Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on contents of the fonds
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1904-2018 (Creation)
- Creator
- St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church (Vancouver, B.C.)
Physical description area
Physical description
10.6 m of textual records
481 photographs
11 architectural drawings
2 sound recordings
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church is a congregation of the United Church of Canada, a denomination formed in 1925 by the union of Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational and Local Union Churches. As the name implies, it is the successor of two congregations, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian and Wesley Methodist.
Methodist services began in Vancouver as early as 1864, when Methodist missionaries recorded as arriving in the Vancouver area in 1859. A parsonage and church was built on Water St. in 1875. A fire destroyed this church in 1886 and temporary services were held in a hall on the site of the former church. In 1887, the congregation divided into two: Princess Street and Homer Street. By 1901, it was clear that the membership had outgrown the Homer Street church and a new foundation was laid at the corner of Georgia and Burrard Streets, with the new church to be known as Wesley Methodist. Completed and dedicated by the end of 1901, Wesley Methodist is regarded as the lineal descendent of the first Methodist Church on Water Street, and the mother of many of the Methodist Churches that later sprang up in Vancouver. A Presbyterian congregation was organized in a community schoolhouse in the 1870s. First Presbyterian Church was erected on Cordova Street but was destroyed in the 1886 fire. The congregation then moved to a larger centre on the corner of Gore and Hastings Streets in 1892. The building was enlarged and re-dedicated in 1906 and after 1932 became the home of First United Church. St. Andrew’s was also mother to a number of new Presbyterian Churches in Vancouver.
First Congregational Church held its first service on April 28, 1888 in Wilson Hall on the southwest corner of Cordova and Abbott streets. The congregation was officially organized on June 17, 1888. It secured property on the corner of Richards and Georgia streets, with the new church officially opening on December 8, 1889. The congregation split away to form Central Congregational Church over the issue of pacifism, but returned to First Congregational Church in 1903. Property was purchased at the corner of Thurlow and Pendrall Streets and a new church building was opened on November 9, 1912. In 1925, First Congregational Church became a congregation of the United Church of Canada and First Congregational was amalgamated with St. John’s United Church. The First Congregational Church building was given to the continuing Presbyterian Church.
On June 10, 1925, the union of the United Church of Canada was celebrated at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Georgia and Richards, with both St. Andrew’s Presbyterian and Wesley Methodist joining union. Following church union, a joint committee of St. Andrew’s United and Wesley United Churches, along with representatives of St. John’s United Church (which included the members of First Congregational Church who had also chosen to enter union) to consider amalgamation of the churches serving the west side of Vancouver. St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church came into being as the voted union of Wesley United and St. Andrew’s United Church in June 1927.
The first services of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church were held on September 7, 1930, with morning services in St. Andrew’s church and evening services in the Wesley church, a procedure followed until December 4, 1932 (The Wesley property was sold in 1928, though it remained in use until 1933). The sale enabled the congregation to purchase a site on Burrard and Nelson streets. The “Cathedral Church of the United Church in B.C.”, St. Andrew’s-Wesley’s new building was opened on May 26, 1933, with Rev. Dr. Willard Brewing as first minister of the united congregation.
From 1976-1981, after a fire destroyed the St. John’s United Church building, St. John’s United became part of a two-point St. Andrew’s-Wesley-St. John’s pastoral charge, but the two congregations did not amalgamate. In 1981, with a new church building, St. John’s United again became an independent pastoral charge and St. Andrew’s-Wesley continued on as one of the formative congregations of the United Church in Vancouver.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records from St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and Wesley Methodist Church. Records include Baptisms, Marriage and Burial registers (1914-2018); Membership records (1925-1996); Board and Committee records (1926-2014); Women's group records (1927-2006); Youth group records (1932-1983); Records of other groups (1954-2004); Special program records (1955-2014); Sermons (2005-2009); Correspondence/subject files (1929-2003); Worship service bulletins (1925-2005); Financial and property records (1906-2003); Annual reports (1953-2010); Communications (1955-2014); Architectural records (1958-1961); Reference material (1904-2008); General publications (1913-1993); Photographs (1916-1993); Sound and moving images (1975); and Guest registers (1920-1939).
Notes area
Physical condition
Good
Immediate source of acquisition
Records were transferred from St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church directly to the Archives. Date of original transfer is not recorded; subsequent accrual dates include 1991, 1994, 2009, and 2018.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Some access restrictions apply; see file list
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
File list available
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Wesley United Church (Vancouver, B.C.) fonds
St. Andrew's United Church (Vancouver, B.C.) fonds
St. Andrew's-Wesley Church fonds, City of Vancouver Archives
Accruals
Further accruals expected
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Wesley United Church (Vancouver, BC) (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created November 19, 2013
Revised August 22, 2014
Revised February 28, 2019
Language of description
- English