Portland United Church
A UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Saint John, New Brunswick
Our History
Portland United Church has been a presence in Saint John for 200 years, beginning from the humble roots of home-based worship services. The idea of establishing a church in the Parish of Portland area of the city began with discussion by some members of Germain Street Methodist Church two years prior to the first Portland service in1826 with the Rev. Richard Willams.
Very quickly it became evident that this new congregation would need a dedicated building. Charles Simonds, then the Speaker of the House of Assembly, donated land and John Owens, a local businessman, donated building materials and on June 7, 1829, the “Wesleyan Chapel” was opened for worshippers in the Parish of Portland. Ten years later this chapel was enlarged to accommodate the growing congregation.
Disaster first hit the Portland Methodist Church on August 26, 1841, when a nearby shipyard fire spread and destroyed the structure. The church was rebuilt and opened less than a year later on June 5, 1842.
Unfortunately, a fire again destroyed Portland in October 1877 when it burned in the Parish of Portland fire. This was four months after the “Great Saint John Fire”. In that disaster Germain Street Methodist Church had been destroyed, and they were sharing worship space with the Portland congregation. Over the next months St. Luke’s Anglican Church and Main Street Baptist Church opened their doors to the burned-out parishioners of the two Methodists congregations.
Portland Methodist Church rebuilt on their original site and in October 1881 a new building was dedicated and opened for worship.
Over the next 85 plus years Portland continued to grow. In the 1880s the Ladies Aid Group began, and a Young Men’s Association was formed. The Young Men’s Association Hall was opened in 1904, providing gym and sports facilities. For many years the Portland Flyers were champions of the Church Hockey League.
On June 10, 1925, Portland Methodist Church joined with congregations across Canada to become the United Church of Canada. The congregation then became known as Portland United Church.
The City of Saint John in the 1960s began the North End Urban Renewal program and it became clear to Portland members that their church would need to relocate. A 14-acre site was secured off Millidge Avenue and plans made to build a new 20,000 sq ft church building. Lt. Gov. Wallace Bird laid the cornerstone of the new building on April 12, 1970, and the first service in the building was held on June 21, 1971.
The Casavant organ, nave and balcony lights, and stained-glass windows, along with other sanctuary furniture were moved from the old Portland church and integrated into the new Portland sanctuary where they remain today.
In the early 2000s, Newport Village, a two-building complex providing affordable, subsidized housing, was built on the church property. In 2019 discussions began between the Portland congregation and Kindred Works, the property development corporation of the United Church of Canada. Since then, plans have been developed for a multi-unit apartment and townhouse project to be constructed on the church property fronting onto Millidge Avenue. It is anticipated that construction will begin in 2026.
