Sunday Church Feature
St. Andrew's United Church
St. Andrew's United Church at 1044 St. George's Avenue in the City of North Vancouver was built in 1912. The architects were Alexander and Brown. However, the first St. Andrew's, which at that time was a Presbyterian Church, was located on East 6th Street facing Victoria Park and built in 1904. The "new" church built in 1912 is the one we see today, a shingle-clad adaptation in the Gothic Revival style.
In 1925 the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational Churches in Canada joined together to form the United Church of Canada. The following year, 1926, two churches in North Vancouver, Sixth Street Methodist at the south west corner of St. Georges Avenue which has opened in 1910, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian joined to form St. Andrew's United Church. At the time of the union, St. Andrew's had a membership of 340 and the value of its property was $19,000. Sixth Street Methodist had a membership of 140 and the value of its property was $7,050.
In the early 1970's there was some talk of the St. Andrew's United Church being demolished and an apartment building being built on the site. The church would continue at that address, but in the street floor of the new building. This idea was never carried out.
Directly behind the church and across the lane to the north is the St. Andrew's United Education Centre. Here over the years many programs have been provided for the community. In the 1970's there was the Margaret Fulton Centre, an adult day care to give a daytime break to adult children caring for senior parents that benefited from supervision. To the east of the Church Hall is St. Andrew's Park, a children's park where in recent years an annual Teddy Bear's Picnic has been held. From the front steps of the church you can look down St. George's Avenue right to the blue waters of Burrard Inlet.
Today the inspiring church spire of St. Andrew's continues to act as a witness to the Christian Community in North Vancouver.
Reference: St. Andrew's United Church, North Vancouver, 1925-1975 a history by J.S. Terry.
Available at the North Vancouver City Library.
Photo: Taken March 2002 by SW.
