The first gathering of what would become the Knox Presbyterian Church - like the initial gathering of settlers registering their land claim in 1899 - was a humble affair, held in the CPR train station by student minister John Smith.

Over 100 homesteaders had registered their claim in that year to establish the settlement of Weyburn, and Smith was sent to them by the Student Missionary Society of Knox College in Toronto, arriving here in April to start services. The gathering of Presbyterians was organized in March of 1900 by Rev. Samuel McLean under the name of Knox Presbyterian, and the congregation met over the following five years in a variety of locations with a number of ministers and student ministers before the congregation built themselves a permanent meeting-house.

The present church was built under Rev. Robert Leslie, with the cornerstone laid in 1906 and the dedication held on March 3, 1907. The church had a seating capacity of 450 and cost the congregation $15,000 at the time, and featured two large stained glass windows which remain to this day.

Knox Church grew along with Weyburn through the years, and there were difficult periods in the first three or four decades. The first major difficulty came with the nation-wide discussions to unite the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches, which culminated in 1925 with the creation of the United Church of Canada.

A vote was taken by the Knox congregation in May of 1927, and the result was 145-101 in favour of remaining outside of the United Church. A number of families left to join Grace United Church, and the remaining families in Knox struggled to carry on. There were also struggles during the Great Depression, along with all segments of society, as money and jobs were both in short supply, followed by the Second World War when many young men and women left to serve with the armed forces.

The 1950s was a time of growth for the church, and under the leadership of Rev. Ivan Carroll in the latter years of that decade, the Knox Fellowship House was built and dedicated in November of 1960.

The church has held a strong place in the community right from the start, and has shared in much of the city's history, a fact not lost on long-time members like Weyburn historian and writer Isabelle Eaglesham, and Christena Fox, the oldest living member of the congregation today.

Isabelle has attended at Knox since she was five years old, and her father, Thomas Hilliar, played a big part in the church's early life, serving as secretary on the building committee which oversaw the construction of the present-day church building.

"I can remember going into the primary room and sitting in the little red chairs. When we got bigger, we went into the bigger rooms and the chair got bigger too, and that was something," she recalled, noting the addition of the fellowship hall was also a big effort for the church.

As a writer, Isabelle also has fondness for some of the stories that have emerged from the church's history. One of her favourites was detailed in a history book she put together for the church's 75th anniversary in 1975, in which a Ladies' Aid meeting was interrupted by a fire. To show the reserve and calm of the ladies from those early days, Isabelle recounted that as Mrs. W.A. Stinchcombe was leading the meeting, another lady, Mrs. Hughie Greig, stood up to state, as a matter of fact, "Pardon me, madam president, but I think the church is on fire."

Another story is one that Weyburn's most famous native son, W.O. Mitchell, recounted in his classic of Canadian literature, Who Has Seen The Wind, namely that of a still blowing up in the church's basement in the middle of a service.

Asked if this tale was true, Isabelle laughed and replied, "I think that's right, I think it's been established the story really happened."

The church referred to in the classic novel is Weyburn's Knox Presbyterian, confirmed Rev. John Ferrier, who marked his 20th year of serving the congregation in June of this year. He isn't sure about the still story, adding with a laugh the account has reached almost mythical proportions. He noted Mitchell quoted the words on the archway over top the pipe organ, which are still there today, as having significance to the characters in the story: "This is the House of God, and the very Gate of Heaven."

John acknowledges the congregation is smaller today than in the past, but believes the church fulfills a vital need in the community for those who consider Knox their church home.

"The congregation and I are both fairly traditional in our worship services. A lot of our people like that, but there are other people who don't find that fits their needs or is what they're looking for. We just can't be all things for all people," he said.

The century mark for any group is a significant one, said the minister, but for a church in the West to reach such a milestone has a special significance, as the building efforts were done by settlers trying to make their way on the prairies, and who weren't assured that those efforts would be fruitful ones.

Christena Fox is one of those who know of the significance of the church's presence in Weyburn, and at 89 years is the oldest living church member. She will turn 90 on New Year's Day of 2000.

This is her 70th year with Knox Presbyterian, and has seen a lot of changes down through the decades. The biggest change came when she was a little girl, when the Casavant Pipe Organ was installed, costing $7,500 at the time. The organ has had two major repairs since then, one in 1974 at a cost of $2,000, and in 1997-99 at a cost of $7,000.

"I was quite young when the organ came in. I remember the Ladies Aid saved and raised money for quite a number of years to help pay for the organ," said Christena.

"I do feel very much a part of the church, and it's very much a part of me. I just couldn't live without the church. I don't go as regularly as I used to, but I always go out for special events."

Christena taught Sunday School at Knox for many years, and many her former students are now adult members themselves or else have moved away after starting their own families. Some of her students include Jim and Charles Porter and Ruth (Sherrick) McFadden.

The centennial celebrations have been in the works for over a year and a half, said Gordon Liddle, who is co-chairing the committee along with Marlene Nedelcov.

Gordon has had an intimate look at the historic church building over the years, as he served as its main caretaker for about 25 years until an accident around four years ago, as well as serving on various of the church's committees through the 30 years he has been a member here. He feels the church's significance goes far beyond its physical walls, and sees the church's role in the community is as vital today as it was earlier.

"These people in April of 1899 thought their spiritual life was important to them. Even today, many people live on their own track, but really this was the basis of the Christian faith at work. We find a lot of people have forgotten their spiritual lives are important, and you see some people come back to the church, while others decide to vanish from the church. Thus it has always been," said Gordon. "I still say the relationship between a man and his God is important, and how we develop and fulfil that relationship can be found in our worship in church."

To mark the centennial of the church that grew from that first meeting in the CPR station, Knox Presbyterian is holding a special celebration on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2 and 3.

On Saturday, registration and fellowship will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. and the banquet will take place at 6:30 p.m., for which only advance tickets are available. The guest speaker will be Rev. Ross McMurtry.

A breakfast smorg will start off Sunday morning, again by advance ticket, with the anniversary worship service and communion to be held at 10:30 a.m. The guest preacher is Rev. Dr. Arthur Van Seters, moderator of the 125th General Assembly, the high court of the Presbyterian Church of Canada.

A potluck lunch will follow at noon, and a concert will be held in the afternoon starting at 2:30 p.m., featuring the First Presbyterian Choir from Regina, directed by Jack Partridge.