Churches united

Other congregations in Thunder Bay may soon follow First Wesley United Church’s example and amalgamate to ensure that the community still has a place to worship, says the past chair of First Church United.

First Church United held its last Sunday service in November. The church served the community on the corner of Brock Street and Ford Street for 84 years before it combined with Wesley United Church. The amalgamated churches held its first service as First Wesley Church on Sunday.

Dwindling attendance was one of the main reasons for the amalgamation but plenty of churchgoers attended the Sunday service on Brodie Street.

Rick Cranston, past chair at First Church United, took his seat inside the church. He said other churches may soon find themselves in the same situation that First Church United faced and may have to amalgamate as well.

"When you look at the united churches in Thunder Bay, this is probably the first amalgamation," Cranston said. "There will be others following, we’re quite sure will be soon because we’re all in the same boat. There has been a decline and a lot of it is the culture. We got Sunday shopping, little kids going to hockey.

"Sunday morning isn’t the sacred day that it use to be. It’s like any other day for some families. Maybe we should expand to other times of worship."

But he saw the positives in collaborating with Wesley United and felt it would be beneficial for both churches to continue to serve their communities, he said. First United could host up to 450 people but over the years the numbers dwindled to around 80 on a Sunday.

With so few people in attendance it was disappointing to close First Church because it would no longer be able to serve the community, he said.

"It was a bit depressing to see so few people," he said. "But you look at it today and this building is almost full."

Bill Towill, chair of the church council, agreed that other congregations may have to combine forces to ensure their continue to serve their communities. There are 11 united churches in Thunder Bay for a population of 110,000.

With that many buildings, the ministry often found its focus wasn’t on helping the community, he said.

"We chose to turn the ship around and refocus on people and not focus on buildings," Towill said. "The other united churches in Thunder Bay are actively looking at potential amalgamations as well so they can strengthen their ministry and make best of their volunteers’ time."

As for the former First Church United on the corner of Brock Street and Ford Street, Towill said they had accepted a bid and hoped to have the building sold within the month.