This material has been copied from a brochure called Service of Dedication The Rev T. H. B. Somers Memorial Chapel January 21, 1968 – the original is located at the Kirk of Saint James, Charlottetown, PEI
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| REVEREND T. H. B. SOMERS, M.A., S.T.M., D.D. 1907 - 1965 photo - the Kirk of Saint James |
THE REVEREND T. H. B. SOMERS, M.A., S.T.M., D.D. 1907 - 1965
Thomas Henry Bussell Somers was born and raised in Toronto,
Ontario, was educated in its public school system and University, attaining the
degree of Master of Arts, after which he pursued the Theological course in Knox
College, graduating with a surpassing record in 1939. Upon graduation he was
awarded the Travelling Scholarship, which took him to Union Theological
Seminary, where the degree of Master of Sacred Theology was conferred upon him
in 1941. Ordained in Vancouver on May 4, 1939, Mr. Somers served in the
Presbytery of Westminister for one year before proceeding to Union Seminary.
Then in 1941 he took up his ministry in the Kirk of St. James in Charlottetown,
a ministry that was to last for almost twenty-four years. During this time his
gifts as a scholar, preacher and pastor were recognized not only by the
congregation and community he served, but throughout this Province and the
National Church. He was Moderator of the Presbytery of P. E. I. in 1945 and of
the Synod of the Maritime Provinces in 1947. He also served as Presbytery Clerk
since. 1945. But above and beyond all these, his great service to the Church
was his contribution to the New Book of
Common Order, which appeared for use in 1964. For eight years he laboured
diligently with other outstanding men of the Church, and from his depth of
historical and liturgical understanding made a contribution of unsurpassed
worth to the Book. Many of its best pages come from his hand, and when used by
us in worship, his intellect and faith will continue to minister to Christ's
people. Mr. Somers was deeply involved in groups and activities which ranged
far beyond the boundaries of this denomination. He was a Chaplain in the
R.C.A.F., President of the P.E.I. District of the Canadian Bible Society, and honorary
life governor of the British and Foreign Bible Society, a Director of the
Charlotte-town Rotary Club, the Protestant Family Service Bureau, the P.E.I.
United Appeal, the Provincial Rehabilitation Council, and the P.E.I.
Tuberculosis League.
In April 1965, when presenting his name to the Principal of
Knox College as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Divinity (Honours
Causa), Professor David Hay said: "It is a matter of pride and joy to this
College that in Mr. Somers we have had an alumnus in whose person the
Presbyterian Church in Canada has received an enhanced repute throughout the
Maritime Provinces and beyond, and still more that in him a gifted personality
has been offered to the service of the Cross."
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to honour the memory of
one who served this congregation as its pastor with faithful diligence,
together with many others whose lives have enriched the ministry of Christ in
this place. Having served the Church Visible, they now serve the Church
Invisible, and we who are left to carry on their purposes here, honour their
memory and give thanks for the privilege of having known them. In erecting
this, the Dr. T. H. B. Somers Memorial Chapel, it is our intention to
perpetuate their memory, and at the same time, in their name, further the
beauty of this sanctuary and add to the facilities for its ministration.
May all who come into this Chapel therefore, recall with
gratitude the lives of those in whose memory it is erected. May they know that
they [are] in the presence of men and women of deep spiritual insight and loyal
faith, who serve Almighty God in their generation with glad devotion. And may
all who enter herein give to him who is King and Head of the Church the praise
which is most proper to His name.
* * *
The Dr. T. H. B. Somers Memorial Chapel is erected by the
Congregation in loving memory of a faithful and devoted Minister, and as a
repository for tributes to other men and women who have worshipped here. The
Book of Remembrance is inscribed with these names, together with the names of
those who donated the memorial gifts. From this time forward all memorials will
be recorded in like manner, wherever the gift may be located in the sanctuary.
We bid a warm and cordial welcome to the Reverend Gordon
Taylor who is sharing in the Service of Dedication this morning. No stranger to
our Congregation, Mr. Taylor ministered here for some months during the illness
of the late Dr. Somers, and in that time endeared himself to our people. We are
grateful to him for making the trip to be with us at this time, and for his
ministry of preaching.
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