On a cool autumn Sunday afternoon, 27th of September, 2009, friends filled the twelve pews in the historic white church on the west side of highway #12 at Blue Mountain, County of Kings, Nova Scotia. In the late 1800’s a group of believers began to meet regularly in the local school house. By 1900 they had covenanted to be the Blue Mountain Baptist Church, and thanks to the conscientious financial canvassing along the #12 highway from Kentville to Chester Basin by a Practical Nurse, Miss Maggie Frail, the congregation, on June 30, 1902, dedicated their new church building to the glory of God.
Although early records are not available, oral tradition affirms that worship was at times conducted on an alternating basis by Anglican (New Ross) and Baptist (Kentville) ministers. Some of the family names associated with this church include Butler, Jones, Joudrey, Lockhart, Rogers and more.
In 1944 Rev. Freeman Fenerty, the minister at Kentville Baptist Church, intentionally visited families in Blue Mountain, and organized his Kentville churchmen to assist him in offering regular worship services at Blue Mountain and elsewhere. Attendance grew to fifty persons.
In 1952-53 Lic. Kenneth Thompson, the Assistant Pastor at Kentville Baptist, had a very active youth group at Blue Mountain. Several were baptized, and together the young people purchased a copy of Sallman’s “Head of Christ” which is still mounted on the wall at the front of the church building.
In the 1960’s, Blue Mountain was linked to the Aldershot, North and South Alton Pastorate, and in the mid’1960’s Rev. Freeman Fenerty returned from a mission in Newfoundland to be the pastor of these four churches. Vera Joudrey (Mrs. Leslie), a resident teacher at Blue Mountain, was in this era the organist at Blue Mountain. By 1969 declining attendance resulted in the closing of the Blue Mountain church building, and the remaining members attended one of the Alton churches.
In May of 1977, it was decided to repair and maintain the Blue Mountain church building. In the summer of 1979 the building was reopened and worship services at Blue Mountain were led by Pastor John Boddy. His successors continued the summer services. Pastor Freda MacDonald was responsible for the Centennial Service in 2000 when attendance spiked as people associated with a Butler Family Reunion including former PM Joe Clark, his wife Maureen, and MP Scott Brison, attended the Blue Mountain service.
There is a Cemetery Committee whose members maintain and manage the Blue Mountain Cemetery which dates back to 1876. In recent years Lloyd and Carol Bezanson have looked after the church property.
Once again the decision has been made to close the Blue Mountain Baptist Church building. The “Sing It Out” service, led on September 27, 2009 by Rev. Quincy Collins, gave descendants of the founding families, and others who have identified with the ministries at Blue Mountain, an opportunity to praise God in song, to share memories of their life at Blue Mountain, to hear pastoral tributes, to view historic photographs and documents, and to enjoy refreshments and conversation together.
-submitted by Rev. Ron Baxter
