The Rev. John Wesley
(1703-1791), a revivalist in the Church of England, founded
the Methodist movement as a Christian renewal ministry in
the 18th Century declaring, “The Whole World is
My Parish.” Methodists played a
prominent role in the history of Upper
Canada with a large number of them
being United Empire Loyalists settled in the
Belleville area.
St. Matthew’s United
Church is a “blended family” of
two great historic Methodist Churches here in
Belleville. Our
story begins with Tabernacle
United Church
that was built in 1875 and was located on the East side of
Church Street at the base of the
Belleville water tower.
Holloway Street
United Church
was built in 1876 and served it's
West Hill neighbourhood. The two
congregations felt God’s call to join together ten years ago
in order to more effectively serve Jesus Christ in the
community. Therefore, St. Matthew's
United Church
is a new Church, the product of the amalgamation of
Holloway St. and
Tabernacle United
Churches
plus the Bay of Quinte Ministry with the Deaf. St. Matthew's
was officially established in the summer of 1995 during the
period that the Rev. Barry Goodwin was serving as Interim
Minister at Holloway St. United Church. Following
amalgamation the Tabernacle structure was demolished. A
memorial was erected on the site.
The Rev. Barry Goodwin
was the first minister of the amalgamated congregation. He
was followed by the Rev. Dr. W. Wayne Soble who was St.
Matthew’s minister until June 2004 when he accepted a call
to Edith
Rankin United
Church in
Kingston. The Rev. Mark Fleming was
appointed to serve as Interim Supply Minister until
June 30, 2005. The Rev. Ross Lockhart accepted a
call to St. Matthew’s on
September 1, 2005. As a
church family St. Matthew’s is proud of its history of
proclaiming and living the gospel in
Belleville. We
rejoice that the Holy Spirit is leading us in this new
period of growth and revival under Rev. Ross’ leadership as
we work to enhance God’s reputation in our community.
Even better than reading about “our story” on the
website is to join us and become part of the story.
Come serve Jesus Christ with us in word and action!
“In souls filled with
love, the desire to please God is a continual prayer.”
- John Wesley
What is the mission of St.
Matthew's United Church?
The mission of St. Matthew's United Church is to help
the Holy Spirit make disciples
for Jesus and reveal the glory of God in the world
through our words and actions.
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