St. Matthew's United Church (Halifax, Nova Scotia) facts for kids

St. Matthew's United Church

St. Matthew's United Church is a historic church in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. It belongs to the United Church of Canada. This church started way back in 1749, the same year the city of Halifax was founded! It was a place for different groups of Protestants from New England who didn't follow the Church of England.

At first, these groups met on Sunday afternoons in St. Paul's Church, which was the Church of England's building. But by 1754, St. Matthew's got its own building at Hollis and Prince streets. Sadly, this first church building was destroyed by a fire in 1857. A new church was then built at its current spot on Barrington Street. The church also used the nearby Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) for burials.

St. Matthew's (left), 1762

When it first began, St. Matthew's was a mix of different Protestant groups. Most of them were Presbyterians from Scotland and Congregationalists from the American colonies. Over time, more and more Presbyterians joined, and they became the main group. In 1787, they decided to follow the rules of the Church of Scotland more closely. They officially joined the Church of Scotland in the 1830s and then became part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1875.

However, in 1925, the church went back to its original idea of uniting different groups. This happened when the United Church of Canada was formed. This new church brought together several major Protestant groups, including Presbyterians and Congregationalists.

Saint Matthew's Church, Barrington Street, Halifax, around 1900

Who Were Some Important People at St. Matthew's?

Many notable people have been part of St. Matthew's Church.

Ministers Who Led the Church

• Rev. George Monro Grant was a minister here from 1863 to 1877. He later became the Principal of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
• Rev. Aaron Cleveland (1751–1753)
• John Seccombe (1761–1783)
• Thomas Russell (1784–1787)
• Rev. Andrew Brown (1787–1795)
• Rev. Archibald Gray (1795–1826)
• Rev. John Scott (minister) (1826–1883)

The current Minister of Word, Sacrament, and Pastoral Care is The Rev. Elizabeth (Betsy) Hogan, who started in 2010.

Other Notable Members

• Sandford Fleming was an Elder (a church leader) during Rev. George Monro Grant's time. Sandford Fleming was a famous engineer who helped design Canada's first postage stamp and pushed for worldwide standard time zones!
• Joshua Mauger was also a notable member of the church.

In 1999, St. Matthew's celebrated its 250th anniversary! A new history book about the church was published called A sentinel on the street; St Matthew's United Church, Halifax 1749-1999.

Images for kids

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  Rev Aaron Cleveland (1751–1753)

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  Rev Andrew Brown Old College, the University of Edinburgh (1787–1795)

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  Rev Archibald Gray (1795–1826); buried in the Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

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  Rev. John Scott (minister)