Fonds VAN MA - Marpole United Church (Vancouver, B.C.) fonds

In the late 1800s both Methodist and Presbyterian religious services were being held in the Marpole area. In 1910, under the pastorate of the Richmond Circuit, the Eburne Methodist Church was built. The 1916 Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in B.C. separated the Eburne appointment from the Richmond circuit and formed it into a separate circuit. At the annual conference in 1917 the two appointments of Eburne and Oak Street Methodist Church were placed together. In 1918, Oak Street Methodist was closed, and Eburne was linked again with Richmond. Richmond Presbyterian Church was one of the oldest congregations on the mainland of British Columbia. In 1861 the first services were held, however the first church on Sea Island (Richmond) was not built until July,1886. In August 1886, First Presbyterian Church in Vancouver was dedicated, and Richmond Presbyterian Church, along with First, Vancouver, was formed into a single charge. In March of 1887, Westminster Presbytery received and granted a petition from the Vancouver congregation for separation from the Richmond congregation. In early 1925 joint discussions regarding church union were carried on by both the Eburne Methodist Church and the Richmond Presbyterian Church congregations. This discussion culminated in the union of the two congregations into Marpole United Church in 1925. The combined congregations met in the Eburne Methodist Church building for a period of time until the present Marpole United Church building was ready for occupancy. The new Marpole United Church building was opened in October, 1928.