1/30/11

Posthumous

Lynn Valley Methodist Church

North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

The Lynn Valley Methodist church was built in 1912 at 260 Institute Road. (REF 1 and 3.) It was on the west side of Institute Road, across the lane from Lynn Valley Elementary School. In 1927 St. Clement's Anglican Church was moved to 120 Institute Road (REF 1.) It was on the east side of Institute Road and was known as "St. Clements-by-the-brook". (REF 7.) On today's maps the site of the Methodist Church would be across the street from what is now the house at 3284 Institute Road.(REF 4.)

Lynn Valley Methodist Church was originally only one floor. Then a basement was built under it to make two functioning  floors. "The bottom floor was immediately put into use as a child/daycare centre." (REF 2.) This church is seen in the photo above. "It features triangular eaves, brackets, and unusual alternating vertical and horizontal wood siding". (REF 2.) The windows along the sides and in triplicate on either side of the entrance to the upper level were and of a Gothic type. The double set of steps leading to the upper level were a stylized feature.


In 1925 the Congregational, most Presbyterian, and the Methodist Churches in Canada united to become the United Church of Canada. At this time the Knox Presbyterian Church on Lynn Valley Road became the Lynn Valley United Church. The Lynn Valley Methodist Church congregation joined with and moved to the new Lynn Valley United Church. The Lynn Valley Methodist Church building was then used by Lynn Valley Elementary School as a gym. On the 1930 Fire Insurance Map the building is labeled as having Manual Training in the basement.

1930 Fire Insurance Map

From 1945 to 1962 the lower floor of the old Methodist Church was the home of Lynn Valley Parent Participation Playschool. When the top part was moved across Mountain Highway, "The lower 1/2 of the building became a Metal Arts School and was eventually demolished."(REF 5.) It was used as "...the manual arts branch of Queen Mary School teaching local students carpentry and house building."(REF 2.) It was also used as a community center. (REF 3.)

In 1962, according to the October 11, 1962 Citizen newspaper, the Lynn Valley Arts Guild purchased the old Methodist Church Building from the School Board for $50. And According to Clare Lakes' "History of LVPPP" it was the top half of the building that was purchased and they "...moved it across the playing field to the west side of Mt. Highway..." The Citizen said further that "to move the top floor of the church to 3355 Mountain Highway cost about $1000." The actual move took place in the spring of 1963.

In 2004 new playground equipment was donated by Home Depot for the north east corner of the new Lynn Valley Elementary School grounds. Charis Kalesnikoff, the school principal, said that when the workers were digging to install the equipment, hunks of concrete were uncovered. She wondered if these were remnants of the old Methodist Church.

RNB Dance and Theatre Arts Building 2011

The top floor of the old Lynn Valley Methodist Church remains part of the RNB Dance and Theatre Arts building at 3355 Mountain Highway. If you look on the back of the building you can still see the outline of the original church windows that lined the sides of the 1912 church.  The peaked roof and what seem to be the original top and size braces to the roof are also evident.

Demolition: Bottom half of the Lynn Valley Methodist Church, in 1963.

Available at the North Vancouver Archives

Reference 1: 1930 Fire Insurance Map.

Reference 2: 1988 District of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory.

Reference 3: 1993 District of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory.

Reference 4: #275 North Vancouver Archives Map.

Reference 5: Clare Lakes' "History of Lynn Valley Parent Participation

Preschool".

Reference 6: October 11, 1962 "Citizen" newspaper.

Reference 7: 1005 "Sacred Sites Tour Booklet," article by Kathleen Larsen.

Photo: North Vancouver Archives Photo(26-19B-1-Draycott Fons 26, taken ca. 1920.) Photo of northern part of RNB Dance and Theater Arts (the studio area) taken in 2011 by SW.

****************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                              January 23, 2011

    3380 Lonsdale Avenue

The Church on the Hill
North Lonsdale United Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"North Lonsdale Church had its beginning in 1913 when a small group, of people met in a little store on Lonsdale Ave. at King’s Rd., with George Hamilton a student minister conducting the services.

Grocery store meeting place of congregation in 1913 at
south east corner of Lonsdale Ave. and East Kings Road.

"By 1915 a small church was built on East King Road, first called Bethel Methodist Church but the name was soon changed to North Lonsdale Methodist.

North Lonsdale United Church at 131 East Kings Rd., 1915

First Evangelical Baptist Church, 131 East Kings Rd., (2010)

" A Sunday School was with Mr. E.T. Bailey as superintendent. At the time of organic union of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches in 1925, this church became North Lonsdale United, its congregation augmented by those who transferred from St. Stephens Presbyterian. From 1914 to 1919, North Lonsdale was a joint pastoral charge with West Vancouver, from 1919 to 1934, with Lynn Valley, and from 1934 to 1957 with Capilano.

"The King’s Road church was bare, with plain wooded chairs for the congregation and a little pump organ. There was a small kitchen at the rear with a stove on which the ladies prepared hearty congregational dinners. This room was used also for meetings, as a Sunday School classroom, and as a dressing-room at Christmas concert time. Until 1948 North Lonsdale Church, received financial assistance from the Board of Home Missions, but from that time it was self-supporting, the minister’s salary and expenses of the manse being shared with Capilano.

"By 1948 it became evident that the little church was no longer adequate, and in 1950 two lots were purchased at the corner of Lonsdale Ave. and Osborne Rd. A building which was to serve eventually as a Christian Education Centre, but was to be used as church in the meantime, was erected largely by volunteer labour and was dedicated on December 13, 1953. The sanctuary furnished with dignity and good taste was truly appreciated, but it was soon realized that the building was not large enough, especially in view of the increasing Sunday School attendance. In 1956 a lot with house on it, adjoining the church property to the south was bought and Sunday School classes were held in the house as well as in the church building. In 1957 it was felt that the time had come for North Lonsdale Church to have a full-time minister, and Rev. Hislop Dickson who had been minister of the joint charge since 1946, was called to be our pastor. To meet our additional financial responsibilities, and to pay for the house and lot, a successful fund-raising drive was carried out under the chairmanship of Mr. T. D. Hammond.

"A church building was begun early in 1958, adjoining the one already in use and extending from Osborne Rd. south to the lane. When the house had to be torn down to make way for the new building some Sunday School classes were held in a vacant store on Lonsdale Ave. The Wells organization supervised a fund-raising campaign in the fall of 1958. The church building was completed and dedicated on May 15, 1960. With its bright and attractive sanctuary, comfortably-furnished lounge and commodious auditorium and well- planned kitchens it is indeed a contrast to the first little North Lonsdale Church." (3380 Lonsdale Avenue, south east corner of Lonsdale and Osborne.)(See Link 1.)

Sanctuary 2010

The sanctuary nave has of  blond wood  laminated beams forming the vaulted ceiling.  The two banks of pews are separated by a center aisle  with access facilitated by two side aisles.  The red carpting highlights the blond hue of the wooden pews and beams. A cloth screen covers the wall of organ pipes behind the altar and cross.  Along the west wall are a bank of  stained glass memorial windows.



Another part of North Lonsdale United Church's history was CGIT, Canadian Girls in Training.  CGIT was a weekly group for girls age 12 to 17.  It was based on the scripture Luke 2:52: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and favor with God and man."  In the booklet The Story of North Lonsdale 1913 to 1990-The Church on the Hill  there is a photo of a CGIT group that met in 1933.  The booklet also mentions that in 1967 there were 90 girls and 10 leaders in the CGIT group at North Lonsdale United Church.  Smaller CGIT groups continued to meet throughout the 1980's.

CGIT Girls Christine Robinson and Laura Wilson

1982

Note: Suzanne Wilson was a CGIT leader at North Lonsdale United Church, the PR chairperson and later the President of the Provincial CGIT Board of B.C.  Both of her daughter, Amy and Laura, attended CGIT.

Reference: The Story of North Lonsdale 1913 to 1990-The Church on the Hill  is available at the North Vancouver Archives.

Photos: 1. Top photo of the 1960 North Lonsdale United Church building was
                     taken in September 2010 by SW. The part of the building that is on
                     the left, the east, is the 1953 church building.
                2. 1926 photo of the store, (available at the North Vancouver Archives
                     #5276), that was on the south east corner of  Lonsdale Ave. and 
                     Kings Road where the congregation first 
                     met. (Photo photoshopped.) First listing of the store in City
                     Directories is 1915, "J. Keene grocer and postmaster, Lonsdale Ave.
                     car, King, same".
               3. The church door with the pastor in front is the 1915 church at 131
                    East Kings Road. (See Reference.) It is still in use as the First
                    Evangelical Baptist Church. 
              4. The 1915 church at 131 East Kings now the First Evangelical Baptist
                   Church, photo taken September 2010 by SW.
              5. Photo taken of North Lonsdale United Church CGIT girls in 1982 by
                   Sharon Way.
             6.  Interior photo of the sanctuary and the stained glass memorial
                   windows taken in December 2010 by SW.

Link 1:http://nluc.org/about-us/history-of-the-church/

***************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                             January 16, 2011

1958 Ridgewood Drive

St. Catherine's Anglican Church,
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

St. John's Anglican Church  in North Vancouver  sponsored the building of 5 other Anglican Churches in North Vancouver: St. Clement's in  1908, St. Agnes' in 1909, St. Thomas in 1910 that changed its name to St. Martin's in 1919, St. Catherine's in 1948, and St. Richard's in 1950. (Reference 1.)

Sanctuary

In 1948 St. John's Anglican Church acquired new property in Capilano Highlands that would become that of the new St. Catherine's Anglican Church at 1958 Ridgewood Drive.  Architect Paul Hollingworth presented sketches of a proposed parish hall.  On June 13th fifty people sat on logs in front of the rough-hewn outdoor altar with St. John's loaned pump organ and choir for an open-air service on the grounds of the planned church.  Construction of a temorary structure called the "tar paper shack" began on Sept 18, 1948.  It was 24x48 feet and accommodated roughly 40 people and a wood stove.  The church met there for 3 years.  In 1949 the congregation decided to name the church "Church of The Holy Cross". (Reference 2.)

Memorial Window on east side of sanctuary

The second building, the permanent Hollingsworth designed structure,  to accommodate a larger congregation cost more than $30,000 and was completed in 1951.  A third building was designed by the architectual firm Sharp and Anderson and built in 1962.  The cost of this building was $175,000. To build it necessited demolishing  the Hollingsworth church since the same land was to be used.  Some of the items in the Hollingsworth church were installed in the new 1962 building: the pews, altar and rail, and cross in the chapel and  some pews in the sanctuary.  The new church sanctuary featured giant laminated beams and a balcony.  Other church features of today's church are the stained glass window on the east side of the sanctuary, three  tapestries at the back of the sanctuary, and exposed organ pipes in the balcony. (Reference 2.) (See photos below.) 

Rear of sanctuary, tapestries,  and organ pipes

North of the present church sanctuary is a hall leading to the chapel, church
office, and church hall. 

The congregation of St. Catherine's Anglican Church has recently welcomed the members of St. Richard's Anglican Church that was decommissioned early in 2010. (See Blog Post, Sunday Church Feature, St. Richard's of Norgate, January 3, 2010.)

Thank you: To the Rev. Christine Rowe for * and additional information.

References: 1. Faithful People of God, 1999 by Beth Lawrence.

                         2. *Journey of a Family, 1993 by Janet Morris.

Demolition: Of the 1951 building to make way for construction of 1962
                         building.

Photos: Taken in October 2010 by SW.
         
                                                                   ***************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                       January 9, 2011

1044 St. Georges Avenue

St. Andrew's United Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

St. Andrew's United Church at 1044 St. George's Avenue in the City of North Vancouver was built in 1912 as St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.  The architects were Alexander and Brown.  However, in 1903 the first St. Andrew's congregation met in Dorman's Shack (See Blog Post 9/2/12.) on East 13th Street and Lonsdale Avenue.  The first church they built was in 1904 and located on East 6th Street facing Victoria Park. (See Blog Post 11/18/12.)  The "newest" church built in 1912 is the one we see today, a shingle-clad adaptation in the Gothic Revival style.

Sanctuary 2011

The banked nave of the sanctuary has only two side aisles with the bulk of the congregation seated in the wide central pews.  During the Christmas season tall candle holders light the church from the ends of the pews. The altar in the front of the sanctuary is sided by two transepts, with the piano in one and the choir seated in the other.  The distinctive heavenly blue vaulted ceiling is transversed with jointed wooden beams and beading. A large multipaneled stained glass windows on the south wall of the balcony features a representation of St. Andrew.  The exterior of this window is seen above the front doors of the church.

Vaulted Ceiling of the Sanctuary 2011

In 1925 the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational Churches in Canada joined together to form the United Church of Canada.  The following year, 1926, two churches in North Vancouver, Sixth Street Methodist at the south west corner of St. Georges Avenue which had opened in 1910, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian joined to form St. Andrew's United Church.   At the time of the union, St. Andrew's had a membership of 340 and the value of its property was $19,000.  Sixth Street Methodist had a membership of 140 and the value of its property was  $7,050. Some of the members of the Presbyterian congregation chose not to join and moved their worship services in the Oddfellow's Hall in the old 6th Street Methodist Church.  In 1934 they built a church at 121 East 12th Street. (See Blog Post at 2/13/11.) They met in this church until 1952 when they joined with the congregation of St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church to form St. Andrew's and St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church at 2641 Chesterfield Avenue.(See Blog Post 3/3/13.)

Balcony Stained Glass Windows 2011

In the early 1970's there was some talk of the St. Andrew's United Church  being demolished and an apartment building being built on the site.  The church would continue at that address, but in the street floor of the new building.  This idea was never carried out.


Directly behind the church and across the lane to the north is the St. Andrew's United Education Centre. Here over the years many programs have been provided for the community. In the 1970's there was the Margaret Fulton Centre, an adult day care to give a daytime break to adult children caring for senior parents that benefited from supervision.  To the east of the Church Hall is St. Andrew's Park, a children's park where in recent years an annual Teddy Bear's Picnic has been held. From the front steps of the church you can look down St. George's Avenue right to the blue waters of Burrard Inlet.


Today the inspiring church spire of St. Andrew's continues to act as a witness to the Christain Community in North Vancouver. 


Book: Heritage Inventory, City of North Vancouver 1994.
Reference: St. Andrew's United Church, North Vancouver, 1925-1975 a history 
                by J.S. Terry.  Available at the North Vancouver City Library.
Photos: Exterior photo taken March 2002 by SW.  Interior photos taken
                January 2011 by SW.
               Black and White photos taken in 2004 on file at the North Vancouver
               Archives.
               Color photo taken for the Y2K Project on file at the North Vancouver
               Archives.

**********

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                                1/2/11

1398 West 15th

St. Richard's Anglican Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada
hurch Featu
St. Richard's Anglican Church at 1398 West 15th St. in the District of North Vancouver is on the corner of Philips Avenue and West 15th Street. It was the sixth mission of St. John's Anglican Church and started to provide a Sunday School in the new housing development in the Norgate Park area. Sixty families were contacted and the diocese granted a loan of $1,075 to the parish for the lot purchase and construction costs. The church hall cost $2,200 and was dedicated in 1950. The actual St. Richard's Anglican Church cost $47,000 and was dedicated on February 1, 1955, It became a separate mission parish in 1957.

St. Richard's banner near altar

Norgate Park is an area south of Marine Drive, north of , east of the Native Lands, and west of Pemberton Avenue It consisted of mainly one story ranch homes built on cement slabs for veterans from WWII. Some of these veterans brought their war brides from England here to their new home in Canada. Today the area is simply called  Norgate. Except for renovations like making rooms out of the garage areas, most of the homes remain the same. A few two story homes have been built, mainly versions of the 'Vancouver Special".

Church Sanctuary

The original 1950 Sunday school church building was a rectangular hall positioned with the narrow end facing Philips Avenue. It sat at the location of the present St. Richard's. In 1955 to facilitate the building of a new larger church the hall was moved to the east side of the lot and turned to face 15th Street. The building is now called the St. Richard's Church Hall and serves the community as the Acorn Early Education Centre, Norgate. The present church building has its entrance on 15th Street, but is positioned with the narrow end on Philips Avenue.

Baptismal Font

 The year 2010 may brought to an end to the ringing of this bell, St. Richard's is in the throes of closing. This church that hummed with the children from 60 families in 1955 no longer has a Sunday School. In fact, the total church congregation on a Sunday morning is about 20. The Korean Stump Presbyterian Church congregation worships in the sanctuary on Sunday afternoons.  St. Richard's Anglican Church is the only Christian church building in the Norgate area, and at 10:00 am every Sunday morning the rope was pulled to ring the bell to tell the community the Sunday church service is starting.

Closed: As an Anglican Church in 2011.  Congregation and St. Richard's banner welcomed by St. Catherine's Anglican Church.

Note: Suzanne Marie Wilson attended this church until its closing.  Her granddaughter Holly Marie Misner was baptized here in September 2007.
Photos: Taken in 2007 and 2010.

Update: A June 10, 2011 North Shore News article reports that the church is
is for sale.


Update: St. Richard's Anglican Church buildings have been bought by the Arrahman Masjid and Islamic Center.  The sign "North Vancouver Islamic Association" on the front of the building was observed in November 2011.

                                                                      *************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)