons. Jim Nicholson, was invited to move from Jordan to become the first full-time preacher in 1961. Sister Pysher donated a lot adjoining the building and a house for the preacher was erected by Clarence Spiece in 1963.
In 1962 there were 60 baptized believers in the congregation plus 31 children and the average contribution per week was $153.15. Nicholson continued his ministry at Tintern until August of 1964 and was followed by various fill-in speakers until June of the next year. Marvin MacDonald, did the preaching from June 1965 until June 1968 followed by Brian Boden, from September 1968 until August 1969. Louis Pauls came as a full-time minister and worked with the congregation from September 1969 to October 1978.
This was a period of stability and growth and the building was further enlarged by the addition of the “wings” on the front and a baptistery on the back in 1970. Then, miscellaneous speakers filled in until Steve May came in July 1979. Steve worked with the congregation until November 1994 during which time the congregation embarked on ambitions plans to build a brand new building. Ground was broken on September 11, 1988 and we met in the new building for the first time on May 7th, 1989.
Jim and Kathy Holston ministered to the congregation from October 1996 until April 2007. Noel Walker began full-time ministry at Tintern in July 2005 until the present.
Long-time member Eugene Perry prepared a more thorough investigation of the history of the Tintern Church of Christ that was presented at the grand opening of the new building May 7th 1989. It can be downloaded here.
