Through My Lens: St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church

My photo choice for today, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, is St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church. Located across the street from First Baptist Church, this building has been open for worship since 1933.

When the Methodists, the Presbyterians, and the Congregationalists came together in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada, two downtown congregations— Wesley Methodist on the southwest corner of Georgia and Burrard and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian on the northeast corner of Georgia and Richards—decided to come together as one congregation and jointly build a new church.

St. Andrew’s-Wesley is the result.

The late Gothic Revival building was built with Nelson Island granite and Haddington Island stone; inside, there is a vaulted timber ceiling. The first of the 27 Italian and French stained glass windows was commissioned by Prime Minister R. B. Bennett in memory of his sister, Evelyn Bennett Coats. Thanks to its excellent acoustics, the church is a popular venue for concerts. Jazz vespers takes place on Sunday afternoons and has done so for more than 30 years.

The 22-storey tower behind St. Andrew’s Wesley (at right in the photo) is St. Andrew’s Residence at Wesley Place. Income from the 200 rental units has funded various renovations of the main church building and provides income security for the dwindling congregation. The tower was completed in 2002 and was the largest development project ever taken on by the United Church anywhere in Canada.