St. Matthew's United Church is a

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 ...

church in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. The church was founded at the same time as the original colony in 1749 as a home for the various groups of

dissenting Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

Protestants who were from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and who did not follow the Church of England. It originally met Sunday afternoons in St. Paul's Church, the Church of England building completed in 1750. The church got its own home in 1754 when a church was constructed at Hollis and Prince streets. This building was destroyed by fire in 1857, and a new church was built at the current location at 1479 Barrington Street, land parcelled off of the

Black-Binney House The Black-Binney House was a former residence built in 1819 in Halifax, Nova Scotia which is now a National Historic Site of Canada. The house was built by John Black (merchant) and is reflective of the Palladian-inspired residences common during ...

estate by Bishop

Hibbert Binney Hibbert Binney (12 August 1819 – 30 April 1887) was a Canadian Church of England bishop. He was the fourth Bishop of Nova Scotia from 1851 to 1887. Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the grandson of Hibbert Newton Binney and the son of the Rev ...

. The church used the

Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) The Old Burying Ground (also known as St. Paul's Church Cemetery) is a historic cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road in Downtown Halifax. History The Old Bur ...

The church was originally an amalgam of various dissenting Protestant groups with it mostly being a mix of Scottish

Presbyterians 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

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

Congregationalists Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

from the American colonies. Over the course of the 19th century the number of Presbyterians gradually increased and they came to dominate the church. In 1787, an agreement was made to adhere closer to

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

polity. They formally joined the

in the 1830s and joined Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1875. In 1925, however, it returned somewhat to its roots when the United Church of Canada was formed uniting several of the major Protestant denominations including the Presbyterians and Congregationalists. Saint Matthew's Church, Barrington Street, Halifax

Saint Matthew's Church, Barrington Street, Halifax

George Monro Grant George Monro Grant (December 22, 1835 – May 10, 1902) was a Canadian church minister, writer, and political activist. He served as principal of Queen's College, Kingston, Ontario, for 25 years, from 1877 until 1902. Early life, education Gr ...

, grandfather of George Parkin Grant and great-grandfather of

Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff (; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a histo ...

, was Minister from 1863 - 1877. Grant was appointed to

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

as Principal of Queen's University, by the Presbyterian Church in Canada's General Assembly, meeting within the congregation in June 1877.

Sandford Fleming Sir Sandford Fleming (January 7, 1827 – July 22, 1915) was a Scottish Canadian engineer and inventor. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to colonial Canada at the age of 18. He promoted worldwide standard time zones, a prime meridian, ...

was also an Elder in congregation during Grant's tenure. The 250th Anniversary celebrated in 1999, with a new history book, ''A sentinel on the street; St Matthew's United Church, Halifax 1749-1999'' by Elizabeth Townsend, et al.

Ministers (1751-1883)

* Rev

Aaron Cleveland Aaron Cleveland (29 October 171511 August 1757 Philadelphia) was a clergyman. He established the first Presbyterian church in Canada. He was a great-great-grandfather of United States President Grover Cleveland. Biography His father was also ...

(1751-1753) (died in the home of his friend

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

) *

John Seccombe Rev. John Seccombe (25 April 1708 – 27 October 1792) was an author, a founder of Chester, Nova Scotia and was “the best-known and most highly respected clergyman in Nova Scotia.” He was also the author of ''Father Abbey's Will'', which was ...

(1761-1783) * Thomas Russell (1784-1787) * Rev Andrew Brown Old College, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(1787-1795) *Rev

Archibald Gray Reverend Archibald Gray (died 1831) was an influential Presbyterian minister in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He served in the St. Matthew's United Church (Halifax) for 30 years (1795–1826). Gray was a native of Morayshire and a graduate of King's C ...

(1795-1826); buried in the

*Rev.

John Scott (minister) John Scott may refer to: Academics * John Scott (1639–1695), English clergyman and devotional writer * John Witherspoon Scott (1800–1892), American minister, college president, and father of First Lady Caroline Harrison * John Work Scott ( ...

(1826-1883) Rev Aaron Cleveland.png, Rev

(1751-1753) Bust of Rev Andrew Brown by Thomas Campbell (1815), Old College, Edinburgh University.jpg, Rev Andrew Brown Old College, the

(1787-1795) Rev Archibald Gray by Robert Field.png, Rev

(1795-1826); buried in the

File:Rev. John Scott, Halifax, Nova Scotia.png, Rev.

Current Minister of Word, Sacrament, and Pastoral Care: The Rev. Elizabeth (Betsy) Hogan, 2010-

Notable members

Joshua Mauger Joshua Mauger (1725– 18 October 1788) was a prominent merchant and slave trader in Halifax, Nova Scotia (1749–60) and then went to England and became Nova Scotia's colonial agent (1762). He has been referred to as "the first great merchant an ...

References

External links

*
History of St Mathew's Church. NS Historical Society. p. 137 St. Matthew's United Church. 1910.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Matthew's United Church, Halifax Churches in Halifax, Nova Scotia United Church of Canada churches in Nova Scotia Gothic Revival architecture in Halifax, Nova Scotia Burned buildings and structures in Canada William Thomas (architect) buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada