1941: United Church Of Canada

The United Church of Canada, uniting the Congregational Churches of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the Methodist Church (Canada), raised a total in 1941 for all purposes of $11,547,037. The membership stood at 716,064 with 1,756,634 persons receiving pastoral oversight divided up into 7,239 congregations. The total value of property owned is over $85,549,557.

The Church sought during the year to make progress towards the liquidation of the deficit on its missionary and general work which accumulated during the depression years. At the present time more than $500,000, not included in the above totals, has been underwritten.

Over a hundred ministers are now serving as Chaplains to the Canadian Armed Forces or in connection with the Y.M.C.A. and Canadian Legion Auxiliary Services. This has made it difficult to carry on the normal work of the Church. The War Service Units of the congregations have furnished 1,250,000 articles of material aid to Canadian soldiers.

The Rev. Dr. Frank Langford, Secretary of the Board of Christian Education, died in February. The Rev. Dr. C. A. Myers has been appointed Acting Secretary pending the filling of the vacancy by General Council. Rev. Dr. F. C. Stephenson, who during his active ministry founded and inspired the Young People's Forward Movement for Missions throughout Canada, died in September.

The Moderator, the Right Rev. Aubrey S. Tuttle, M.A., D.D., LL.D., brought messages to Conferences, Presbyteries and Congregations throughout Eastern and Central Canada.

Among other important features in the life of the United Church during the year were the invitation to the heads of other Canadian Churches to appoint representatives to confer with representatives of the United Church relative to home missionary cooperation in Canada; the raising of $50,000 to aid British Churches overseas in carrying out their spiritual and social ministries in bombed out areas; the appointment of a Committee to study the problem created by the present number of Theological Colleges and the advisability of closing some in the interests of economy and a more vital educational policy; the appointment of Rev. Elias Andrews, M.A., B.D., and Rev. Ian MacKinnon, Ph.D., to the faculty of Pine Hill Divinity Hall, Halifax; the appointment of a special financial agent to act under the direction of the Board of Pensions to solicit special gifts for the capital of the Pension Fund; the official recognition of a Dominion Woman's Association Council and the adoption of a constitution to govern its activities and the setting up of a representative Commission on the Church, the Nation and the World Order, whose findings will be reported to the next General Council.