On January 1, 2018, St. Luke’s United Church and Trinity United Church amalgamated and became Grace United Church. The newly formed Grace United Church has made the former St. Luke’s building its home. In July 2019 our church home was hit by two lightning strikes. The first fire was put out but, not long after the firetrucks left, our church was hit again. This time firemen were unable to save our church building.
After much discussion the church council decided to rebuild. While rebuilding plans took place, we found a temporary home to worship at the Minnow Lake Place Gym.
After many delays due to Covid and supply shortages, we finally attended our first worship service in our new church building, on Mother’s Day 2022.
The following is the history of each of the amalgamating churches.
St. Luke’s United Church
1520 Bancroft Drive, Sudbury, Ontario, P3B 1R5 Phone 705-566-8836
Mission Statement
St. Luke’s United Church is called to be a Christ-centered, caring community providing spiritual leadership, extending fellowship and reaching out to all. We will endeavor to be a growing and progressive church.
Our History
In the spring of 1939, a group of Protestants living in the Minnow Lake area felt the need for a weekly church service and applied for the help of a student minister. Mr. Norman Kelly was sent and church services were held in the public school on Barry Street; though not for long. The building of St. Luke’s United Church was begun almost immediately, and completed with remarkable speed, almost entirely by volunteers. The official dedication was carried out on Sunday, February 2, 1941 by Rev. Tuttle, then the Moderator of the United Church of Canada.
From its dedication in 1941 until 1948, the St. Lukes church building was the centre of all congregational and many community activities including Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and CGIT.
During the years 1949 to 1956, a badly needed church hall was built, an organ purchased, new pews installed, and the exterior of the church was bricked. The years 1959 to 1967 saw a new manse completed and furnished. Soon thereafter, St. Luke’s ceased to be a single-point charge, and aligned with St. Andrew’s (Coniston) and Grace United Churches.
The years thereafter saw many revisionings and reconfigurations, as the individual churches in the area sought to serve their congregants and the community more economically and efficiently. During the years 1972 to 1973, St. Luke’s –Grace congregations amalgamated.
In 1977 a Garson-Falconbridge-Coniston-Minnow Lake Charge was formed and named Nickel District Pastoral Charge.
Through the years 1986 to 1991 our four point charge was pastored by the husband and wife teams of Rev. Ross and Rev. Jean Leckie, followed by Rev. Thom Davies and Rev. Lynn Godfrey.
In 1994, when Rev. Davies answered a call to go to Lively, Julia Rose—a Lay Pastoral Minister in Training—joined Lynn Godfrey on the staff team.
June 1996 saw the cessation of the four point charge, and the creation of a new two point charge with the newly formed Trinity United Church in Garson.
In its present incarnation, Nickel District Pastoral Charge has faithfully been served by the Reverends Waldo Gundrum, Ian Sloane and now Erin Todd.
These are but a few of the events that have taken place in the seventy years St. Luke’s has stood on it’s rocky but prominent spot on Bancroft Drive.
Trinity United Church
174 Church Street, Garson, Ontario, P3L 1S5
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our church in Garson. We held our last service on May 7 2017 and look forward now to amalgamation with St. Luke’s United Church.
Our Mission Statement
Trinity United Church is open to everyone, and is a visible presence in the communities of Falconbridge and Garson, where people can worship God.
We are called to witness in our daily living so that through God’s love our community and the world can be a better place.
Our History
The United Church in Falconbridge began in 1928 when the first Sunday School was formed. For the first several years meetings were held in the two-roomed school house.
In 1935, under the guidance of the first official minister, Rev. Mr. A.P.S. Addison, the congregation became part of a three point charge consisting of Coniston, Garson and Falconbridge, with services being held in the new Community Hall.
The Women’s Auxiliary was formed in 1937, the choir in 1938.
In February 1954, Garson and Falconbridge became a two point charge, and a fundraising campaign for the building of a new manse began in June. The building project, which was finished in October of that same year, was headed-up by just two professional carpenters, greatly assisted by an abundance of volunteer labour.
Motivated by the success of the manse project, in January 1957 the congregation authorized a Fund Raising Campaign for a church building. The first sod was turned in August 1960, and the cornerstone of St. Stephen’s United Church was laid on April 23, 1961…
St. Paul’s had its beginnings in 1910 with the Garson Presbyterian Church.
In 1919 it became the Garson Union Church: an interdenominational Protestant church which embraced all Protestants in the community while remaining under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church.
With church Union in 1925 it became St. Paul’s United Church.
Worship services were held in the Public School building until 1947 when St. Paul’s purchased part of the old public school building near Garson Mine for $40.00. In 1951, an extension was added to the back for Sunday School rooms.
In March 1954 a sod-turning ceremony was held at the present site. Men and women of the congregation gave hundreds of hours of work to complete the building, which was dedicated on December 12, 1954.
In 1976 under the guidance of the Rev. Alex Filshie, St. Stephen’s, St. Paul’s, St.Andrew’s in Coniston, and St. Luke’s in Minnow Lake became Nickel District Pastoral Charge.
In 1994 St. Stephen’s United Church and St. Paul’s United Church sought to serve their congregants and the community more efficiently and decided to amalgamate. St. Luke’s and the newly established Trinity United then became the two point Nickel District Pastoral Charge.
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