The McNeills' Story | Rev. John McNeill and Helen McNeill | #30DaysofSonshine

Mrs. Helen McNeill went to Toronto City Mission’s Fresh Air Camp from 1937-1940. She passed on this legacy to her son by suggesting he work for TCM Fresh Air Camp the summer of his 10th grade. John experienced his call to ministry at camp that summer.  John served on TCM’s Board of Directors from 2012-2017.

Q: Mrs. McNeill, can you tell us how you started attending Toronto City Mission’s Fresh Air Home and a bit of your background?

Mrs. McNeill: It was in the Depression and my father was the caretaker of a Baptist church. We lived across the road from the church and there wasn’t much money in the family, as of course it was with most families. My mother volunteered at the Mission [TCM] on Spadina for many years. I remember going there with her. It was a big old red house. They were very kind and allowed us to go to camp with them every year. My mother needed that respite. She worked hard.

Q: When did you go to the Fresh Air Home?

Mrs. McNeill: I was at camp 3 or 4 years prior to being 11 (1937-1940). My mother took me and my two older siblings. I remember Miss Ivy Bunt. and Miss Robertson (she was so tall). As a little kid, these people were giants to us, not so much in height as in personality. And Wilma Watson was there. I was very impressed with the staff .

Q: What are some of your memories of the Fresh Air Home?

Mrs. McNeill: I don’t remember very much but I do remember the outside chapel. The swings were right beside it. We would be sitting there in the chapel wishing we were on the swings. We used to sing a lot. They gave the Gospel very clearly and I learned some interesting things. I remember a little ditty that we used to sing there. The verse talks about washing dishes and scrubbing fl oors but the chorus says, “I’ll do it all for Jesus, he’s done so much for me.” I can remember when I was loaded down with household chores, as a pastor’s wife, a mother of fi ve children, a part-time nurse…I would be working around the house singing “I’ll do it all for Jesus, he’s done so much for me.”

Q: How did Toronto City Mission impact your life?

Mrs. McNeill: Toronto City Mission had an impact on my life (together with many other influences: parents, a grandmother who prayed for me who I never met, a wonderful pastor, ISCF, etc.). All of those things all put together... The Lord showered me with good infl uences.

Q: John, can you tell us about your experience at the Fresh Air Home?

John McNeill: I was finishing grade 10 and mom said, “What are you doing for the summer?” I was too young to work full-time at a factory. So mom said, “What about being a counselor at the camp in Bronte?” It was a fantastic experience because I’d never been to a camp like this before. The experience really opened up my eyes. Living in Kitchener from the age of 12 on, I didn’t really know much about the children that came out of downtown Toronto and the troubles that they had. The cabin for the boys had two sides to it and in the middle there was a room for the counselors. The boys were quite loud and even destructive at times. They would scream and holler. I was kind-of frightened as a young counselor. I remember one camper girl who had some kind of a spiritual/emotional problem where she was beside herself with screaming. We, as counselors, didn’t know what to do. All we could do was pray. There was one little boy who would wrap himself up in a blanket and cry. It was a really stretching experience. It brought the counselors closer together. As counselors we were quite tight with each other. We really wanted to support each other spiritually and emotionally. Those six weeks at the TCM Fresh Air Home are what I always go back to as the reason I began to sense God’s call. It was there that I saw for myself how the Gospel of Christ changes lives. I know that the Lord used TCM to play an integral role in my development and life-long mission.

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