By Charlene Tebbutt

Last service for Wesley United Church Sunday

Jun 23, 2018 | 9:36 AM

Wesley United Church will hold its last service this weekend, marking the end of a 138-year run in the city.

The final service at the historic church will start at 11 a.m. Sunday. The building, located at the corner of First Ave. and 11 St. E. was sold to the YWCA last year.

The church was started as a Methodist organization by Reverend Arthur Whiteside, who came to Prince Albert in 1880. According to church records, Whiteside named the church in honour of John Wesley, who founded the Methodist movement, and his brother Charles, who became famous for composing hymns. It was renamed Wesley United Church following a vote in 1925 when the Methodist congregation voted to join the United Church.

Members of the church have supported a variety of local outreach projects over the years, including collecting monthly food donations for the Food Bank, sponsoring refugee families from Thailand, supporting a youth camp at Candle Lake and St. Andrew’s Theological College in Saskatoon.

The church considered a redesign of the building at one point, to turn it into a high-rise complex with a sanctuary, small shops and affordable suites for seniors, however, they were unable to find a developer for the project.

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The congregation accepted an offer from the YWCA in 2017 to buy the property for its programming for newcomers to the city. The current minister, Rev. Dr. Tony Thompson, is set to retire as of June 30.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt