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Disagreements about theology and practice eventually led to the three major streams of Christian churches that exist today. All three trace their history to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and his early followers. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there is a direct connection between Peter, Jesus' disciple, and the popes of today. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches diverged at the beginning of the second millennium. In the 16th century, Pastor Martin Luther and like-minded followers broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, beginning the Protestant movement that saw the rise of many denominations in many countries. In 1925, three of these Protestant denominations, the Methodist, Congregationalist, and two-thirds of the Presbyterian churches in Canada amalgamated to create The United Church of Canada through an Act of Parliament. The agreement between these different traditions is found in the Basis of Union. Since 1925, other smaller groups of churches and individual congregations have joined The United Church of Canada, so that there are approximately 3,200 United Churches in Canada today. History of the United Church describes our history and traditions in much more detail. What We Believe Like other Christian churches, The United Church of Canada is rooted in God, Jesus, and the Bible. However, the way we understand God, practice our faith, and read the Bible is distinct, just as it is distinct in other denominations of the Christian church. A New Creed and A Song of Faith outline some of the basic elements of Christianity as understood and practised in The United Church of Canada. We have two sacraments, baptism and communion, both of which are open to people of any age. We recognize the validity of baptism as performed by other Christian churches and open the Lord`s table to all Christian believers. The United Church works together with other Christian churches whenever possible, and among people of other religions in Canada and throughout the world, on matters of social justice, peace, and human dignity. In North Battleford the merging of two church bodies, Knox Presbyterian and the Methodist Presbyterian , combined to form Third Avenue United Church. The new church was built on the corner of 3rd Avenue (now 13th avenue) and 102nd Street. Some earlier Scottish Presbyterians, with deep nostalgic roots, could not accept this union and formed their own church, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. Over a period of more than 80 years Third Avenue United Church has been served by many men and women of deep religious conviction. The ministerial teams consisted of: Rev. W.J. Pratt (Methodist), Rev. J.L. Nichol (Presbyterian), Rev. I.B. Naylor, Rev. Harry Heathfield, Rev. Stan Lucyk, Rev. Clifford Elliot, Rev. Alan Logie, Rev. Bruce Wartman, Miss Ruth Scoular, Rev. Don Milne, Rev. S.A. (Curly) Doan, Rev. Eleanor Geib, Rev. J.A. Davidson, Rev. Murray A. MacDonald, Miss June Woodworth, Rev. Jack Carr, Vicki Obedkoff, Rev. Tom Powell, Debra Schweyer, Rev. George Holliday (Interim), Rev. Faye Ford, Rev. Fred Tinio, Rev. Frances Patterson, Rev. Dexter van Dyke and Rev. Jo-Ann Hills (Current Minister). |
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