History
Welcome! Cedar Park United is a theologically open and questioning congregation that warmly invites all visitors to join us in faith, family and community. The church community began in 1893 as a summer pastorate under the leadership of Otto Lilly. With the influx of permanent residents into the community, a year-round pastorate was founded in 1899 as the Pointe Claire Presbyterian Mission. An enlarging population by 1922 resulted in the construction of Lilly Memorial Presbyterian Church, and in 1925 Lilly Memorial became part of the United Church of Canada. In order to accommodate the higher number of postwar numbers, the present building was constructed in 1954-1955 and was renamed Cedar Park United Church. The congregation celebrated its centennial in 1999.
As a long established church, Cedar Park draws its members and adherents from a wide area. The congregation has 224 households under its pastoral care, with membership at 240. The average Sunday attendance is approximately 100. There is a Sunday School of about 25 children ages 3 to 12. During the last 70 years, Cedar Park United has had only five ministers, each staying 10 years or more.
Copies of Centennial Stories of Cedar Park United Church by Jeannie Walbridge Blevins describing the first 100 years of the congregation are available for $15 from the Church Office (514 695-3337). The first chapter of Second Century Stories of CPUC, telling about the first decade (1999-2009) of the second century, is now available for $5. For a more extensive online history of the church, visit http://cedarparkunited.org/old/history.htm.
Recent history update
In 2005 – newcomer Norman Jones started a Men’s Group; Friday evening Coffee Houses were renewed from the 1960s; and the 80th anniversary of the United Church of Canada was celebrated on the theme “Dare to be United”.
Meanwhile Elizabeth Chown had been admirably filling the role of Office Administrator since December 2002. Her title was later changed to the more appropriate “Church Administrator”.
2007’s Grandmothers for Grandmothers group helped African grandmothers bring up their grandchildren since their children had died of AIDS. Covenant for Harmony was created to help us communicate with each other more effectively.
In June 2007 Douglas Knight became CPUC’s new Music Ministry Director. The following year, he started the popular community choir “Voices for Hope”.
2008 featured a Covenant with Creation (Green Church policy), and CPUC became an Affirming Ministry (supporting gays). This was followed by a new Identity & Values Statement in 2009. By the end of 2009, Cedar Park Church had a much-needed new green 50-year roof on the sanctuary. The roof of the Christian Education building was completed the following spring. Rev. Sharon Moon retired in June 2010.
Sharon celebrates communion 2010
While we worked to find a new permanent minister, Supply Minister Rev. Ron Coughlin, storyteller par excellence, spiced up our year with courses like Christianity 101, and Lyrics of The Messiah. Rev. Ron also helped the congregation’s baby boomers with Pastoral Care and memorial services for their beloved parents. A beautiful new organ was donated by Christmas 2010.
