Courtesy
The Lennoxville United Church in the 1920s

Local United Churches to mark centennial with pride and reflection

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

As the United Church of Canada turns 100 in 2025, congregations across the country—and in the Eastern Townships—are reflecting on a century of faith, service, and transformation. Locally, the St. Francis area churches will mark the anniversary with a regional celebration on Sunday, June 1 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s United Church in Magog, featuring a mass choir, the participation of eight area ministers, and a sermon by well-known broadcaster Royal Orr. The service will be followed by a potluck lunch open to all.

Rev. Ron Coughlin, a minister of Lennoxville United Church, discussed the history and significance of the anniversary in a recent interview. “We’re expecting about 150 people,” he said. “All 12 churches in our cluster are contributing—each bringing something for the table.” The event, organized by the St. Francis area United Churches, is one of several commemorations taking place across the country this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the United Church of Canada’s founding.

The national church was created in 1925 through the union of the Methodist Church, the Congregational Union, and a majority of congregations from the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Coughlin described the years of theological and political negotiation that led to the formation of what would become the country’s largest Protestant denomination.

“There was a lot of debate, especially in the Presbyterian Church,” he said. “Some thought it was the work of God, others called it the work of the devil.” While the Methodists and Congregationalists opted to enter the union as entire denominations if a majority approved, the Presbyterians left the decision up to each local church, mission, school, and hospital. “That’s why about a third of Presbyterian churches stayed out, and the Presbyterian Church in Canada still exists,” Coughlin explained.

A key figure in the political negotiations was Willis Keith Baldwin, then Member of Parliament for Stanstead. Archival material shared with The Record through Coughlin from Baldwin’s grandson, Keith Baldwin II—now 102 and living at the Wales Home—includes excerpts from a speech the elder Baldwin gave in the House of Commons on June 26, 1924. The address was part of the debate leading to the adoption of the bill that would legally enable the formation of the United Church.

In his speech, Baldwin defended the proposed church union not merely as a procedural change, but as a moral and spiritual imperative. “We are laying the foundations of one of the greatest countries on earth,” he said. “This church union movement is something that will promote the unity of our people.” He went on to describe the decision as one made in anguish, likening the emotional struggle of the church leaders to Christ’s torment in the Garden of Gethsemane. “God help the churches unless there is a real spirit of unity abroad,” Baldwin warned.

According to family accounts and a 1976 thesis written by Dean Moffat at Bishop’s University—also provided to The Record—Baldwin’s speech was instrumental in influencing several undecided French Canadian MPs. “The story we have been told is that W.K. Baldwin… lobbied his fellow members from Quebec to vote in favour of the bill. The bill passed and the United Church of Canada was born in the year 1925,” Baldwin II wrote in a letter included with the historical documents.

The union was formalized at a service held at Mutual Street Arena in Toronto in 1925. Coughlin noted that delegates to the inaugural General Council signed the “Basis of Union,” a foundational governance document for the new denomination. “There are 20 pages of signatures in this book,” he said, adding that he had shared images of the first page showing the leaders of the merging denominations.

Lennoxville United Church, where Coughlin currently serves, is celebrating its own milestone this year: its 150th anniversary. The congregation first gathered on July 3, 1875, in the home of William McCurdy, as the church building on Queen Street was still under construction. Minutes from that initial meeting, which Coughlin shared, show the original board was made up almost entirely of McCurdy family members.

The church has seen many changes over the years, including the installation of memorial stained glass windows in 1920 and their restoration after damage from a 1954 explosion at Beck Press. “They were repaired or replaced the following year at a cost of $7,099,” Coughlin said. “Those are the same windows people admire when they visit today.”

Asked about the direction of the church today, Coughlin acknowledged the challenges facing mainline Protestant denominations. “Over the last ten years, we’ve closed one congregation every week across the country—about 50 a year,” he said. “In the Townships alone, churches in Hatley, North Hatley, Stanstead, and Cookshire have either closed or merged with nearby congregations.”

Despite these closures, Coughlin noted that financial support remains strong. “There’s actually a little more money coming in every year from congregations,” he said, attributing the continued donations to the loyalty of older members.

The United Church of Canada has also been known for its progressive theological stance. In 1936, it became the first denomination in North America to ordain a woman. In 1988, it made headlines again by welcoming LGBTQ2S+ individuals into ordained ministry. “We’re a very liberal church,” Coughlin said. “And we’re proud of that.”

In the 1960s, the church launched the “New Curriculum,” a national education initiative intended to modernize the way Christianity was taught and to better integrate science and faith. “It began to take the Bible… not literally, but seriously,” Coughlin said, adding that the new materials were produced for Sunday schools and adult study groups. “We began teaching that God didn’t create the world in seven days,” he explained. “We interpret the Bible in terms of metaphors and poetics… not only myths, but truths that aren’t literal.”

Coughlin emphasized that the United Church has always encouraged flexibility and compromise in pursuit of unity. “We all have to compromise, to give up something for the union to work,” he said, echoing the sentiments expressed in the first sermon preached at the 1925 union service.

With both a proud past and uncertain future, the June 1 celebration in Magog is not just about looking back – it’s about reaffirming values of inclusion, cooperation, and social relevance.