St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church |
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St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church in 2008
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| 49°16′53″N 123°07′36″W / 49.281250°N 123.126756°W | |
| Location | 1022 Nelson Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4S7 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Denomination | United Church of Canada |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1933 |
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church is a special church right in the heart of Vancouver. It's part of the United Church of Canada and first opened its doors in 1933. This church is famous for its beautiful design and amazing art. It went through a big renovation starting in 2019 to make it even better. Today, it holds three services each week, including a very popular jazz music service.
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Church History in Vancouver
The story of St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church began with two separate church groups: the Methodist and Presbyterian churches in the Greater Vancouver area.
Methodist Church Beginnings
On July 30, 1863, a Methodist minister named Reverend Ebeneezer Robson held the very first church service in what is now Vancouver. He preached to six men at Hastings Mill. In 1875, a Methodist church was built on Water Street for the local Indigenous workers. Sadly, this church was destroyed in the Great Vancouver Fire of 1886.
After the fire, the church was rebuilt and called the Methodist Hall. Later, the congregation moved to the Homer Street Church, built in 1889. Then, the Wesley Methodist Church was built in 1901 at Georgia and Burrard Streets.
Presbyterian Church Beginnings
Meanwhile, the local Presbyterian Church started its journey along the Fraser River south of Vancouver. Reverend Robert Jamieson traveled upriver and set up a church on Sea Island. Later, Reverend T. G. Thompson began services in Vancouver, and a Presbyterian church was built on Oppenheimer (now Cordova) Street.
This building also burned down in the Great Fire of 1886. Another church was built on the same street. As the community grew, a bigger church, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, was opened in 1890 at Georgia and Richards Streets.
Joining Together: The United Church
The Methodist and Presbyterian churches eventually joined together because of the creation of the United Church of Canada in 1925. This new church brought together Methodists, Presbyterians, and other smaller church groups.
In 1924, leaders from Wesley Methodist Church and St. Andrew's Presbyterian started talking about merging. In 1927, they voted to unite. Their first combined meeting happened in 1929. Funds from selling the Wesley Methodist church helped build the new St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church. It was built at the corner of Burrard and Nelson Streets and opened on May 26, 1933, to huge crowds. The first minister was Reverend Willard Brewing.
Church Design and Art
The church was designed by the company Twizel & Twizel. Most of the building materials came from British Columbia. It was built using strong granite from Nelson Island and stone from Haddington Island. The church has a tall tower that looks like old Gothic buildings from the 1300s. It's shaped like a cross, which is called a cruciform shape. Inside, the roof is made of wood and has a curved, vaulted design.
Stained Glass Windows
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church has the most different kinds of stained glass windows of any church in Vancouver.
- The first window was put in in 1935. It was ordered by Canada's Prime Minister, R. B. Bennett, to remember his sister.
- The artist, Duncan Dearle from London, designed the window above the altar, which shows The Sermon on the Mount. He also made ten other windows for the church.
- In 1969, the church asked a French artist named Gabriel Loire to create the east window. This window is inspired by a Bible verse, "Go Ye into all the World." It's full of deep blue colors, like stained glass from long ago.
- Loire also made six panels showing women from the Bible. He drew plans for eight more windows, with four showing stories from the Old Testament and four from the New Testament. These were installed in 1981.
- Unlike older windows made with leaded glass, Loire's windows use a stronger method called Dalle de verre.
- Other artists who designed stained glass for the church include Rupert Moore, Louise Duthie, and Lutz Haufschild.
Angel Sculptures
In the chancel (the area near the altar), there are four sculptures of angels playing music. These are called The Angelic Symphony. They show angels playing a flute, a cello, a trumpet, and cymbals, reminding people of Psalm 150 from the Bible. A sculptor named Leonard Woods created them in the late 1940s.
Restoration and Upgrades
In 2019, the church announced it would close for two years for a big restoration project. This work included making the building safer in an earthquake and putting on a new copper roof. The original plaster inside was repaired, and new stone floors and pews were installed. The organ was also fixed up. The renovations were finished in 2021. This restoration work won awards for preserving heritage buildings.
Working Towards Reconciliation
Between 1849 and 1969, the United Church of Canada and its earlier forms ran many residential schools in Canada. These schools caused a lot of harm to Indigenous children and families.
- In 1986, the church's leader, Reverend Robert Smith, apologized to Indigenous people for past wrongs.
- In 1998, the church gave a more specific apology for its part in the residential school system, and they repeated this apology in 2018.
- The United Church of Canada has had two Indigenous leaders: Reverend Stan McKay and the current leader, Carmen Lansdowne.
A Plaque's New Meaning
In 1940, St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church put up a bronze plaque for Reverend Charles Montgomery Tate. He was a missionary who helped start the Coqualeetza residential school. While he was respected by some Indigenous people and even wrote a Chinook-English dictionary, he also opposed important Indigenous traditions like the potlatch.
As a step towards reconciliation, in 2021, the church asked an Indigenous carver named Xwalacktun (Rick Harry) to redesign the plaque. Xwalacktun, from the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) nation, created a house post that includes the plaque in a respectful way. To mark this important event, the church invited Sam George, a Skwxwú7mesh elder and residential school survivor, to share his story.
Church Services and Events
In 2017, the church celebrated 25 years of its Sunday evening jazz vesper services, which are very popular. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church also holds two other services on Sundays. Besides church services, the building is often used for concerts and is a popular spot for filming TV shows and movies.
See also
