The History of St. John's Anglican Church, Tillsonburg, Ontario

St. John’s Anglican Church, Tillsonburg is located in the southern part of Oxford County.  It belongs to the Deanery of Oxford, in the Diocese of Huron. 

Tillsonburg Anglicans have worshipped in their own church since 1868, when a building in the gothic style, named St. John the Evangelist, was built at the corner of Harvey and Ridout Streets, on a site given by E.D. Tilson. The congregation met for the first time on June 7th, 1868. This building was destroyed by fire in 1870. The site was sold and the money used to buy a property on Rolph Street. A new “mission chapel” was consecrated in November 1873 as St. John’s Church, by Bishop Isaac Helmulth. It remained in use for 27 years.

In 1897, on the 30th anniversary of Confederation and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne, the congregation began planning for a new building to be located on the current site, at the corner of Bidwell and Ridout Streets. The cornerstone was laid on August 18th, 1899. The new St. John’s was in every sense a people’s church.  The ladies of the church paid $1,500 for the lot, and the parishioners carefully watched over the construction. Ultimately, the building itself cost $6,280 and the parish hall cost $1000. In celebration of the opening of their new church and parish hall, four services were held on September 23, 1900, with 1,186 attending. For 10 years, the congregation worked to pay off the mortgage on the property, and rejoiced when the building was finally consecrated and renamed as St. John’s Anglican Church, on May 1, 1910.

In 1944, it was felt that a fitting memorial to those who served in the Second World War would be the erection of a Memorial Parish Hall. A small structure, originally Rosanna Baptist Church on Potters Road, was purchased for $400, and used to connect the original parish hall with the church in 1945 as a connecting building.  In 1947 a new brick and fieldstone entrance for the church was built at a cost of $1,200.  Three Sunday School rooms were added to the side of Memorial Hall in 1956.  Among the many enhancements and additions undertaken over the years, were the relocation and renovation of the kitchen, air conditioning for summer comfort, new doors and a beautiful memorial garden which surrounds the grounds. 

The facilities at the church have been updated to enhance accessibility and changing needs. Specifically, a project completed in 2017, called Renew, Kindle the Flame, provided accessible space for worship and fellowship, adequate office space for clergy and staff, and a welcoming environment for study and Christian education. These facilities allow us to continue to be faithful to living out our vision of being a place where all people are able to gather for worship, learning, fellowship and service. 

St. John's parish originally included several other smaller churches.

St. Charles' Church, on Ostrander Road, Dereham, began as the mother church in this region.  Built in 1844, it was consecrated in 1845 by Bishop John Strachan of Toronto.  The church functioned as a Chapel of Ease until 2025 when it was deconsecrated. The Parish also included St. Stephen’s, Culloden (originally named St. Alban’s), until 2011, when it  was deconsecrated.  Members of the St. Stephens’ congregation were welcomed into the St. John’s community and have added significantly to the life of our congregation. To commemorate this development, the Lady Chapel (formerly known as  “All Souls”) was renamed “St. Stephen’s Chapel”.  The altar rail, credence table and stained glass window from the former St. Stephen’s, Culloden, are located in the chapel.