About us
Who we are
St. Paul's is a congregation of the United Church of Canada in Tillsonburg, Ontario, with roots going back to 1835.
Vision
St. Paul's is a church making a difference through positive and engaged members, living their faith.
Values
In all we do, we are guided by four principles:
- We are sensitive to the needs of individuals and groups within our congregation and the world around us.
- We provide services and study that are innovative, intergenerational, and at all times celebrative, reverent, and proclaiming of God's love.
- We build an environment of individual trust and respect, enabling everyone to be cared for, to be nurtured, to feel a sense of belonging, and to grow in their faith journeys.
- We are good stewards of God's creation, seeking justice for all, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our history
The congregation's story begins with the "old chapelle" of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, established in Tillsonburg in 1835. In 1867, the Tillsonburg Methodist Church was built on the site of the present St. Paul's United Church.
That building was destroyed by fire in 1912 and replaced with the present church, which opened in 1914. In 1917 the congregation's name changed to St. Paul's Methodist Church.
In 1925, when the Methodist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian churches in Canada joined together to form the United Church of Canada, the congregation's name changed once more — to St. Paul's United Church, the name it carries today.
The building has grown and changed over the decades. In 1988, a new Friendship Centre opened, housing the Friendship Room, the minister's study, offices, and an elevator, alongside an enlarged banquet hall and a new kitchen.
Leadership
Rev. Karlene Brown-Palmer
Minister (appointed September 1, 2017)
Rev. Maurice Francis & Rev. Pat Cook
Voluntary Associate Ministers
Shelley Vermeersch
Organist and Music Director
Helen Loehndorf
Church Administration
Desmond Palmer
Custodian
Council and committee membership is recorded separately from this page — see Contact to request current governance documents. [OWNER VERIFICATION REQUIRED — see OWNER_VERIFICATION.md]