St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church stands at the corner of Church Street East and Union Street in downtown Brampton, a Gothic church of rusticated two-toned Credit Valley stone with a massive square steeple at its south-west corner. The city’s heritage designation by-law of 1989 records that Presbyterians were meeting in homes around Brampton as early as 1823, called the Reverend James Pringle in 1848 and opened a brick church on Church Street in October 1849. The present church, designed by the Toronto firm of Gordon and Helliwell, had its cornerstone laid on 1 July 1880 and was dedicated on 9 October 1881. Its sanctuary follows the Akron Plan, with the pews and the gallery set in a semicircle.

The traditional service is at half past ten on Sunday morning and is livestreamed. In the afternoon a South-East Asian service, led by the Reverend Babar Allahditta, gathers Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi speakers, whom the church welcomes as full members of the congregation.

What to expect

The morning service follows the printed bulletin, with responsive readings in bold, hymns, a choir anthem and the Apostles' Creed. Children are invited to their Sunday School classes early in the service, a staffed nursery is open for infants and toddlers, and coffee fellowship follows. The church notes that it is a scent-free zone.

What Presbyterians believe and how they worship