CHURCH HISTORIES/LYNN VALLEY

Present Church

(followed by church congregations that joined it)

Year Built               Name                                   Address                          Blog Post Date

1956   Mount Olivet Lutheran Church       1700 Mountain Hwy                 3/27/11

             North Shore Lutheran Church         167 East 6th St.                          3/25/12

            St. Mark's Lutheran Church              137 West 6th St.                        3/18/12

               

1959   St. Clement's Anglican Church            3400 Institute Rd.           11/27/11

              
                      Mission Church/St. Clement-by-the-brook        
                                                originally on Church Street                                 11/27/11

1963/1965   Westlynn Baptist Church          1341 East 27th St.                 4/1/12 

                      Southern Baptist Church       131 East Kings Road                  5/18/14

1964    St. Stephen's Catholic Church     1360 East 24th Street             1/22/12

1965   The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints    
                                                          941 Lynn Valley Rd.                                        12/7/14

1973   New Life Christian Centre     2800 Mountain Highway                 10/12/14

                      Elim Pentacostal Church         124 West 8th Street                    7/1/12

1975   Hillside Baptist Church      870 Lynn Valley Road                                3/9/14

                     Hillside Baptist Church               139 Lower Keith Road              2/9/14

1975   Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall    2626 Mountain Highway          8/5/12

                        Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall        1550 Philip Ave.           2/27/11

                        Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall       121  East 12th St.            2/13/11
 

1986   Valley Full Gospel Church             1160 East 29th St.                           8/12/12

                                               Church Demolished 2015
                   (new church being built on same site)

1959-2015          Lynn Valley United Church   3201 Mountain Highway     2/19/12                        

                            Lynnmour United Church      700 Mountain Highway         2/20/11

                            Lynnmour United Church  1103 Mountain Highway           2/20/11

                            Lynn Valley Methodist Church     260 Institute Rd.             1/30/11                     

                            Knox Presbyterian Church     1343 Lynn Valley Rd.               2/2/14                                                       

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

Prayer

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

                                                                                          2/2/14

1343 Lynn Valley Road

(North Vancouver Archives Photo 10680, Link 1.)

Posthumous
Knox Presbyterian Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

The origins of Knox Presbyterian Church in North Vancouver were with St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church also in North Vancouver in 1906. ( See Blog Post 11/18/12.) "Accordingly, the first General Meeting of the 
Presbyterian congregation took place at the residence of Julius Martin Fromme at what is now 1466 Ross Road in Lynn Valley in the heart of 
Shaketown, on October 20, 1908....Mr. J.M. Fromme gave the site for the building on the condition that the building be erected free of debt. (Link 2.)

"Having worshiped for three years in the Agricultural Hall at Lynn Valley, Presbyterian of that section of North Vancouver are now building themselves a permanent edifice.

"The new church will be erected at the junction of the Lynn Valley and the Center road.  It will seat about 200 and will cost $2000.  It will be of frame construction with plastered interior and wainscotted to the height of the window sills.  The ceiling will be domed, and the windows of stained glass.  It is expected that the building will be completed by the end of September.  the present membership is about thirty..."(REF)

In 1925 the Knox Presbyterian Church joined the United Church of Canada and became Lynn Valley United Church.  The Methodist Church on Institute Road in Lynn Valley (See Blog Post 1/30/11) joined the Lynn Valley United Church as part of this amalgamation. 

In 1959 a new Lynn Valley United Church was built on Mountain Highway. (See Blog Post 2/19/12.) At a Sunday worship service the congregation sung hymns as they marched from the building on Lynn Valley Road to the one on Mountain Highway. *

"The old Knox Presbyterian-United Church on the corner of Draycott and Lynn Valley Road was demolished 62 on January 3, 1967,... The 
basement of the church served as a shop for the sale of plans, seeds and fertilizer. The stolid Manse in the rear of the property became the home of the 
owner of the Nursery (Maple Leaf Garden Centre) which replaced the church on that site." (REF)

("Maple Leaf Garden Centre in North Vancouver is situated in the vibrant family oriented community of Lynn Valley with a view of the often snow covered North Shore Mountains.  The site was once home to the Knox Presbyterian Church and its manse.  In 1971 the Duynstees purchased the property which by then was operating as a small garden centre.  At first the garden centre operated out of the basement of the church.  In 1990-91 the site was completely renovated resulting in a new nursery, glass greenhouse and large store.  Since then Maple Leaf has become a popular destination for gardeners inside and outside the community.") (Link 3.)

*As told to SW.
Reference: The Vancouver Daily Province, "Presbyterian Church at Lynn
              Valley,"August 15, 1910.
Link 1: http://www2.cnv.org:8085/webcat/request/DoMenuRequest?
              SystemName=North+Vancouver+Archives&UserName=web
Link 2: http://www.dnv.org/upload/documents/District_History/181818.pdf
Link 3: http://www.mapleleafgardencentre.ca/about/

Prayer

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

                                                                                                                                August 12, 2012

Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church
1160 East 29th Street

Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church
North Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church actually started in downtown Vancouver.  It was an expansion of the  1955  Home Missions  from the Vancouver Evangelistic Tabernacle there. It began with a Christian woman, Mrs. Shier witnesses  her faith in Christ, house to house.  Next children's meetings were held in  a store front. (Link 1.) The first North Vancouver church building was on a 2626 East 29th Street lot. "It was five years later, December 21st, 1960, that the Church became a separate society and after another five years land was purchased on the present location and a small "temporary" building was erected with the hope of eventually erecting a larger facility in the future." (Link 1.)  Sanctuary (Link 2.) In " the mid "80"s, ... the Evangelistic Tabernacle and the Apostolic Church of Pentecost of Canada came along side of the small congregation to erect a building.... On November 5th, 1982 the Church became an independent society, named "Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church" and soon the land title and deed of the properties were transferred to the Church.  During this time, the Church began to consider a joint project with a group building condominiums next to the church and a group seeking to build a professional centre also next door....construction began in early 1986." (Link 1.) Church from parking lot entrance "Valley Church", which is the name we have become known as, has grown steadily since the late 80's, eventually adding another service on Sunday mornings. The Church is notably multi-racial and inter-generational. In recent years the structure of the Church has been developing to recognize the leadership of the elders and to release as many members of the body into various areas of ministry and leadership. Starting in the fall of 2000, Valley Church leadership decided to move the congregation towards becoming a cell church. This process is still "under construction", but the aim is to see the members of the congregation meet in various dynamic cells throughout the city during the week and then on the weekend meet together as a worshiping congregation to celebrate around the Lord Jesus Christ."(Link 1.) Reflection of cut-out cross in windows above the entrance Today this church with its distinctive cut-out cross at the entrance has a Sunday congregation  the church  attendance of 400 to 450. (Link 2.) Note: The Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives records that the Lynn Valley Evangelical Tabernacle applied for a permit in 1961 the last at 1160 East 29th Street. The value of the church was $7500.

Photos: Taken in 2012 by SW.
Link1: http://www.valleychurch.ca/
Link 2: http://www.theprovince.com/life/Lynn+Valley+Full+Gospel+Church/6722065/story.html

                                                                                                                               August 5, 2012

Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall, 2012
2626 Mountain Highway

Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall
North Vancouver, B.C.

The first Jehovah Witnesses church in North Vancouver was a store front on the south west end of North Vancouver.  It was in one of the units of the Norgate Shopping Center in the 1400 block of Marine Drive.  In 1956 the congregation built a new church across the street at 1550 Phillip Avenue (See photo below and the  blog post 2/27/11)  In 1962 this building was remodeled and became the Tomohawk Restaurant.  

1550 Philip Avenue
2010

Another Jehovah's Witness church was formed in the central Lonsdale area. This congregation bought the Presbyterian Church at 121 East 12th  Street in 1955.  They held services in the building until 1975 when the building was remodeled and became the Black Sheep Restaurant. (See Photo Below and blog post 2/13/11.)

121 East 12th Street
2010

The Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives records the building of the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall at 2626 Mountain Highway in 1975.  (See top photo.) This stucco building with a brick entrance facade is in the North Vancouver District of Lynn Valley, near the Lynn Valley Shopping Mall. 

Sanctuary, 2012 

2626 Mountain Highway

 The Sanctuary is in the style of a large meeting room with a curved, stepped dias backed in soft draperies.  The single item hanging on the wall is the framed scripture John 17:17.

On Wall in Sanctuary, 2012

The Kingdom Hall at 2626 Mountain Highway is the home of three congregations: Greenwood Park, Lynn Valley, and Mount Seymour.  

On Mountain Highway
2012

"Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenialist restorationist Christian denomination withnontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity.^[2] The organization reports worldwide membership of over 7.65 million adherents involved inevangelism,^[3] convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorialattendance of over 19.3 million.^[4][5] They are directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of elders in Brooklyn, New York, that establishes all doctrines.^[6][7][8] Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs are based on their interpretations of the Bible^[9][10] and they prefer to use their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.^{[11][12][13][14]} They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment ofGod's kingdom on earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humankind.^[15]

"The group emerged from the Bible Student movement—founded in the late 1870s byCharles Taze Russell with the formation of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society—with significant organizational and doctrinal changes under the leadership of Joseph Franklin Rutherford.^[16][17] The name Jehovah's witnesses, based on Isaiah 43:10–12,^[18] was adopted in 1931 to distinguish themselves from other Bible Student groups.^[19][20]

"Jehovah's Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and refusing military service andblood transfusions.... They do not observe Christmas, Easter,birthdays, or other holidays and customs they consider to have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity... Jehovah's Witnesses consider secular society to be morally corrupt and under the influence of Satan, and limit their social interaction with non-Witnesses." (Link.)

"Jehovah's Witnesses believe their religion is a restoration of first-century Christianity. ...the new name—Jehovah's witnesses—based on Isaiah 43:10: "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen" (Link.)

Photos: Taken in 2010 and 2012 by SW.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses

                                                                                                                          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

                                                                                                                                2/19/12

3201 Mountain Highway
(2012)

Posthumous
Lynn Valley United Church
Lynn Valley, North Vancouver, B.C. Canada


The roots of Lynn Valley United Church are found in three posthumous churches of North Vancouver: Lynnmour United Church, Knox Presbyterian Church, and Lynn Valley Methodist Church.  These church congregations met in four different buildings that were in five different locations.

                                               Lynnmour United Church (REF 3.)


The original church building of Lynnmour United Church was on Marine Drive in the city of Vancouver. It was built in 1915 as River Avenue Methodist Church, changing  to River Avenue United Church in 1926. In 1933  it was dismantled and moved to North Vancouver at St. Denis. which was later became Mountain Highway.  In 1962  the church moved to a  new building at 1103 Mountain Highway.  That building is presently used as a house.  The congregation joined that of  Lynn Valley United Church in 1966.

                                          Knox Presbyterian Church (REF. 1)

Knox Presbyterian Church  was built at the junction of Lynn Valley Road and Centre Rd. in North Vancouver in 1911.  In 1925 it became Lynn Valley United Church.  And in 1959 the congregation built the present  church at 3201 Mountain Highway.

                                          Lynn Valley Methodist Church (REF 2.)


Lynn Valley Methodist Church was built on Institute Road in North Vancouver in 1912.  In 1926 the congregation joined that of Knox United  Church (see above). 
                  

                         Lynn Valley United Church Sanctuary 2011


But even before a church was built on the lot at the corner of Mountain Highway and Harold Road, this was a historic Lynn Valley site. The name "Harold Road" indicates this, since Harold was named for Harold Fromme, the son of  Julius Martin Fromme, "The Father of Lynn Valley".  He originally owned a shingle mill and the lumber storage shed was on this site. Later, his son Harold ran the Harold Fromme Lynn Valley Garage in the lumber shed of the shingle mill.  (REF. 4)  The land for Lynn Valley United Church was donated by Julius Fromme.  (Rhelda Nicholson)

                                        Lumber Storage Shed of Shingle Mill 1925
                                           North Vancouver Archives Photo 6657

                                         Harold Fromme Auto Repair late 1930's
                                          North Vancouver Archives Photo 6662


Now it seems that the church congregation is ready for another move.  This time they are proposing the demolition of the present Lynn Valley United Church and on that site building an L shaped condominium housing complex.  A new smaller  Lynn Valley United Church will be built on the property, on the corner of Lynn Valley Road and Harold Road. The church was demolished in 2015 with building plans in place.


Thank you: To Rhelda Fromme, granddaughter of Julius Martin Fromme.
Photos: Taken in December 2011 and January 2012 by SW.
Link 1: http://lynnvalleychurch.com/
Link 2: http://www.dnv.org/upload/documents/District_History/181818.pdf
Reference 1: Lynn Valley from the Wilds of Nature to Civilization by Walter 
                          Draycott.
Reference 2: District Heritage Inventory 1996
Reference 3: The Province, September 21, 1962.
Reference 4: http://www.demolitionmama.blogspot.com June 18, 2010.