History of the United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is the largest Protestant denomination in Canada. We minister to over 2 million people in about 3,000 congregations across the country. Ours is a rich history closely entwined with the development of Canada itself.
The United Church was inaugurated on June 10, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario, when the Canadian branches of the Methodist Church, the Congregational Union, and the Presbyterian Church entered into an organic union. It was the first union of churches in the world to cross historical denominational lines.
History of Bloordale United Church
The Bloordale property came into existence as such when Bloordale United Church was founded in 1958 to serve the growing number of people moving into to the new suburban homes in this area at that time.
Initially, the Bloordale congregation met in a small temporary structure on this property. However, within a few years there was very rapid growth in membership, and a new sanctuary building was designed and constructed. The new sanctuary building was of a unique, round design, with a domed central skylight and 12 large, prefabricated wooden arches as its main structural elements. A short time later, in response to burgeoning growth of the Sunday School, a second building known as the “Christian Education Building”, was added.
Bloordale United Church flourished for over 60 years, but eventually, with changing demographic in the area, the congregation shrank markedly, and the buildings transitioned to increasing use on a rental basis by a variety of community service oriented organizations. These organizations include a seniors group, two AA and Al-Anon groups, a child-care centre, several small congregations from other denominations, Scout and Guide groups, children’s summer camp groups, an Islamic cooking school for recent immigrants from the middle east, pickup basketball nights for young people, a Polish Language elementary school, and others.
During the height of the Covid Epidemic, worship services (music and sermons), were video recorded and made available on the internet, and church council meetings were conducted on-line with the Zoom app. During this period day-to-day operational leadership of the church was provided by a four-person Executive Committee consisting of Rev.Brian McIntosh, the council chair Pat Conway-Willis, and two other council members, Julia Stavreff and Paul Rose.
In 2022, as vaccinations mitigated the severity of the Covid Epidemic in-person worship resumed, and worship service attendance gradually returned nearly to the pre-pandemic level. However, due to the diminishing numbers and increasing age of the congregants, and in view of the impending retirement of Rev. McIntosh , it was decided by the congregation to pursue amalgamation with another church in the vicinity. After discussions with a number of churches it was decided that the best fit would be with Islington United Church located on Burnhamthorpe Road. This culminated in an amalgamation agreement which was unanimously approved in June of 2024 by both congregations and by the Shining Waters Regional Council. Rev. McIntosh’s retirement and the amalgamation of the two churches came into effect on July 1, 2024.
Under the agreement, the amalgamated church continued to use the name “Islington United Church” since the Islington congregation was by far the largest of the two congregations. The Sunday worship services are now held at the Islington location under the leadership of Rev. Maya Landell and the Islington ministry team.
The Bloordale location is now called “The Bloordale Campus of Islington United Church”. Use of the Bloordale facility by the various renters and community groups continues, and is supported by the continued operation of the administrative office located in the Bloordale Sanctuary Building.
Further information about the history of Bloordale United Church can be found in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of the Bloorbeat newsletter, in an article written in 2005 by founding member Roy Nakagawa.