Centenary Pastoral Charge Anniversary

Rev. Jean Brown | Jun 10, 2015

On Sunday, June 14, at 11am, Sharbot Lake United Church will host the 48th anniversary of the founding of the grouping of churches known as the Centenary Pastoral Charge, and all are welcome.

Forty-eight years ago, in Centennial year 1967, the three congregations of Maberly, Sharbot Lake and Parham joined together to form one unit to serve God by sharing prayers, resources, clergy, sacred spaces, and sharing their joys and sorrows together. The three churches will join up for a joint celebratory worship service at the Sharbot Lake site followed by a light lunch, and they hope that many will come.

Rev. Jean Brown will lead the worship. Special music is planned. It is hoped to raise the roof in praise and in singing some of the older hymns from our founding years.

The founding year of the United Church of Canada, a uniting and united church, was 1925 when three denominations - Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational, “united” to form one denomination. It was the first union of churches in the world to cross historical denominational lines and hence received international acclaim. Impetus for the union arose out of the concerns for serving the vast Canadian northwest and in the desire for better overseas mission. Each of the uniting churches, however, had a long history prior to 1925. Throughout the following years, this pattern of amalgamating, joining together to serve God and community, and sharing spaces continued, and it continues today as Maberly United Church prayerfully looks ahead to amalgamating with Sharbot Lake United. Past amalgamations in Sharbot Lake included Zealand and Oso, while Parham included Oconto, Tichborne, Wagarville and Long Lake.