Early History

By the end of the nineteenth century an Anglican church building had been established at Port Washington.  However, this left the people of Scots Presbyterian extraction without their own permanent place of worship.  The Presbyterian congregation was started in 1894-5 with the help of the Rev. Dr. W. L. Clay of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Victoria.   George Menzies, a theological student, filled in until the first ordained minister, the Rev. James McMillan, was appointed in 1905.  In that year land for the church near the school house was donated by James Auchterlonie.    Lumber was supplied by Howard B. Harris, who had a mill at Hope Bay, for the price of $1000.  He subcontracted John Irwin of Victoria to erect the structure.  The finishing materials were largely donated, and much of the labour was provided by volunteers.  The church building was opened on December 29, 1907 with 23 members. A large shed for horses and buggies was later added.

Sources:

"Early Churchwork on the Gulf Islands"
by Ethel M. Johnson (nee Menzies) in Gulf Island Patchwork pages 14 and 16

Old drawing of the church building (pre 1972?)

Recent Changes in our Circumstances

As mentioned above, the church was built by Pender pioneers on land donated by the Auchterlonie family, using their own resources and labour.  It was completed in 1907, and is one of the oldest buildings on Pender, though it has undergone several improvements and additions since then.   It is located near the library, at the head of the road that leads down to Hope Bay.

It started as a Presbyterian church, probably to cater to the islanders of Scottish origin.  (The Anglicans already had their own building at Port Washington.  (That building was later moved to its present location near Scarff Road).   Then in 1925, some non-conformist churches, including Methodist, Congregational and (some) Presbyterian churches, were amalgamated to become the United Church of Canada, and the church property of these denominations, including our church building, was given to this new organization by Act of Parliament.  The church then became ‘Pender Island United’.

Our church has been an important part of the life of the residents of Pender.  For example, the wall plaques commemorate the sons of Pender families who died in the two World Wars.

However, by the late 1960s the United Church congregation was too small to maintain the building, which was falling into disrepair.  Christians from a variety of other denominations, with the knowledge and permission of the United Church, reopened the building and began to make use of it for meetings and worship, culminating in 1972 with the formation of our present, nondenominational congregation.  The United Church graciously allowed us use their building, but our congregation repaired, improved, and maintained it at our own expense for nearly 50 years.    Although we were required by the ownership to keep the name ‘Pender Island United Community Church’, we have in many important ways been nondenominational ever since our inception in 1972.

In January 2019 the United Church of Canada underwent radical reorganization.   One consequence of this was a new requirement that our congregation formally identify ourselves as a part of the United Church.  We had always welcomed Christians of all denominations.   In summer 2019 our congregation voted to separate formally from the United Church and to maintain our nondenominational freedom.  Since the building belonged to the United Church, we had to raise money quickly to purchase the building, which the United Church kindly offered to us at a very favorable price.  This money came entirely from members of our congregation.  The purchasing process was completed by the end of June 2020.  

This church is an important part of the island’s history, and now ownership of the church and its land has been returned to the community.  Christians of all denominations are welcome to come and worship the Lord Jesus with us.  Non-Christians are welcome to come and hear about the blessing offered to them by believing in Christ.

The Board of Pender Island Community Church

                        The building in 2020                                                  New sign, August 2020, by Thuja Artworks