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United Church celebrates 100 years in Okotoks

One of the first United churches in Canada is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend. In 1917, the Okotoks Methodist Church and St. Luke's Presbyterian Church amalgamated to form the Okotoks United Church.

One of the first United churches in Canada is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend.

In 1917, the Okotoks Methodist Church and St. Luke's Presbyterian Church amalgamated to form the Okotoks United Church.

On Saturday and Sunday the church is welcoming its congregation and the public to celebrate its history and a century of the United Church in Okotoks.

Joanne Dzurka, United Church member, said the celebration includes two main events: an evening at Rotary Performing Arts Centre called Music and Memories on Saturday at 7 p.m., which will relive the church history through music with free refreshments during intermission, and a special church service on Sunday morning at 10:45 a.m. followed by a potluck lunch.

“There are so many people in the community who are connected to our congregation, and we just really wanted people to come out and join us and celebrate with us, to relive some of the memories and reconnect,” said Dzurka.

There are no tickets for the event at RPAC, but seating is limited so Dzurka said she recommends people come out early to take it in.

Some special guests will be in attendance, including former ministers Rev. Doug Powell and Rev. Marilyn Evans, who was the first female minister in Okotoks and served from 1989 to 2000.

The church will also be unveiling some new projects in its building, like stained-glass windows that were commissioned in honour of its 100th anniversary, and a history book that was researched and written by Dzurka and a team of volunteers.

It's all about celebrating a rich history of a church that's been around for a century and witnessed a lot of growth, and plenty of services, basptisms, weddings, funerals, and other events, she said.

The Okotoks United Church was one of the early pioneers of the United Church of Canada, which formally combined the Methodist and Presbyterian churches in 1925 – eight years after the local church had formed.

Kathy Coutts, Okotoks museum specialist, said the amalgamation was originally borne out of a need for St. Luke's Presbyterian Church to expand its walls. The Presbyterian church was the first built in Okotoks, in 1892, on the site of the current provincial courthouse. Prior to that, services had been held in homes and stopping houses, she said.

The Methodist Church (RPAC building) was built in 1906, officially opening in 1907. Its congregation was smaller than the Presbyterians, who were bursting at the seams in a small wooden building, she said.

“It was initiated by St. Luke's, because they had outgrown their space, and the vote was on April 22, 1917,” said Coutts.

After the churches combined, the small Presbyterian church was transformed into a feed mill before it was later torn down, she said.

The United Church remained in the church (currently RPAC), which was built with bricks from Alonzo and Cyrus Serviss's brickyard at Sandstone Coulee, until 2003. At that time, the building was purchased by the Town to be turned into a performing arts centre.

There were some treasures found beneath the floorboards during construction, said Coutts.

“There was stuff that had fallen through the floorboards – pieces of dishes, some letters, a little toy car, as well as horseshoes,” she said. “We wondered if, when it was under construction in 1906, the horseshoes were left there on purpose, for good luck.”

If so, they'd served their purpose for the Okotoks United Church, which saw its congregation grow significantly over the years. Dzurka said talks about how to manage an escalating population in an aging building began as early as the 1960s.

In the 1990s, the house next door to the church was purchased and called United Church House, which became home to its offices and the Sunday school program, she said. By the late 90s, the cost of insurance and repairs for the old church forced the congregation to move out.

“For several years we ended up worshipping out of Good Shepherd School gymnasium, then we moved to St. Mary's,” said Dzurka.

The United Church bought the former Ginger Team Room in 2002 and ran its offices out of the renovated space, but it would take another nine years for the church to open its doors. In 2011, the Okotoks United Church officially began worshipping at its current location on Riverside Drive, she said.

Through the years, the church has made an impact both on the local community and internationally, she said.

“The heart of the church has really been in service,” said Dzurka. “Right back from the time of union the women were actively engaged in helping those in need both locally and overseas, and there were many different ways in which they provided outreach.”

From visiting people in the community who were ill or elderly to knitting and sewing quilts for those in need to sending clothing to the residential schools outside of town, the ladies worked hard to help others, she said.

A men's group also formed for many years, called As One That Serves, and through the program they had sponsored foster children, she said.

The church has also run Jacket Racket since 1997, has helped the Okotoks Food Bank since its inception in the 80s, ran Inn from the Cold at the church building, and most recently sponsored a Syrian refugee family, who still live in the apartment above the offices, she said.

“It's been a longstanding tradition of service, and the church continues to work for those in need,” said Dzurka.

For more information visit www.okunited.ca.

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