In 1914 this impressive stone church was begun to replace their razed building. The cornerstone was laid on July 8, 1914 and St. Paul's Presbyterian was dedicated in 1915. In 1923, the Methodists joined the congregation, two years before
Church Union in Canada joined the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational congregations in Canada. The Methodist church was St. Stephen, while the Presbyterian Church was St. Paul. The resultant United Church was, naturally, St. Paul and St. Stephen.
The six-church Orchard Valley Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada was formed in July 2012. Shortly after, all six churches combined to one congregation of about 200, using the New Minas United Church. This church had been for sale from at least 2013 and, when we visited in 2015 it was still for sale.
A
CBC News Story, published on August 22, 2016, informs us that the
town's library is being demolished to make way for a new bridge over the river and has decided to take over the church. We assume this to be the Cornwallis River. As of now, January, 2017 the library is in temporary quarters in the basement while the renovations upstairs, their next permanent home, are being completed.
Following is a bit of the history of the building, from the Town of Kentville.
The United Church of St. Paul
and St. Stephen
The United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen is another of the few stone churches left in the area.
Before 1923 the Methodists and Presbyterians had separate churches. St. Paul was the Presbyterian church and St. Stephen was the Methodist church. In 1912 the old Presbyterian church was sold and razed to make room for a Royal Bank of Canada. From that time until the new church was built, services were combined with the Methodists, using the Methodist Church on an alternating basis.
In 1914 a new stone Presbyterian Church was built on Main Street and dedicated in 1915. When the Methodists and Presbyterians joined in 1923, the new church became the place of worship, and was named the United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen. The old Methodist church was set apart for a church hall. Later the church hall was used as a commercial enterprise and finally it was demolished.
In 1925 Rev. A. A. MacLeod became minister of the new church. Under his guidance the two bodies became more closely united in a spirit of unity and fellowship.
On January 11, 1940, there was a fire in which the auditorium was extensively damaged. For a few months services were held in the Capital Theatre while the church was substantially altered. In 1952 a church hall was under construction, and was completed in 1954. A few years later an extension was made at the back providing extra classrooms.
From the Town of Kentville