Trinity United Reverend reflects on 90 years

June 18, 2015 · 0 Comments

On June 10th, Trinity United Church in Shelburne rang the historic iron church bell to mark the 90th Anniversary of the United Church of Canada. A small, but enthusiastic crowd of congregants gathered on the front lawn of the church, at First and Owen Sound Streets, to ring the bell, sing hymns and enjoy lunch together in celebration. “In 1925,” reported Rev. David Howes of Trinity United, “it was standing room only as the United Church of Canada came into being at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto.”
“An amalgamation of Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalists churches,” Rev. Howes said, on that day 90 years ago, “the newly formed United Church vowed to continue to be united and uniting. In Shelburne the Presbyterian Church on Owen Sound Street and the Methodist Church on Main Street both agreed that they would be part of this new denomination. For the next 14 years, however, the churches debated over which building would best suit their needs. In 1939, The Rev. H. Hutcheson brokered an agreement to have the two congregations worship together in the Presbyterian Church. Trinity United Church came into existence at that time,” recalled Howes, “and has continued to provide leadership and pastoral care to the people of Shelburne.”
When asked what particular image, from the June 10th celebration, would live on in his memory, Rev. Howes said, “Ringing the bell on the lawn at the front of the building was a significant moment. We had a little girl with a hammer and two women in their 90’s. The joy on all their faces as they got to “ring the bell”, was wonderful. The idea that such a simple gesture could continue to make a sound in their hearts was beautiful. In faith, we are all children. It is that part of ourselves that never leaves us, never dies. “Enter the kingdom, become a child. Become a child, enter the kingdom.”
As churches across the western world struggle to find their place in the 21st Century, Rev. Howes commented on the strength of his congregation going forth into the next decade toward the centennial celebration of the United Church of Canada , “The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility, he said. “ Humility is endless.” (Eliot, “Four Quartets”) This congregation has wrestled with some tough questions over the years and has had to repeatedly decide on whether or not they wished to continue as a family of faith. After much deliberation, they have always said, “Yes.” To a future together: On paper, “church” is about convictions. In reality, “church” is about a commitment to being part of a family.”
The 1925 union brought changes and challenges. Rev. Howes noted, “The United Church of Canada is the only Canadian-born Church. The denomination has had to homestead on a new landscape. What does it mean to be “born in Canada?” How is a Canadian grown understanding of God and mission different from a denomination that was born either in Europe or in the United States? The United Church was the amalgamation of three systems of governance and religious expression. From the very start, everyone needed to compromise and let something go in order to achieve something greater.”
In the not so distant past, churches were the heartbeat of most Canadian towns. Today, the majority of the faithful are aging, and the young are, for the most part, a changed congregation, struggling to navigate a world of distraction and rapidly evolving spiritual philosophy. The challenge for many churches is simply survival. After, 90 years, what does the future hold for Trinity United? “The future is always unknown. One day at a time,” replied Rev. Howes. “We profess to be a people of the resurrection. If there is no death, there is no resurrection. Like most living things, we struggle to hold on to the life we know and are fearful of death. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus is quoted to have said, “We walk in the shadow of the cross.” We are an Easter people: something must die that something new might be born. We walk in the shadow of the cross.”
Whatever the future may hold, June 10th was a day to celebrate history, and Trinity United Church members, “new and old,” said Rev. Howes, “rang the bell along with sister United Churches from one side of the country to the other to commemorate 90 years of uniting!”

By Marni Walsh

Members of Trinity United Church in Shelburne gathered to ring the bell June 10th in celebration of the 90th Anniversary of the United Church of Canada.