“An independent Church of England - a strange sort of church indeed.” - The Rev. William Smith
Old St. Paul’s was founded out of controversy at Christ’s Church over an evangelical clergyman who shared similar beliefs with Whitefield. William Macclenachan was a dynamic preacher who won the affection of many members of Christ’s Church, but not the senior clergy. A secession unfolded resulting in the founding of Old St. Paul’s Church with Mcclenachan as rector. In 1761, they built the largest Anglican church in the city. Innovative worship with extemporaneous prayers and hour-long sermons defined the parish as outside the mold of a normal Church of England parish.
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