ST. THOMAS CHURCH & CHURCH of APOSTLES

The history of the Christian Church in Moose Factory goes back to 1840 with the English Wesleyan Society. At the invitation of the Hudson's Bay Company, the Reverend George Barnley (a Wesleyan Minister) made his way to Moose Factory where he stayed for eight years. Strangely, when he left the community, no replacement was sent from the Wesleyans. It was then that the employees of the Hudson's Bay Company sent a letter to an Anglican Bishop requesting that a priest be sent to them to continue the work. So on June 8, 1851, John Horden sailed to the shores of James Bay arriving at Moose Fort on August 26 of that same year.

In 1864 construction began on an Anglican Church. The building was completed in 1885 and came to be known as St. Thomas' Anglican Church. It was a truly glorious building and was now to become the new spiritual home to the Anglican population of Moose Factory. And a spiritual home it was with as many as five Services every Sunday. Using the syllabic system developed by John Evans, John Horden (who later became the first Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Moosonee) managed to translate much of the Old Testament, the Book of Common Prayer and many hymns into the Cree language. Bishop Horden was also helped by The Rev. John Saunders who in turn was helped by his daughter-in-law Edith Morrison to translate the prayer and hymn books. This made it possible for the Cree speaking people to participate in the Church Liturgy.

St. Thomas' Church has for many years served the needs of the people of Moose Factory. To this day, hymns are sung, prayers and lessons are read in the mother tongue of the Cree.

The ministry of the church is a blend of the Cree culture & lifestyle and Anglican tradition that carries with it the same vibrancy of which both began.

Church of the Apostles is  located on the mainland in Moosonee, a sister parish of St. Thomas both sharing Rev. Norm Wesley as their incumbent. We seek to engage and encourage others through a life-changing Christian journey. We strive to be a loving, friendly community that worships God, and serves others.

We place a high priority on teaching from the Bible and following the example of Jesus.

Our vision is to change and bring new life with the transforming message of Jesus Christ through words and actions. Everyone is welcome. Come as you are - we'd love to get to know you.