First United Church in Kelowna will be joining other United Church congregations across the country in letting their bells peal at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, to mark the 90 anniversary of the United Church of Canada.
The tower bell in the red brick heritage building at the corner of Bernard and Richter will sound 90 times in celebration of this milestone. Members of the Alleluia Ringers bell choir will add to the joyful noise at street level with a variety of bronze handbells.
The United Church of Canada came into being on Wednesday, June 10, 1925 in Toronto, following the amalgamation of the Methodist Church, Canada, the Congregational Union of Canada, and 70 per cent of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, as well as the General Council of Union Churches, which was centred largely in Western Canada.
It was the first union of churches in the world to cross historical denominational lines. The United Church of Canada is the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, ministering to over two million people in about 3,000 congregations across the country. First United Church is Kelowna’s largest UCC congregation.