First Presbyterian Church is a historic

Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...

congregation and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

church building A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...

in the city's

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Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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, Canada. The congregation celebrated its 125th anniversary in November 2006.

History

The Organizational Meeting for this congregation was held on November 3, 1881, and the first building opened at 104 Street and 99 Avenue a year later. The second structure was completed and dedicated in July 1902 at 103 Street and Jasper Avenue. The present building was completed in November 1912. In September 1978 the building was designated a Provincial Historic Resource.

Notable ministers

A notable minister was The Rev. David George McQueen, DD, LLD who served for 43 years, starting in 1887 upon graduation from

Knox College, University of Toronto Knox College is a Colleges of the University of Toronto, postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1844 as ...

, and guided the formation of numerous congregations in the area. He served as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

in 1912 (hosted by First in the second building) and as "Interim Moderator" in 1925, before Ephraim Scott was elected to resume the "Continuing Presbyterian Church". McQueen's predecessor and FPC's founding Minister was Rev. Andrew Browning Baird, DD, who arrived in Edmonton before the arrival of the railway, but left Edmonton for a professorship at

Manitoba College Manitoba College was a college that existed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from 1871 to 1967, when it became one of the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba’s founding colleges. It was one of the first institutions of higher learning ...

(and like his successor, was also PCC Moderator, in 1916). It is said that McQueen was a staunch opponent of Church Union in 1925, and that First Presbyterian Edmonton was the seat of the "rebellion" which saw 1/3 of the Presbyterian Church remain independent of the newly formed United Church of Canada.

References

External links

First Presbyterian Church of Edmonton
Churches in Edmonton Presbyterian churches in Canada Provincial Historic Resources in Edmonton Gothic Revival architecture in Edmonton Presbyterian organizations established in the 19th century Brick Gothic Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada Municipal Historic Resources of Edmonton 20th-century Presbyterian church buildings in Canada {{Edmonton-stub