Our History (Continued)
This was fine until the mid-1880s, when tension began to rise between the church and the school. While Rev. John Johnson prepared for worship one day, he was surprised to find the door locked against him. It was decided then that a Methodist church should be built for the parishioners of First South.
A committee was immediately formed, and plans were underway. A lot of land had been purchased by Levi Conrad for $10.00, and the church was completed in 1887. The original church, according to the memory of some older members and study of the original minutes, shows that the building looked comparable with how it looks today, minus the church hall. The front door was in the middle of this section, where the large window is today. The building was heated by a wood stove, and for serveral years there were no pews. The original pews were purchased from a church in Ritcey’s Cove (now Riverport) for 10 cents each.
After the 1925 amalgamation of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational into the United Church of Canada, First South Methodist Church became the First South United Church in 1928.
The building has taken several renovations over the years, including a major renovation in the 1950’s which included the addition of a church hall.
