The Fourth Avenue Methodist church had been built in 1911 and in June of 1925 became the Kamloops United Church, uniting the Methodists and Presbyterians in a single congregation. The church was used by the congregation until 1979, when it was demolished to make room for a new United Church.
This church held its first service in April of 1980. The granite date plaque of the old church was salvaged and remounted in the corner wall of the new church below an identical stone plaque created for the new building.
An Abridged History
The following timeline was extracted from the booklet:
Kamloops United Church, We Celebrate: Our Past, Our Present, Our Future by Ross Styles. 1999.
1885 Rev. James Turner held services in Kamloops. He was a Methodist missionary.
1886 First Methodist church built at Seymour and Third Avenue.
1887 First Methodist congregation formed.
1872 First recorded Presbyterian service of public worship with the first congregation formed in 1887.
1911 The Fourth Avenue Methodist Church was built at 4th and St. Paul.
1925 Church Union.
1927 The united churches of Presbyterian and Methodist chose the Fourth Avenue Methodist Church as their home location.
1953 Dr. Grafton donated 46 acre property at Shuswap Lake.
1955 First building built at the Camp Grafton site.
1961 The Christian Education Centre added to the 1911 church.
1969 Thrift Shop opened.
1979 Demolition of the 1911 church building.
1980 (April) First worship service held in the new sanctuary.
2012 The sanctuary building was redeveloped in preparation for demolition and redevelopment of the Christian Education Centre building.
2013 The Opening Ceremony was held in January.
From Kamloops United