promotional art by Pat Martin
In 1996, the father of the National Presbyterian Museum, Rev. Dr. John A. Johnston, laughed at the thought of financial difficulties, recalled Rev. Duncan Jeffrey, a member of the museum advisory committee. At that time, $100,000 in a museum fund must have seemed sufficient. But as interest rates declined the fund generated less annual revenue, and expenses chipped away at the capital.
In 2009, Assembly Council endorsed the creation of a memorial fund to continue Johnston’s work. The museum has launched a three-year campaign to grow that fund to $300,000 – a sum that could pay the salary of a part-time curator through the interest it would generate.
“John was responsible for gathering items from many different sources, and since his untimely death [in January 2008] it’s been a matter of picking up the pieces,” said Rev. Angus Sutherland, convener of the committee on history and the museum advisory committee.
“It’s much easier for the museum to have one person in charge, and someone who can be the focal point of the ongoing operations.”
Currently, the advisory committee is responsible for museum decisions, with most on-site work done by a volunteer.
The National Presbyterian Museum is housed in St. John’s, Toronto.
When it was founded in 1996, its exhibits centred on a vast collection of communion tokens. It has since expanded with artifacts donated by missionaries, congregations and individuals. For more information, see presbyterianmuseum.ca.
Donations can be sent to national church offices designated for the John A. Johnston Memorial Fund.
