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| ..SundayService at 10:30 am ........................... ............................Rev. Catherine MacDonald email |
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Grove Presbyterian Church Grove Presbyterian Church opened for worship on October 13, 1872. Previously, in 1873, a hall had been built near Duffus Street. It was used as a school for a time, and also as a place for Presbyterians to worship, and occasionally other denominations. The Grove Church was subsequently built nearby. Two wings were added in 1894 and on April 10, 1910, a new hall was opened. From time to time improvements were made to the church, the last being in 1915 when new seats and a pipe organ were installed. New lighting fixtures and hardwood floors gave the church a very attractive appearance. Rev. C. J. Crowdis was minister here at the time of the explosion on December 6, 1917.
Tar Paper Church Within a few days after the great disaster, the survivors began to consider plans for the future. A place of worship had a high priority as many had secured temporary accommodation for themselves. Prior to this, a move was afoot to unite the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Some local churchmen now looked upon the Richmond situation as an opportunity to try out church union. These men agreed to set up a place for worship for members of the Kaye Street and Grove churches if such members were willing to come together for the purpose of worship. Thus a temporary church, known as the Tar Paper Church was built. It was placed near the east end of the park area located on the west side of Gottingen Street and north of Kaye Street, in front of the now Hydrostone area. It was known at first as Kaye-Grove Church. The first service of worship was held here on March 17, 1918, just 100 days after the explosion. Rev. C. J. Crowdis referred to this day as a day I will never forget, perhaps one of the happiest in our whole congregational experience. This building was the first place of worship erected in the devastated area. It served as a home church not only for the Kaye-Grove members, but also for Anglicans. Some Roman Catholics also met there until their place of worship was opened.
The history of United Memorial Church is a story of the community in which it grew and exists. It not only reflects the events around it, but has been a living mirror of its people and their lives. Born of Methodist and Presbyterian parents when the community was developing, it grew with Richmond until the devastating Explosion of 1917. Though torn and maimed as were its people, it rose again, strengthened by its united foundations. The two parent congregations lost approximately 250 members. The two strains of church life ran side by side very smoothly. By 1919 the war was over and people were returning to the devastated area. The congregation members were enthused, and co-operation almost unconsciously turned into union. At a meeting on June 9, 1920 it was decided to recognize this fact by changing the name of the church from Kaye-Grove Church to United Memorial Church. The harmony that prevailed between the two church groups caused their thinking to be directed to the need for a new building to replace the temporary Tar Paper Church. An architect, A. R. Cobb, prepared a plan for a new structure early in 1919, and the present site of United Memorial Church was chosen. This had previously been the site of the Kaye Street Methodist Church. The cornerstone was laid on June 20, 1920, and on January 9, 1921 the congregation gathered in the basement of the new building for worship. The sanctuary was ready in September of the same year, and the first services were held on the 18th. United Memorial suffered with its people through the Depression years and in World War II served as a church home to members of the Royal Canadian Navy. Nurtured by the sacrifice and faith of its people, the church has overcome more than its share of obstacles, and today stands as a living memorial to former members and a source of strength and inspiration to those who now form its family. United Memorial is a member of the United Church of Canada, but its story is itself one of union. The force of the Explosion leveled the existing structures, but then served to mold the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations into one. Thus, union came to this church seven years before the present bodies merged on the national level.
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