This, Enderby's second Presbyterian Church, was built in 1906 when the congregation had outgrown their original wood frame building from 1890. The church was initially part of the Spallumcheen Presbyterian Congregation, which, in 1911, was divided into Enderby and Armstrong. Since 1977 the church has belonged to the Kamloops-Okanagan Presbytery.
Built of local brick, it was built sufficiently large as to serve the congregation for at least 100 years, as it is still in use. It was built with a novel steeple/bell tower which was set at a 45° angle, on the corner of the sanctuary. The church has, in the intervening years, been added to, with a manse being built in 1951 and a Christian Education Annex added in 1955.
On June 10th, 1925
Church Union in Canada became official and this became St. Andrew's United Church, now serving the previous Presbyterian and Methodist congregations of Enderby and area.
Somewhat unusual is the fact that the church has two cornerstones; the original, set at the time of construction in 1906, and a second, dated 1909. The second cornerstone is from the old Methodist Church and was relocated to this church along with the congregation when the Methodists and Presbyterians united, thereafter holding services in this church. The 1909 Methodist church was torn down sometime before church union and the cornerstone had thoughtfully been salvaged. You'll notice in the pix that the cornerstone wasn't a perfect fit and was shimmed with pieces of brick on two sides.
St. Andrews Church (1989)
[This document contains factual errors and is reprinted containing the errors. Punctuation and grammar have been edited.]
The United church resulted in the combining of the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. This act didn't take place until 1925, before that, each church was independent.
In 1866, Alexander L Fortune, who was a missionary, came to the Okanagan Valley and settled on on the Spallumcheen River. There he taught Indians on the Enderby Reservation of the Great Spirit and conducted services each Sunday with the support of Roman Catholic Priests.
The first Presbyterian Church in Enderby was built in 1890 where the laundromat is today {on the corner of Russell and George Streets) . A.L. Fortune held the very first Sunday School in almost all of Canada in that building.(sic)
During that time the Presbyterian, as well as the Methodist Church, was part of the Spallumcheen field which included Armstrong north to Sicamous. Gradually the field decreased over a period of years and Enderby got its own Minister.
The second Presbyterian Church was erected on the corner of Belvedere and Regent Streets in 1906 and was called Saint Andrews United Church(sic). It was the very first church in the valley(sic) and the approximate cost of construction was $5000.
After laying the bricks, which were made from Enderby's own Brick yard, the masons left the trowel in the wall. It is still there today. Funds for the construction of the building were raised through a combination of weekly collections and outside-of-church donations.
Since Alexander L. Fortune was very active in the Presbyterian organization, a monument was erected in 1924 in honour of his memory. It was placed in front of St. Andrews Church.
In the early 1900s Enderby's Methodist Church was slowly prospering. George Bell (who later became Enderby"s first Mayor) was a very hard worker and was a prominent member of the Methodist congregation. The first Methodist Church in Enderby was located on Cliff street. A second, larger building, made of bricks was erected next to it in 1909. Later, however, it had to be torn down due to an accumulation of water in the basement which could not be drained. Thereafter, services were held in the Drill Hall until 1925, at which time Enderby's Presbyterian and Methodist Churches joined to form St. Andrews United Church. The unification of these two faiths was supported and encouraged by the small community of Enderby...
...In 1951 the congregation built the Manse beside the St. Andrews Church. Four years later the Christian Education Annex was built.
Enderby's United Church has been around for nearly a century now, and has played a large part in the organization of the community's social gatherings. The building has gradually modernized over the years and many additions have been added. St. Andrew's United Church continues to hold services on a regular basis and will continue to do so for a long time.
Vicki Dodge, Elisa Lockhart
ALF School, 1989
From St Andrew's