St. James United Church (Vancouver, B.C.)

At a meeting in 1912, the First Congregational Church in Vancouver decided to extend the work of their church into some outlying area of Vancouver. A building committee was formed for a church on property at 2627 Trafalgar Road. Due to financial difficulties, the church was temporarily closed in 1916, but re-opened in 1920 with financial assistance from parent churches. Kitsilano Union Church opened its doors on May 16, 1920 for its first service. The Congregation agreed to join the United Church in January 1925 and the name was changed to Trafalgar Road United Church. It was decided to move the church after Kitsilano High School was being built across the streeet. A lot was purchased at 10th Avenue and Trutch and the last services on Trafalgar Road were held on March 25, 1928. The opening services at the new location at 10th Avenue and Trutch were held on June 17, 1928 and the name of the church was changed to St. James United Church. In 1951, St. James Church became fully self-supporting and expansion plans became necessary. It was decided to expand northwards to 10th Avenue. Dedication of this new church took place on February 10th, 1955. The church continued to grow during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1990, St. James Church endorsed the amalgamation of St. James and Kitsilano United Church into one pastoral charge of Trinity United Church. The service of amalgamation was held on June 14, 1992. Services continued to be held at both churches until April 1993, when the centre of the charge was determined to be at 2nd and Larch Streets at the former Kitsilano church building. It was agreed in 1994 to lease the property of the former St. James Church to a non-profit society to manage and operate the land as a multi-purpose community space known as St. James Community Square.

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Created January 21, 2015

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