Mission Church Undergoing Repairs
Michigan’s Oldest Standing Church Renovated on Island
By Karen Gould

Undergoing a facelift that includes new stairs and roof, the $50,000 renovation project at Mission Church will help preserve the state’s oldest standing church building. The church is now owned by Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Mission Church is Michigan’s oldest standing church building, and under the direction of Mackinac State Historic Parks, the 176-year-old structure is in the final stages of a repair and restoration project started last fall. The project is funded by a $50,000 donation from West Bluff cottagers John and Penny Barr and includes painting the basement, roof replacement, masonry repairs, and new front steps. A fence was moved from the front yard making it possible for wedding parties to gather on the lawn rather than on the street. A staging area for weddings also is being set up in the basement.

“The Barrs’ are maintaining a tradition that began in the 1890s when Mission Church was the subject of the first organized restoration effort on Mackinac Island,” said Chief Curator Steve Brisson.

The church became the property of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission in 1968, and a few years later the Commission began an extensive restoration program. Repairs were made to the stone foundation, rooms were restored in the basement, and a water drainage problem was corrected.

In the 1980s, restoration work was completed on the church’s tower, steeple, and belfry. By 1986, with donations from Mackinac Associates, plaster was repaired and interior walls, ceilings, and pews were painted.

Mr. and Mrs. Barr are members of Mackinac Associates, which raises money for park programs, especially educational outreach programs at schools around the state.

The church, which seats up to 160 people, is recognized as a Michigan Historic Site. It was built in 1829 to house the Presbyterian congregation led by the Reverend William Ferry. Reverend Ferry and his wife, Amanda, also started a mission school on the Island, housing students from around the Great Lakes region. The mission closed in 1837 and Reverend Ferry and his wife settled an area that is now the Village of Ferrysburg in Ottawa County.

Mission Church no longer houses an active congregation, but it is open to visitors and available for weddings.