Trinity United Church - Merritt, BC
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 50° 06.667 W 120° 47.502
10U E 657890 N 5553320
The Presbyterians in Merritt had, shortly after the turn of the century, met for years in various locations in the town. In 1908, land for a church was bought for $400. By November of 1910 the congregation had a church.
Waymark Code: WMMEK1
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 09/09/2014
Views: 1
Trinity United Church
In 1908, [Reverend W. J.] Kidd saw that land for a church was purchased from William Voght, for the sum of $400. A deed was then made out to five gentlemen who would act as trustees: G.B. Armstrong, Isaac Eastwood, Alexander J. Gordon, Phillip McLean, and the seller,
William Voght.
A contract for the building was let to Phillip McLean in 1910, and by November of that year, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church was erect and habitable. Opening services were held on the first Sunday of December, with the Rev. George Murray of Nicola and the resident pastor, Rev. Kidd, conducting services. In 1921 the last payment was
made on the mortgage and the property was clear of debt.
Around that time, William Voght, who has been called the father of Presbyterianism in Merritt, presented the church with a stained glass
window, in memory of his wife, which was placed in the south end of the church overlooking Voght’s farm residence a block south.
Soon, a Sunday school room was added to the church, and then a manse on the adjoining lot. The church was left with a debt of $1,500 when the manse was finished, and by 1922, that debt had grown to $1,800. Church organizations worked hard thereafter to pay off the bills, and soon they were able to paint the church and manse, and fit the church with a badly-needed furnace.
In 1925, an event occurred across Canada that would profoundly affect the Merritt Presbyterian church. Four Protestant denominations, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Congregational Union, and from Saskatchewan the Association of Local Union Churches, were merged and the United Church of Canada was formed.
Therefore, on June 5, 1927, the former Presbyterian Church of Merritt became Trinity United Church, and some 80 years later, this historic building and congregation continues to thrive.
In 1923, Rev. W.R. Brown published a booklet describing the earliest years of the Presbyterian Church in Merritt; fifty cents from the sale of each booklet went to pay the church’s debt. Near the end of this short publication are these words about the church. “Its bond of union is not organization, but sympathy, and it knows no law, but the law of love.” Today, Rev. Brown’s heartfelt words continue to define the community and spiritual response of this important Merritt church.
From Gold Trail Dot Com, Pages 93, 94
BIBLIOGRAPHY & SOURCES
Brown, Rev. W.R. (1923). St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Souvenir Book, marking the thirteenth anniversary of the opening
of the church. Merritt, BC: Self.
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 11/01/1910
Age of Church building determined by?: Historical Society
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 10:00 AM
Street address of Church: 1899 Quilchena Avenue Merritt, BC Canada V1K 1B8
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Not listed
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed
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