IT has changed names, moved locations and undergone a major expansion, but its role as a centre for faith in the community has remained unchanged for 100 years.
North Lonsdale United Church plans to mark its milestone anniversary with a centennial celebration on Sunday, May 26.
"At our regular 10 o' clock service we're going to be focusing on our story," says Minister Robin Jacobson. "We'll have a special service with music from the past and present, and the future."
The morning service will be followed by lunch and tea.
In recent weeks, the congregation has been reaching out to former members, inviting them to join the celebration, mingle with old friends and browse displays of historical photographs and other memorabilia.
In addition to current congregants, Jacobson says he expects up to 70 additional guests to attend the May 26 event who have moved on to other communities, congregations or retirement homes.
When North Lonsdale United celebrated its 75th anniversary, members produced a book called The Church on the Hill, chronicling its evolution. According to the book, the church was born in 1913 inside an empty store on the corner of Lonsdale Avenue and Kings Road. Two years later, volunteers erected a small church building on East Kings Road called Bethel Methodist Church. The name was soon changed to North Lonsdale Methodist Church. It wasn't until 1925 that the church adopted its current name.
North Lonsdale United eventually outgrew its small space and, in 1950, purchased land at Lonsdale Avenue and Osborne Road. A new building was erected at the end of 1953. But it still wasn't big enough. So, in 1956, the church purchased the house next door for Sunday school classes. That house was later torn down to make way for an expansion. The building, as it stands today, was completed and dedicated on May 15, 1960.
Jacobson has been the minister since 2001. Since then he says the congregation has remained stable at around 230 to 250 people. About 170 come out on a typical Sunday morning.
The goal of the church going forward, he says, is to remain relevant in a world where Christianity doesn't have the same place it once did. "In the post-Christendom world, the church is challenged to be relevant, to actually impact people not only in terms of social work, but also in terms of people's faith journeys," Jacobson says. "People are hungry for spirituality and for meaning, but they don't want to be told what to think and what to believe."
One way the church endeavours to stay relevant is through its many social outreach programs. It hosts Tuesday night community dinners, supports First United Church on the Downtown Eastside, and runs programs for children and youth, among other things.
"The world has changed," Jacobson says, "but we try to offer a place that feels safe. It's a place of healing and being reinvigorated . . . and being able to celebrate what's right with the world."
