St. Matthew's United Church is a

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

church in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English 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 district ( ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

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

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

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 estate by Bishop Hibbert Binney. The church used the

Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) The Old Burying Ground (also known as St. Paul's Church (Halifax), 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 Halif ...

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

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and

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Congregationalists Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

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 (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

polity. They formally joined the

in the 1830s and joined

Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...

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.

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 George Parkin Grant (13 November 1918 – 27 September 1988) was a Canadian philosopher, university professor and social critic. He is known for his Canadian nationalism, a political conservatism that affirms the values of community, equality and ...

and great-grandfather of

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

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

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as Principal of Queen's University, by the

'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 immigrated 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 n ...

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

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

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

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

(1787–1795) *Rev

Archibald Gray Archibald, Arch or Archie Gray may refer to: * Archibald Gray (minister) (before 1770–1831), Canadian Presbyterian minister * Sir Archibald Gray (dermatologist) (1880–1967), English dermatologist * Archie Gray (footballer, born 1887) (1887–19 ...

(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 (April 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 merc ...

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