April, 1, 2012

                   

Westlynn Baptist Church
1341 East 27 th Street (2012)

Westlynn Baptist Church

North Vancouver, B.C.


According to congregation member Sharon Watson Westlynn Baptist Church at was built at 1341 East 27th Avenue in 1963.  Both the City Directories and  the Archive's 1965 Fire Insurance Map confirms that the building was there in 1965. 

1965 Fire Insurance Map

The 1963 church consisted of a sanctuary building on the east side and perpendicular to that a building housing the Sunday School and kitchen.  The east side sanctuary with its red roof can be seen in the photo below.  

Note red roofed building on the left that was the 

original 1965 sanctuary.

The roof of the old sanctuary was constructed with five laminated wooden beams.  It is presently used for Sunday School and the Fellowship Hall.  A kitchen runs along the south end.  

Laminated wooden beams of the old sanctuary

Westlynn Baptist Church started out in the 1950's on East Kings Road in the City of North Vancouver as a Southern Baptist Church. (See Blog Post Jan. 23. 2012 for a description and photos of this church.) This church sponsored the Lynn Valley congregation in the District of North Vancouver.  This congregation first met in the old Community Center on Mountain Highway, then in the old United Methodist Church near the corner of Lynn Valley Road and Mountain Highway ( See Blog Post Feb. 19, 2012.) before building  the 1963 Westlynn Baptist Church.  In 1968 the congregations from East Kings Road and from Westlynn Baptist church joined to form one church.  

Sanctuary 2012

The sanctuary of Westlynn Baptist Church features the Baptismal Font (in blue on the left side of the Chancel) for the traditional ceremony of Baptism by Immersion.  The Sunday worship service is attended by approximately 80 members of the congregation and is celebrated with contemporary music. 

Stained Glass Window at  Rear of Sanctuary, 2012

Thank you: To Pastor Don Springer and  congregation members Sharon Watson, John North and Frank Stirk for history of West Kings Road Baptist Church, the old Lynn Valley Recreation Center and the building of the original Westlynn Baptist Church in 1963 and the new sanctuary in 1986.
Photos: Taken in 2012 by SW.

Link 1: http://www.westlynn.bc.ca/
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptismal_font