Best Answer #20: (edited for brevity) was sent in by Heather Anita Rennalls:
"The church .. . is known by various names: Hawkins' Chapel, the BME Church and Park Row Community Chapel. It was built in 1888 by former Negro slaves [and] was opened on December 2, 1888. However, the movement to build the church was started in 1883 by a porter and a stonemason, George Washington and Dan Anderson, respectively. They canvassed neighbours and by 1886, had purchased lot number 1 at 257 Park Row in Woodstock, to build the 200-seat frame church.

The church was established as the British Methodist Episcopal Church (BME). Although named 'British', BME was an American based Church that was first known as the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). AME worshippers were descendants of slaves and free Negroes who found refuge in Canada. In 1852, the ‘Voice of the Fugitive’ reported that . . . the Canada District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church had 793 members with Congregations in 18 locations, including Norwich. In 1856, the AME in Canada was changed to BME due to [its members’] allegiance to Britain in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the 1837 Rebellion. Since the church in Woodstock was built after 1856, it was named the BME Church.

The first minister was the Right Reverend Walter Hawkins; hence the name Hawkins' Chapel. In 1901, Reverend R.L. Holden was the pastor; the church serviced about 75 Black families. Hawkins’ Chapel was stereotyped as being a ‘Black only’ church. But when Reverend Winston H.H. Clarke took over the church, he said ‘there are no color lines in our church; we deal with the character of the people’. However, the colour barrier was broken down when, during the church's inaugural opening in 1888, both white and black members of the community of Woodstock and vicinity were present.

In the late 1800's, the BME Church was one of the few black churches in the community. The last burial service held at the church was on January 15, 1937 for a Samuel Walter Smith, a 67-year-old, originally from Innerkip, . . . an outstanding prominent man who [had] helped to rebuild the church.

Hawkins' Chapel was closed in 1972 for six years . . . In July 1977, Reverend George Boyce took over the church and re-opened it a year later as Park Row Community Chapel. He was the first resident minister for the church in 60 years. The Reverend painted the church black and white to show that the church was open to any race; it always had a mixed congregation. During the church's re-opening on February 6, 1978, Reverend Boyce baptized K. J. Mitchell . . . of Stratford . . . the fourth generation of the family to be baptized in the church. The church that was once the centre for Blacks in Woodstock was closed permanently by 1986."