Local United Churches to mark centennial with pride and reflection
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
As the United Church of Canada turns 100 in 2025, congregations across the country—and in the Eastern Townships—are reflecting on a century of faith, service, and transformation. Locally, the St. Francis area churches will mark the anniversary with a regional celebration on Sunday, June 1 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s United Church in Magog, featuring a mass choir, the participation of eight area ministers, and a sermon by well-known broadcaster Royal Orr. The service will be followed by a potluck lunch open to all.
Rev. Ron Coughlin, a minister of Lennoxville United Church, discussed the history and significance of the anniversary in a recent interview. “We’re expecting about 150 people,” he said. “All 12 churches in our cluster are contributing—each bringing something for the table.” The event, organized by the St. Francis area United Churches, is one of several commemorations taking place across the country this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the United Church of Canada’s founding.
The national church was created in 1925 through the union of the Methodist Church, the Congregational Union, and a majority of congregations from the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Coughlin described the years of theological and political negotiation that led to the formation of what would become the country’s largest Protestant denomination.
“There was a lot of debate, especially in the Presbyterian Church,” he said. “Some thought it was the work of God, others called it the work of the devil.” While the Methodists and Congregationalists opted to enter the union as entire denominations if a majority approved, the Presbyterians left the decision up to each local church, mission, school, and hospital. “That’s why about a third of Presbyterian churches stayed out, and the Presbyterian Church in Canada still exists,” Coughlin explained.
A key figure in the political negotiations was Willis Keith Baldwin, then Member of Parliament for Stanstead. Archival material shared with The Record through Coughlin from Baldwin’s grandson, Keith Baldwin II—now 102 and living at the Wales Home—includes excerpts from a speech the elder Baldwin gave in the House of Commons on June 26, 1924. The address was part of the debate leading to the adoption of the bill that would legally enable the formation of the United Church.
