By any standard, the American born but Canadian bred, Rev. Lucius Doolittle built a remarkable parsonage in the 1830’s! It is built on solid granite stone. To quote a local contractor, “It isn’t going anywhere soon.” The red brickwork is solidly in place. The crosses embedded in the original windows leave us with no doubt that this place was designed for divine purposes. History tells us that it was in his home that he dreamed of and planned for the creation of an Anglican college. His passion was to prepare priests to propagate the Gospel across Canada. Doolittle’s excellent business acumen, generosity and faith drove his dream. The dream of equipping leaders and sending them out into pioneering work came to fruition on December 9th, 1843 when the politicians gave “Bishop’s College” royal assent.

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Today, driven by the same passions for excellence in business, philanthropy and faith, the father/son team of Steve and Brian Allatt are hard at work restoring more than just a building. Their passion is also for people. The newly restored building will be returning to its original vision. The Elmwood is being reclaimed and dedicated today, October 2nd, 2010 as a place of prayer and worship, where people seek God through the power of the Holy Spirit with all their heart, soul and mind. At the same time, the house will offer a world class facility for training in Christian ministry. The dream of sending leaders out to live the Gospel and offer Kingdom solutions to our world is about to be born – born again from the heart of Doolittle’s divine destiny to be an “equipper of the saints”.

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- Chris Hornibrook