The year was 1970, and the membership of the Toronto West SDA Church had grown beyond the capacity of their sanctuary. Noting the inability to house the ever-increasing number of people who arrived each week for service, Pastor Earl Parchment spearheaded the initiative to buy a new property and start anew congregation. The search was long and arduous, but the group of visionaries soon settled on the church at 243 Perth Avenue, owned by the Perth Avenue United Church. The building was in such disrepair that agreeing to make the purchase was a huge leap of faith.

The floors were unsafe, the walls were covered with graffiti, the windows were broken, the doors were off their hinges, the roof needed repairing, the furnace was old and inadequate; the list of things that would have to be fixed before the building could be used for worship seemed endless. Yet 46 members accepted the challenge to step out in faith and do whatever was necessary to make this a place fit for worship. They, with other members who joined them, cleaned and scrubbed, painted and prayed, and managed to have an afternoon program in their new church on December 26, 1970. One week later, the church officially opened its doors on January 2nd, 1971 under the leadership of Pastor Earl Parchment.

By the end of the first quarter, the membership had grown to 72, and with the aim of evangelism and outreach, they began their first evangelistic series on April 11, 1971, with evangelist Pastor John Palmer from Jamaica. This was a huge success, with 40 people being baptized. The church continued this rapid growth, with membership increasing to 272 by the end of 1972. During this year, Pastor Richard Bacchus took over the leadership of the church, and continued in this role until 1978.

The church continued to grow during his tenure, while undergoing more extensive renovations to bring the church to the standard the members found acceptable. This decade marked rapid growth, and was a time of great sacrifice on the part of the members. The result of their dedication was that on September 23, 1978, seven years, eight months and 22 days after they purchased the building, they were able to discharge the mortgage and become debt-free. Pastor Bacchus was succeeded by Pastor Shirley Green in the summer of 1978, and by the end of 1979, the membership had grown to more than 550.

Pastor Green, who had shepherded the church into the decade of the 80s, was succeeded by Pastor Orville Parchment in 1981, followed by Pastor Ted McCleary in 1984. Pastor Steve Cassimy took the helm in 1987, and it was under his leadership that they began thinking that, like their mother church 18 years before, they had outgrown their space and the church was no longer able to comfortably seat the members and visitors who flocked in weekly. In 1990, the membership had grown to more than 800.

With membership still growing and visitors flooding the pews every week, the church, after much prayer, made the decision to take a page from their mother church and assign charter members to seed congregations in two new neighbourhoods. Thus, the Mt. Olive SDA Church and the Faith SDA Church were born.

The Mt. Olive SDA Church was started in the North Albion Collegiate Institute, a high school located at the corner of Kipling Avenue and Mt. Olive Drive. Later, the congregation moved to its current location at 1030 Albion Road. The Faith SDA church was later renamed the Hope SDA Church, now located at 280 Culford Road in Toronto.

Having sent some of its members out to evangelize new neighbourhoods, the church geared up to refill the ranks. Choirs, youth programs, children’s ministry, Adventurers, Pathfinders and street ministry programs flourished, and when Pastor Steve Cassimy turned over the leadership to Pastor Ray Llewellyn in 1996, it was a vibrant congregation with youth, eager and willing to stand for God. Pastor Llewellyn took the church through the remainder of the decade, helping to guide many through the fears and anxiety, the media propaganda and predictions of doom as we looked towards not just a new decade, but a new millennium.

From the year 2000 until now, we have seen unprecedented changes in church structure and demographics, and have been led by pastors who understood how to embrace change. The leadership of the church passed from Pastor Lewellyn to Pastor Joel Nembhard in 2001, who was followed by Pastor Theodore Sargeant in 2006.

Once again, the church attendance had exceeded its seating capacity, and surrounded by issues of an aging building and continuous parking issues, Pastor Sargeant took on the difficult task of convincing the congregation to consider relocating. He worked with the members to assess different properties, but was called to the conference before a suitable space was found. Pastor Nerval Myrie stepped into the breach on January 2nd, 2010, exactly 39 years after the church had opened its doors at 243 Perth Avenue. He led the church on a walk of faith, mimicking that taken 39 years before. The sanctuary at 243 Perth Avenue was put on the market, and the church purchased a car dealership at 220 Bethridge Road in Etobicoke, on June 15, 2010.

Once again, the church was in the grips of renovation, construction, mortgages and bylaws. It was necessary to maintain both properties while the new space was being renovated. The first Wednesday night prayer meeting was held at 220 Bethridge Road on August 11, 2010, with more than 120 members in attendance. The space was not ready for occupancy, but the members persevered and managed to turn a commercial space into an amazing worship venue. The Perth Avenue SDA Church became the Toronto Perth SDA Church, now worshipping in the new location, which was dedicated on July 5th, 2013.

Our current pastor, Pastor Eustace Williams took the helm in 2018, and it is he who has the formidable task of leading the church through all the changes required to navigate worship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Toronto Perth has always been adaptable, an attribute that lends itself to the versatility needed in these unprecedented times. Talented members have stepped up to bring us onto an online platform that allows us to provide an acceptable worship experience to our members.

As we continue to move and grow and change in these times we can look back on 50 years of service and worship, 50 years of togetherness, 50 years of sharing and caring, 50 years of growth and excellence, and say thank you to the members who sacrificed to forge the path that led to this moment. We have lost many, some from old age, some to illness, and sadly, some to COVID-19. They are gone, but not forgotten. We will be forever grateful for everyone who stepped out in faith over the last 50 years so that we can embrace this Pentecostal experience. God brought us to trials, and He brought us through trials. Again and again. And He will continue to do it again and again.

We are thankful for the legacy of those who started this journey, and it is our firm belief that we can continue this legacy so that when we are gone; 50 years from now, our children and our children’s children will be able to look back on this 50th-anniversary celebration and say, 'We too have come this far by faith.' 50 years: a legacy of faith. With God’s grace, may it continue.