Centerville Baptist Church (Faith Christian Church)
Title
Centerville Baptist Church (Faith Christian Church)
Church Name
Centerville Baptist Church (Faith Christian Church)
Church Association
Shelburne Association (this church is not part of the association anymore)
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Shelburne County
Address
889 Highway 330, Centreville, Nova Scotia
Status
Alternative use
Date
Built 1862
Historical Information
Located on Highway 330 in Centreville on Cape Sable Island, NS, the Centreville Church is a local landmark. It is a large, white building with a tall steeple facing the ocean and is bounded on one side and to the back by a cemetery.
The Centreville Church is valued for its association with the history of Baptists; for Rev. Asa McGray; for its role in the community of Centreville; and for its many original features.
Rev. Asa McGray was a Free Will Baptist minister from Maine who came to Cape Sable Island in 1820. Here he established a congregation on Cape Sable Island with the assistance of Rev. Thomas Crowell. Services were held in McGray’s home for many years, which he remodelled at his own cost to accommodate his congregation. McGray served his congregation and community tirelessly and assisted in the building of bridges and schools, and often acted as a doctor and his wife a midwife. McGray died in 1843 and tof Rev. E.G. Eaton. Eaton was instrumental in the construction of the church at Centreville in 1862. At this time the church became part of the Baptist convention. Rev. McGray’s son Turner McGray donated the land on which the church was constructed.
The church faces the Atlantic Ocean and is situated in close proximity to the shore. When the steeple was added in 1903, the building quickly became a guide for local fishermen. The cemetery surrounding the church, much of which predates the church, contains the stones of many of Cape Sable Island’s earliest residents, including grantee Archelaus Smith, his wife Elizabeth and Reverend Asa McGray.
The church, which comprises elements of the Greek Revival and Gothic Revival styles, it is, a local landmark. It is no longer a Baptist Church; however, it continues to serve as a church and is known as the Faith Christian Church.
Information from Canada Historic Places.
The Centreville Church is valued for its association with the history of Baptists; for Rev. Asa McGray; for its role in the community of Centreville; and for its many original features.
Rev. Asa McGray was a Free Will Baptist minister from Maine who came to Cape Sable Island in 1820. Here he established a congregation on Cape Sable Island with the assistance of Rev. Thomas Crowell. Services were held in McGray’s home for many years, which he remodelled at his own cost to accommodate his congregation. McGray served his congregation and community tirelessly and assisted in the building of bridges and schools, and often acted as a doctor and his wife a midwife. McGray died in 1843 and tof Rev. E.G. Eaton. Eaton was instrumental in the construction of the church at Centreville in 1862. At this time the church became part of the Baptist convention. Rev. McGray’s son Turner McGray donated the land on which the church was constructed.
The church faces the Atlantic Ocean and is situated in close proximity to the shore. When the steeple was added in 1903, the building quickly became a guide for local fishermen. The cemetery surrounding the church, much of which predates the church, contains the stones of many of Cape Sable Island’s earliest residents, including grantee Archelaus Smith, his wife Elizabeth and Reverend Asa McGray.
The church, which comprises elements of the Greek Revival and Gothic Revival styles, it is, a local landmark. It is no longer a Baptist Church; however, it continues to serve as a church and is known as the Faith Christian Church.
Information from Canada Historic Places.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Centerville Baptist Church (Faith Christian Church),” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 2, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/223.