The United Church is 100 years Young

The 100th anniversary of The United Church of Canada will be launched with special services, locally and nationally, on June 9, 2024, and culminate with a national service on June 8, 2025. The occasion will also be recognized at the 45th General Council, to be held in July in Calgary, Alberta.

This is a year of celebration but also of lament. While honouring the good work we have done, we also name honestly our history as a denomination, acknowledge our colonial past and our role in residential schools, as well as other harms done by stances we have or have not taken collectively.

More about our history

Throughout history, the story of the Christian Church is one of division. Division between east and west, between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and subsequent divisions within Protestantism have left a legacy of separation. The United Church, established in Toronto on June 10, 1925, emerged as a beacon of hope in this fractured landscape. The Methodist Church, the Congregational Union of Canada, 70% of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the General Council of Union Churches recognized the limitations of individual efforts and chose to unite. This bold step, further solidified in 1968 with the union of the Evangelical United Brethren, marked a new era of cooperation and collaboration.

In 1944, the United Church was one of the founders of The Canadian Council of Churches, with several churches committing to work together for common cause. The United Church was also one of the initial members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1948. Two of our past Moderators have been World Council leaders, the Very Rev., the Hon. Dr. Lois Wilson and Marion Best. Our current Moderator, the Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, has also been actively involved with the WCC. General Secretary, the Rev. Michael Blair, currently serves as the Moderator of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. In addition to these ties, the United Church is part of the historic World Communion of Reformed Churches. The United Church is also a member of two ecumenical coalitions committed to changing the world, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives and the coalition of churches that form the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

(Below  )The United Church of Christ (USA) and The United Church of Canada celebrated their agreement of full communion with a worship service on October 17, 2015, at St. Andrew’s United Church in Niagara Falls, ON

The United Church of Christ (USA) and The United Church of Canada celebrated their agreement of full communion with a worship service on October 17, 2015 at St. Andrew's United Church in Niagara Falls, ON.

Between June 2024 and June 2025, online events will explore many aspects of our church’s history. Watch for more information in the Essentials emails as well as on United-Church.ca and GatheringWorship.ca.

As we mark 100 years, we delight in knowing that God has a continuing purpose for The United Church of Canada. We are changing, yes, and things are not the same as they were when we began in 1925 or when the baby boomer generation filled the churches in the 1950s and 1960s, but still, there is growth and possibility. God is not done with us yet! Our Christian voice is needed.

Let’s name where we have come from and open ourselves to God’s dream of where we are going. Watch for more information about the year of remembrance, reflection, acknowledgment and celebration.

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