He played a leading role in responding to the request of St Andrew's for more missionaries to expand the Presbyterian church in British Columbia. He later served as Minister at the historic Blackfriars Church in Glasgow and as head of the Colonial Committee of the Church of Scotland. After arriving in Scotland, he accepted a call from St David's Kirkintilloch and chose to remain in Scotland for the remainder of his life. Somerville obtained permission for a trip to Scotland for the purpose of soliciting additional funds to eliminate the outstanding debt on the new church. In 1872 Weekes was ordained and became the first full time minister at Friday Harbour.Īt the time of the laying of the cornerstone for the new St Andrew's Church in August 1868, Mr Somerville was also the Grand Chaplain of the Masonic Lodge and the ceremony followed the traditions of the Masonic Order. When a new licentiate, Thomas J Weekes arrived in Victoria from San Francisco, Somerville encouraged him to take up work in the San Juan Islands. He regularly conducted services at Friday Harbour on the San Juan Islands during the period of the boundary dispute with the United States often referred to as "the Pig War". In 1868 he spent much of the summer on a mission trip to the Cariboo region (2). On the island, he preached at Cowichan, Nanaimo, Comox and Alberni (2). Somerville took a broadly missionary view of his role in the colony and constantly sought to expand the reach of the Presbyterian Church. Somerville resigned from First Presbyterian Church to establish a new congregation to be named St Andrew's Presbyterian Church. After some months of discussion and consultation with the Colonial Committee of the Church, Mr. Somerville was alarmed by this action and saw it as at odds with his understanding of the Presbyterian form of church government. This action was taken without consulting the congregation. At a meeting of the congregation in February 1866 it was revealed that three members of the congregation who had held the title to the church building in fee simple had established a trust giving themselves extensive powers over doctrine, discipline and the minister. Unfortunately the agreement to amalgamate soon began to unravel. In the early months, the joint congregation prospered under Mr Somerville's services. In May 1865 the Reverend Thomas Somerville, the Assistant Minister of St James Church Glasgow accepted the call by First Presbyterian Church, Victoria. The Irish and Scottish Churches agreed that since the largest number of colonists were of Scottish descent, the Church of Scotland should take the lead. With the departure of Hall for New Zealand and Nimmo for Canada in 1865, it became obvious that the two congregations would be more effective if amalgamated. A second congregation was established that same year by the Reverand James Nimmo of Church of Scotland. By November 1863 a new church had been constructed. First Presbyterian Church was established in 1861 by the Reverend John Hall, a missionary from the church in Ireland. John Thomas Somerville please visit our Sympathy Store.In the early 1860's there were two Presbyterian missions in Victoria. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. Visitation will be held from 4:00 Pm to 8:00 PM Friday and from 9:00 AM until service time Saturday at Gilbert Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Municipal Cemetery in White House, TN. Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Saturday, Apat Gilbert Funeral Home with Bro Terrell Somerville officiating. He liked hunting, fishing, canoeing the Caney Fork and cookouts with family and friends. John always had a smile on his face and loved to have a good time and make everyone around him laugh. A graduate of East Robertson High School class of 1977, he worked as a fitter and foreman for almost every fire protection specialist company in Tennessee. John was preceded in death by his mother, Lora Pauline Searcy Somerville. A sister, Beverly Hodges of Georgia and a grandson, Dayton Somerville of Cross Plains, TN. Two brothers, Jeff Somerville (Kathy) and Harold Searcy (Jo) both of Portland, TN. Two sons, Jarrett Somerville (Sinisha) of Cross Plains, TN and Jamie Somerville of Portland, TN. Somerville is survived by his father, John Somerville of Portland, TN. Somerville was born Januin Sumner County, TN. John Thomas Somerville, age 59 of Portland, TN passed away Sunday, Apat Levine Dickson Hospice House in Huntersville, NC.
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