Celebrating the 100th Anniversary
of The United Church of Canada

~ from a post published on January 10, 2025 on The United Church of Canada’s website

In her video message, Moderator Carmen Lansdowne invites communities of faith to bring the vision of the United Church to life in their communities in 2025. Your congregation has made a difference in your community — now is the time to celebrate that with your neighbours!

To view the message and find more information click here.

Transcript of video message:

The United Church of Canada’s 100th anniversary is June 10, 2025. What did the founders envision our church would be like 100 years from its beginning?

Whatever they imagined, I’m sure they counted on the church being connected with the community around it.

In the months since the Centennial kick-off on our 99th anniversary, we’ve found ways to commemorate the joys and challenges of the church—the good we’ve created in the world, and also the times we failed to live faithfully in God’s world.

And—the anniversary can still be a time of celebration, so we are inviting you to imagine and dream about how you’ll do that in your community!

The United Church of Canada has so many longstanding traditions of gathering communities: in worship, for food and fellowship, for strawberry teas and community festivals. Street parties, dance parties, lecture series, and public gatherings.

Maybe you’d offer an outdoor concert? Or possibly sponsor a free swim at the community pool and offer attendees celebratory cupcakes as they leave? Might you gather with other communities of faith for joint celebrations?

How will you mark this special moment in the church with the community your church calls home? Your congregation has made a difference in your community. Invite your neighbours to celebrate that with you. What better reason could you have for celebrating with your neighbours?

If your congregation needs financial assistance to realize your plans, The United Church of Canada Foundation is offering grants to a maximum of $5,000 to support celebrations of the Centennial.

Be sure to let us know your plans through the Centennial web pages on The United Church of Canada website. We’re building a map of Centennial events and would love to have it filled with anniversary events in 2025. Let’s remind ourselves of the vision of a united church that was integral to Canada from coast to coast to coast and bring that vision to life where we live!