Sherwood United Baptist Church
Title
Sherwood United Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by Atlantic Baptist Archives - Churches by the Sea binders, Chronicle Herald, August 3, 1957, and Rev. Ron Baxter, member of CBAC’s Baptist Historical Committee and currently (2023) the September worship leader at Sherwood Church.
Church Name
Sherwood United Baptist Church
Church Association
Lunenburg-Queens Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Lunenburg County
Address
6 Sherwood Drive, Sherwood, Lunenburg County, NS
Status
Active
Date
Built 1877
Historical Information
When driving between Chester and Windsor, one is greeted on the west side of Highway #14 by a small white Meeting House, with a cemetery, which appears to be far removed from its surrounding community. Beside the church, however, a road turns off to the westward to the half-dozen homes that are all that was left of the village of Sherwood, in 1957. However, with the coming of a new century the 1,000 acre Sherwood Golf and Country Club has been established on that historic Sherwood Road.
This church was built in the Meeting House Style. The Meeting House style was typical of Baptist and Congregational congregations around this time frame in Atlantic Canada, due to its simplistic and rather quick-to-build design. The Meeting House style is characterized by a 1 ½ storey wood-frame construction, with either one or two entranceways located on the gable end. This building would have been covered in either wooden clad boards, or cedar shakes, and had a roof covered in wooden shingles. Heating sources during this time consisted of either a wood or coal burning stove, with illumination within the building coming from either whale oil or kerosene oil lamps.
In 1877, Andrew P. Shand, a Windsor merchant, who was interested in promoting the Baptist cause, became concerned for the religious life of the people of Sherwood. Some of the folk were members of the Chester church, but most of them had no ties at all. Mr. Shand purchased the site for the church, which was already under construction.
The completed church measured 17 by 17 feet in size, and opened its central door for worship on July 29, 1877. The building was intended to be used for a school and a church, thus bringing the community together for educational and worship purposes.
The Sherwood church was affiliated with the church in Chester for the first few years. In 1889, it became a preaching point on the New Ross pastorate. The relationship continued until 1913, when the New Ross field was divided and the Sherwood Church was connected with the Waterville Baptists Church (now Upper Vaughan United Baptist Church). . In later years (1957) the church at Sherwood was connected with the Falmouth pastorate. Today it is a registered society in Nova Scotia and its Directors retain its charitable status with the Canadian Revenue Agency.
This church has many striking features with hints of Classical architectural detailing. It is rather square in shape, and only features two windows on the eaves-sides rather than three, which is more common amongst Baptist Meeting Houses in Atlantic Canada.
This church is regularly used on the third Sunday afternoon in June, July, August and September at 3:00 p.m. for a worship service and dinner (2023). A duly appointed working group arranges for the upkeep of the grounds and three buildings (church, dining hall and two compartment outhouse) and the scheduling of worship leaders and musical personnel.
Information provided by M. Allen Gibson, "Churches by the Sea," Chronicle Herald, August 3, 1957, and Rev. Ron Baxter, member of CBAC’s Baptist Historical Committee and currently (2023) the September worship leader at Sherwood Church.
This church was built in the Meeting House Style. The Meeting House style was typical of Baptist and Congregational congregations around this time frame in Atlantic Canada, due to its simplistic and rather quick-to-build design. The Meeting House style is characterized by a 1 ½ storey wood-frame construction, with either one or two entranceways located on the gable end. This building would have been covered in either wooden clad boards, or cedar shakes, and had a roof covered in wooden shingles. Heating sources during this time consisted of either a wood or coal burning stove, with illumination within the building coming from either whale oil or kerosene oil lamps.
In 1877, Andrew P. Shand, a Windsor merchant, who was interested in promoting the Baptist cause, became concerned for the religious life of the people of Sherwood. Some of the folk were members of the Chester church, but most of them had no ties at all. Mr. Shand purchased the site for the church, which was already under construction.
The completed church measured 17 by 17 feet in size, and opened its central door for worship on July 29, 1877. The building was intended to be used for a school and a church, thus bringing the community together for educational and worship purposes.
The Sherwood church was affiliated with the church in Chester for the first few years. In 1889, it became a preaching point on the New Ross pastorate. The relationship continued until 1913, when the New Ross field was divided and the Sherwood Church was connected with the Waterville Baptists Church (now Upper Vaughan United Baptist Church). . In later years (1957) the church at Sherwood was connected with the Falmouth pastorate. Today it is a registered society in Nova Scotia and its Directors retain its charitable status with the Canadian Revenue Agency.
This church has many striking features with hints of Classical architectural detailing. It is rather square in shape, and only features two windows on the eaves-sides rather than three, which is more common amongst Baptist Meeting Houses in Atlantic Canada.
This church is regularly used on the third Sunday afternoon in June, July, August and September at 3:00 p.m. for a worship service and dinner (2023). A duly appointed working group arranges for the upkeep of the grounds and three buildings (church, dining hall and two compartment outhouse) and the scheduling of worship leaders and musical personnel.
Information provided by M. Allen Gibson, "Churches by the Sea," Chronicle Herald, August 3, 1957, and Rev. Ron Baxter, member of CBAC’s Baptist Historical Committee and currently (2023) the September worship leader at Sherwood Church.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Sherwood United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 3, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/485.