Our Proud History

In 1971, The Peoples Church, Toronto, under the leadership of Dr. Paul B. Smith, established an educational ministry, The Peoples Christian School, which later had two divisions: The Oswald J. Smith Elementary School (OJSE) and The Paul B. Smith Academy (PBSA). Oswald J. Smith (Nov 8, 1889 - Jan 25, 1986) was a world renowned author, poet, hymn writer, preacher, editor but most notably a missionary statesman. He founded The Peoples Church in 1928 and is well beloved for his passion for souls and his dependence upon God.

In1995, the two divisions were integrated under the name of Peoples Christian Academy (PCA). In 2008, Peoples Christian Academy became separately incorporated as a charitable organization and now operates under the name, PCA Inc. The newly elected Board is chosen from among the membership, which consists of PCA parents and alumni.

Today,Peoples Christian Academy is a dynamic, forward-thinking educational institution that takes pride in the knowledge that our students are high achievers academically and grounded spiritually in the Christian faith and in service to God.

PCA’s Founders, Oswald J. and Paul B. Smith

Oswald J. Smith,the eldest of ten children, was born near Odessa, Ontario on November8, 1889. He accepted Christ on January 8, 1906, at age 16 and began preaching in 1908.

Seized with a desire to spread the gospel, he applied (unsuccessfully) for overseas missions at the age of nineteen.Though frail and plagued with ill health, he began his earliest ministry in the backwoods of British Columbia where he ministered a number of years with the Shanty men organization.

The passion for global missions strongly influenced his life’s work. Though he never became a career missionary, he has been instrumental, through his ministry at The Peoples Church and his missionary travels, in supporting literally hundreds of missionaries and missions projects worldwide.

He founded The Peoples Church in 1928 which has become known as one of the greatest missionary churches in the world.The church became a base of operation for the carrying out of his vision for world evangelism.

In 1931 The Peoples Church was incorporated with the Government of Canada.  Dr. Smith’s vision for the church was broadly stated in the official charter and included Christian Education. It was not until forty years later, in September of 1971, that this part of his vision was realized with the establishing of Peoples Christian Academy.

It was Oswald’s son and successor, Paul B. Smith,who was instrumental in launching the school. By the late sixties and early seventies there was a growing concern among many Christian leaders about the moral drift and anti-biblical philosophy in our public school systems. Paul B. Smith gathered the support of his board and congregation and took a leap of faith. The Peoples Church, through its charter, already had secured the right to operate a school. So in 1971 the church launched Peoples Christian Academy, "a place where the quality of learning and student activity would be as good as, if not better than, the public schools."

Through the years thousands of students have been taught by Christian teachers in a Christian environment, where the principles of God’s Word have been given first place. Like the church, PCA has been a place where the cause of global missions has been uppermost. Many graduates have become vested in promoting the gospel of Christ around the world. This global consciousness remains a core value of PCA today.