Knox-Metropolitan United Church stands on Lorne Street at Victoria Avenue across from

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

in downtown Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada. It is the current manifestation of

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

congregations that date back to "worship services in both traditions…in 1882."

Construction of Knox Presbyterian and Metropolitan Methodist Churches

Metropolitan Methodist and Knox Metropolitan on Lorne Street and Victoria Avenue Regina 1911

Knox Presbyterian originally stood at the corner of 11th Avenue and Scarth Street and was replaced by the Post Office building which was later temporarily converted to a substitute city hall and is now the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

. The congregation of Knox Presbyterian relocated to the north-east corner of 12th Avenue and Lorne Street. "The Metropolitan Methodist Church was designed by

Darling and Pearson Darling and Pearson was an architectural firm based in Toronto from 1895 through 1937. The firm was prolific and produced consistently fine work though the patronage of notable figures of the Canadian establishment, and is responsible for enhancing ...

of Toronto. It cost over $100,000 when it was built in 1906-1907. Regina from the tower of the Metropolitan Methodist Church ca

Both were square rather than long and relatively narrow like

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

churches, and both Knox's daughter congregation, St. Andrew's, and First Presbyterian on Albert Street, formed by a substantial and large minority of Knox's congregation who preferred not to be

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

The 1912 "Cyclone" and re-construction of Metropolitan Methodist and Knox Presbyterian

Metropolitan Methodist stood on the site of Knox-Metropolitan United. "Francis Henry (Frank) Portnall was born on May 3, 1886, on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, England. He began his architectural training at the age of 14 and then was hired as a draftsman with the London firm of Weir, Burrows and Weir. In 1906, he immigrated to Canada and worked on a farm in Manitoba. After harvest that year, Portnall was hired by the Toronto architectural firm, Darling and Pearson, and moved to Regina to supervise the construction of the Metropolitan Methodist Church, now the Knox-Metropolitan United Church."

Metropolitan Methodist Church circa 1912

Both Knox Presbyterian and Metropolitan Methodist’s buildings were destroyed by the

Regina Cyclone The Regina Cyclone, or Regina tornado of 1912, was a tornado that devastated the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, on Sunday, June 30, 1912. It remains the deadliest tornado in Canadian history with a total of 28 fatalities and about 300 p ...

of 1912. The congregational website in 2012 mentioned it, "We have a lot of history behind us at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Lorne Street in Regina. Our building was once knocked down by the tornado of 1912, but we got back up again." Both church buildings were soon rebuilt; "(ironically,...Portnall collaborated on a revised design when...Metropolitan Methodist was destroyed by a tornado...." before the economic demands of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, which erupted in 1914 and which Canada immediately joined though the US remained neutral until 1916.

Church union, 1925

Both became

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

on June 10, 1925 when the new denomination was formed by the national merger of Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches. Many of Knox's congregation had dissented from the 1925 church union and adjourned to the new First (non-concurring) Presbyterian Church on Albert Street, built in 1926. In 1927 Mr. and Mrs.

Francis Nicholson Darke Francis Nicholson Darke (October 25, 1863 – July 17, 1940) was a leading citizen of Regina, Saskatchewan and served as Mayor of Regina, Member of Parliament and as a prominent businessman. He was born near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Isl ...

donated the Darke Memorial Chimes to the Metropolitan Church in memory of their son, Clifford Albert Darke. The twelve hand-rung bells were cast in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England by the firm that made the bells for

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, Mears and Stainbank of London, England, established in 1570. The peal consists of twelve bells, weighing nearly sixteen tons in all, tuned to the diatonic scale of C, having a span of an octave and a fifth. The largest bell, weighing about two tons, has two clappers since it serves as a toll bell as well. The bells, controlled by individually hung ropes, are arranged in the ringing chamber in a circular fashion where several ringers can work at one time or a single person can play a melody line.

Merging of congregations

The congregations of the two churches, having become United Church of Canada in 1925, were merged in 1951 and the Knox building was demolished, the merged congregation thereafter generally referred to as Knox-Met and occupying the Metropolitan building. Many members of Knox's congregation had relocated to the new post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

residential subdivision of Lakeview south of

Wascana Creek Wascana Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is a tributary of the Qu'Appelle River. Originating in the fields east of Regina near Vibank, Wascana Creek travels south-east for approximately before turning back west ...

and when Knox United was demolished its impressive

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

was moved to the new Lakeview United Church. The only remaining visible Knox-Met "souvenir" of the cyclone of 1912 is different-coloured bricks on the north wall of then-Metropolitan, showing where the wall collapsed and was rebuilt. "The 'traditional' style of

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

popularized by England’s William Morris continued well into the 20th century....There are fine windows in...Knox-Metropolitan United (in the Tiffany manner)...." The organ of Knox went to Wascana United Church south of Regina Avenue west of Wascana Lake.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian-cum-United

St. Andrew's Presbyterian was long ago a daughter congregation of Knox Presbyterian. It was located north of the railway tracks at 1475 Athol Street and Dewdney Avenue, east of the North-West Territories legislative buildings; the congregation dated from before the founding of the Province of Saskatchewan in 1905. It was on Dewdney Avenue, east of

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

of the North-West Territories (before 1905). A new building was constructed after World War II; it only had an electric organ but its choir-director through the 1970s was Howard Leyton-Brown, the head of the music department at

Regina Campus The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...

, later the University of Regina and ministers of St. Andrew's were highly eminent and visiting national leaders of the United Church would guest-preach there. Ethnicity of that area of Regina has changed in recent years and the congregation of St. Andrew's drastically fell but with its well-earned reputation for vitality and service, it relocated to Knox-Met rather than shutting down, and holds its Sunday services in the chapel. :St. Andrew’s Presbyterian congregation dedicated their first place of worship in November 1907…. Knox Church had its beginning in 1883 and by 1907 was concerned about the fifty Presbyterian families located north of the CPR. Consequently, St. Andrew’s Hall in the 2700 block Dewdney was built for a new congregation." :The second dedication…took place in December 1916 in the St. Andrew’s Church, Dewdney Avenue and Retallack Street…. 1925…the congregation as a whole became St. Andrew’s United….A building fund was set up in 1927, but plans were interrupted by a depression and a world war…. St. Andrew’s had the distinction of having had only three ministers in its first forty years. Rev. F.H. Morgan began his ministry in October 1949 with the responsibility of piloting the building programme….with the rapid completion of the church in 1951 and the mortgage retirement in 1955….Under the guidance of Rev. G.L. Toombs (1956-61) buildings were extended in the building of the Christian Education Hall…. A new manse was built at Montague Street and 8th Avenue....Despite St. Andrews’ liveliness, substantial music and prosperity, a pipe organ was never built there, it remaining confined to a two-manual electric organ until the closure of its building. Carmichael Presbyterian-cum-United Church in the east end was also a daughter congregation of Knox. Once a thriving church, its Sunday services were broadcast on radio. The east end significantly changed in character and Carmichael closed. Its clergy furniture wound up in the hands of the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...

, which uses it for degree ceremonies in the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts.

Knox-Met activity

Knox-Met is the major venue for downtown choral concerts, organ recitals and the annual Rotary Carol Festival. ''The Rotary Club began sponsorship of a Regina Festival of Christmas Carols ca 1940 at Knox-Metropolitan icUnited Church.'' Such musical activity is accompanied by the three-manual

Casavant Frères Casavant Frères is a Canadian organ building company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building pipe organs since 1879. As of 2014, the company has produced more than 3,900 organs. Company history Brothers Joseph-Claver (1855–1 ...

organ pipe organ that was installed in 1974. Like First Baptist and Westminster United, Knox-Met has its interior arranged in the

Akron Plan The Akron Plan was a scheme for the design of churches and other religious buildings that housed Sunday schools. It was characterized by a set of wedge-shaped classrooms that radiated from the direction of a central superintendent's platform. D ...

, a square auditorium the pews arranged in a fan shapeThe departing members of Knox having "contracted with local Regina architect F.W. Portnall to design a new building" http://www.firstpresregina.ca/building.html 24 July 2012. It is in

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

styling. radiating out from the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

and portable

communion table Communion table or Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the '' ...

, perhaps making it more suitable a focus in congregational worship than the formal style of

and

churches with their principle altar on the

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

east wall and the clergy and assistants facing away from the congregation for the communion ceremonies. In recent years of course the latter have moved their altars away from the liturgical east wall and closer to the congregation, faced by clergy throughout as was common in evangelical Protestant worship services. The Darke Memorial Chimes are heard every Sunday morning and on other special occasions. The church has a large 3-manual

organ, the gift of Isabel Willoughby and installed in the early 1970s.

Gallery of "Cyclone"

File:Metropolitan Methodist Church and YWCA, Lorne Street, after the June 30, 1912.jpg, Metropolitan Methodist Church and YWCA after "cyclone" File:Presbyterian church wrecked by cyclone, Regina Sask..jpg, Knox Presbyterian Church after the "cyclone." File:The YMCA, after the June 30, 1912 cyclone.jpg, Damage to Knox Presbyterian Church and the YMCA File:Metropolitan Presbyterian Church after the cyclone.jpg, Metropolitan Methodist Church after the cyclone File:Damage to Metropolitan Methodist Church.jpg, Damage to Metropolitan Methodist Church File:Damage to buildings after the cyclone.jpg, Victoria Avenue at Smith Street looking west to Metropolitan Methodist Church

Notes

External links

* {{Authority control United Church of Canada churches in Saskatchewan Churches in Regina, Saskatchewan