Fonds PC009 - Presbyterian Church in Canada Presbytery of Quebec fonds

The Presbytery of Quebec was organized in 1875, after the Presbyterian Church in Canada was formed. The latter resulted from the merger of four Presbyterian churches in Canada: the Canada Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church of Canada in Connection with the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church in the Lower Provinces of British North America and the Presbyterian Church of the Maritime Provinces in Connection with the Church of Scotland. The Presbytery of Quebec, which is part of the Synod of Quebec and Eastern Ontario, is a court of the Church made up of a number of congregations within the quadrilateral formed by Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Rivière-du-Loup, and Lake Megantic. Over the years, congregations were established in Danville-Asbestos, East Angus, Flodden (Brompton Gore), Gould, Hampden, Inverness, Jersey Mills, Lake Megantic, Leeds, Marsboro, Melbourne, Milan, Quebec City, Richmond, Rivière-du-Loup, Scotstown, Sherbrooke, St. Sylvester, Trois-Rivières, Valcartier, Winslow, etc. In 1925, the Presbytery of Quebec lost congregations, which joined the newly formed United Church of Canada. The main functions of the Presbytery are to oversee congregations within its bounds; to designate new congregations; to elect those who bear ecclesiastical charges; to find candidates for the ministry and to certify them for ordination; to authorize calls to ministers by congregations; and to proceed to ordination and/or induction (art. 202-234) of new ministers. Prior to 1875, a Presbytery of Quebec existed. It had been organized in 1831 when a Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in Connection with the Church of Scotland was established. The Presbytery of Quebec ceased to exist in 1846, but was revived in 1856 and reorganized in 1875. The Presbytery consists of ordained ministers within the bounds (minimum of half-time basis) and one ordained elder from each congregation which has an organized session, and ministers ordained by the Presbytery for work overseas under the Life and Mission Agency.(art. 176). The moderator of the Presbytery constitutes the court and presides, opens and closes meetings with prayer, preserves order, takes votes, announces decisions, pronounces censures, signs minutes, calls meetings, and generally directs the business of the court (art. 179). The Presbytery appoints a clerk whose duty is to keep records of proceedings and transmit the same annually to the synod for review; keep an accurate roll of the members; preserve all papers belonging to the court; and give certified extracts from minutes when required (art. 181). The Presbytery appoints a treasurer to receive and disburse any moneys belonging to the court (art. 183).