History of Union Church

The congregation of Union church began worshipping together more than 190 years ago.

Our Roots

In 1820, a little group of people gathered for a religious service in the log house of David Burgess on the 2^nd Concession of Yarmouth, thus forming the nucleus of the first Methodist Church in Union.  It was the days of the saddle-bag preacher of pioneer times. The preacher was Mr John Ryerson, an older brother of Egerton Ryerson. 

For many years the Burgess home was regularly opened for meetings.  Later they were held in a school house a mile north.  As Union was becoming a trading and business centre, the Methodists decided to make it their religious centre as well.

The first Methodist Church was built on the east side of the road, part way up the hill, near where the church stands today.  It was a frame building near the road.  In 1850, 1 ½ arces were purchased for the church and burial purposes and the church building was moved to this site and a porch was added.

As time went on, the church building was found inadequate, so early in 1876 a meeting was called to consider erecting a new one within sight of the Village at the top of the hill. On May 1877, the corner stone was laid for a new Methodist church building.

Becoming United

In 1925 the United Church was born through a merger of the Methodist, Congregational, Local Union Churches, and 70% of the Presbyterians. The official event took place in Toronto, but the effects were felt across the country as communities bonded together under a new national church.

Community Grows Closer Through Tragedy

The third church building burned in 1948, but the bonds of community held strong. A new church building was erected on the same property only months later, thanks in large part to the number of volunteers who spent tireless hours working to complete it. This is the church where we worship today. 

 

 

Beginning with the David Burgess home, the Union congregation has occupied four buildings to date, but has never lost its roots as a family and community. Today we gather to celebrate that a Church is not just a building where worship is held, but is composed of all the people who come together in common cause to worship together and to maintain a centre for community service.