Chemainus United Church is throwing open its doors to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a day of music, memories and family-friendly fun on Saturday, June 14.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the church on Willow Street and features live music, games, historical displays and a barbecue lunch.
The Chemainus celebration coincides with the 100th anniversary of the United Church of Canada.
One of the highlights of the event is a photo display of the church’s history created by Lynn James.
“She’s just spent hours and hours and hours printing out pictures and compiling information,” said Helen Stephen from Chemainus United Church. “It’s something that I think people will really enjoy studying. It’s not just, ‘Oh yeah, that’s pretty neat.’ I think they will really enjoy reading what has been written there.”
The photo archive was made possible thanks to the meticulous recordkeeping of former choir director Ivy Parsons.
“I just can’t even describe how accurate and how extensive and how meticulous her records are,” said Stephen. “She’s got photographs from the very beginning, the construction and the building of the church. It truly is amazing.”
Parsons also ran a junior choir from the early 1950s until 1965.
“She had 111 children come through being junior choir members,” Stephen said. “Of course, those people now are in their 60s and 70s and 80s, and she kept records of all these children. She had lovely photographs of them singing.”
Stephen hopes those who were once part of the choir will drop by the celebration and find themselves in the historical display and that the event itself will give visitors a sense of the history of Chemainus United Church.
There are some hidden historical gems at the church that the community may not be aware of that are still in use today.
“The bell that is rung on Sunday morning was commissioned and dedicated in 1969. It was originally from Locie No. 4, and before it was tolled for the first time, it was dedicated to all loggers in the area,” Stephen said.
“Locie No. 4” refers to Locomotive No. 4, an 80-ton Porter 2-6-2T that operated on the Copper Canyon Railway System, run by the Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing Co. Ltd. The 2-6-2T designation refers to the engine’s wheel arrangement and the fact that it carried its own water in onboard tanks rather than pulling a separate tender. Chemainus served as the terminus for British Columbia’s first, last and longest-operating rail logging line and is depicted in the popular town mural, Steam Train on Bridge over Chemainus River.
The church property was donated by MacMillan and Bloedel and the original apple trees that were on the property in 1949 still bear fruit every year.
While the celebration focuses on the Chemainus congregation’s more than 75 years, it’s also part of a nationwide milestone.
“We thought it would be nice to celebrate the fact that we’ve been a presence in the community for 75 years,” said Stephen. “We haven’t been here 100 years, but 100 years ago the United Church of Canada came into being.”
Chemainus United Church continues to serve as a community hub. Its building provides space for various local service organizations and groups including Harvest House Food Bank, Alcoholics Anonymous, Girl Guides and Scouts and more.
“We are a community church,” said Stephen. “We try to reach out to the community as well as we can.”
A special anniversary worship service will also be held Sunday, June 15 at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome.
