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The United Church of Canada: Three Become One

The crest of the United Church of Canada.
UCC Crest		 The United Church of Canada isn't just a name; it actually was united in 1925, one denomination formed from three. (Since debate on this union began in 1899, clearly it was not a decision taken lightly.) The Methodists and Congregationalists, along with some 70 per cent of the Presbyterians in Canada, joined to create one church, in the process becoming the largest Protestant denomination in the country. This is reflected in the large number of United churches in Saint John.

The old Portland Street Methodist Church, circa 1900.
The Portland Street Methodist Church.		 The first Methodist church in Saint John was formed in 1783--a good year for churches. Stephen Humbert was among the Loyalists who landed in Saint John on that May 18th of 1783. He held his very first service the following Sunday in the house of Cynthia Ann Kelly. Local Methodists had to do without their own building until 1808, when their church was dedicated on Christmas day. Several changes of address and two catastrophic fires later, the Portland Street Methodist Church was erected in 1881.

Gaze deeply into the spinning interrogative....

Did You Know?
What was buried in the cornerstone of the Portland Street Methodist Church and managed to survive intact until its disinterment in 1970?


The pictorial answer...


The Portland Street United Church under construction, circa 1969.
 The Portland United Church under construction, late 1960s.		 The sod-turning for the new Portland United Church took place on August 17th, 1969. On June 14th, 1970, the last service was held in the old Portland United Church, with the first service in the new church taking place the following Sunday. After being stripped of such usable things as lights and doors, the old church was demolished on July 3rd. Portland United Church in 1976.
 The Portland United Church, 1976.


Astounding True Story!
On December 31st, 1969, roofer Gordon Phinney fell while working and was impaled through the chest and neck on a piece of iron reinforcement jutting out from the foundation. Other workmen cut through the iron rod with an acetylene torch; Phinney was rushed to hospital, where the three-foot length of rod was removed. Phinney survived the accident, returned to complete work on the church, and kept the rod as a souvenir!


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