Historic Sites of Manitoba: Rosedale Methodist Church / Rosedale United Church / Churchill Park United Church (525 Beresford Avenue, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Clerics | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The Rosedale Methodist Church began with the 2 June 1910 meeting of the South Winnipeg District of the Methodist Conference of Manitoba. Chairman Andrew Stewart appointed Wesley College student minister A. H. Stook to take pastoral charge of a church-plant in Winnipeg. The first summer service was held 14 August 1910 with 18 members under a large tent at the corner of Nassau Street at Beresford Avenue. With winter pending, tenders were called and a white-painted frame building measuring 30 feet by 45 feet was erected on the same site by the Shepley Construction Company.

The church opened on 30 October 1910 and was expanded a further 12 feet in late 1911, adding room for a parlor and kitchen. The church reopened in early January 1912, the building and expansion having cost $8,671. Further improvements were made at a cost of $1,500. Between 1919 and 1922, a parsonage was purchased nearby, at 357 Rosedale Avenue, for $5,000. In February 1918, an Honor Roll was formed, citing the names of 40 church members who had served to date in the First World War.

On 21 November 1948, the cornerstone of a new expansion was laid by two founding members of the church, Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Woodcock, amongst a crowd of 200 congregants and church leadership. The St. Cecilia-style building, designed by the architectural firm of Prain and Ward, and built by contractor J. R. Bugby at a cost of around $40,000, featured a brick exterior with chancel and beam ceiling construction. The new building sat 250 people and was built adjacent to the old structure. It was opened and dedicated on 6 March 1949. The structure was expanded upon again in 1957 at a cost of $150,000, designed by the firm of Prain and Ward. The main hall now featured seating for 400 and was dedicated to Reverend Hugh McFarlane. Additions featured a lounge, minister’s study, club rooms, and nursery and kindergartens.

The Rosedale Methodist Church became the Rosedale United Church. In 1995, the Rosedale United Church and Riverview United Church merged to become the Churchill Park United Church. Inside the church are honour rolls commemorating parishioners who served and were casualities in the First World War.

Clerics

Period	Cleric
1910-1911	A. H. Stook
1911-1915	Charles Morgan (?-1931)
1915-1919	James A. Hatfield
1919-1922	G. A. Peacock
1922-1927	William Henry Clarence Leech (1874-1938)
1927-1932	Francis J. Price (?-1932)
1932-1937	Samuel J. B. Parsons
1937-1944	C. S. Matchett
1944-1953	Hugh McFarlane
1953-1959	Stanley S. Searle
1959-1966	D. Wilton Fraser (1910-2003)

Photos & Coordinates

Churchill Park United Church (August 2014) Source: Nathan Kramer Interior of Churchill Park United Church (June 2019) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.86050, W97.13473 denoted by symbol on the map above

First World War Casualties

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
W. Chambers	?	?	?	?	?
R. Costello	?	?	?	?	?
Norman Wildgoose [Next of Kin]	None	5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	26 December 1896	27 September 1916

Second World War Casualties

Name	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
J. Allen	?	?	?	?
Oswald Walter Armstrong	Royal Canadian Air Force	Flying Officer	28 September 1922	3 February 1945
Robert Cowie	Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps	Private	19 December 1915	13 December 1943
Ralph Neil Earp [City Hall, Kelvin]	HMCS Shawinigan, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Able Seaman	15 February 1926	24 November 1944
Trevor Jones Hughes [Kelvin]	544 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Pilot Officer	3 April 1913	15 May 1943
William Harvey Johnson	100 (RAF) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Sergeant	10 June 1923	16 March 1945
James Colin Kerr	Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps	Lieutenant	20 April 1921	10 October 1944
Jack Takvor [Kelvin]	260 (RAF) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Pilot Officer	12 August 1922	19 December 1942

See also:

Manitoba Business: Shepley Construction Company

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Riverview Presbyterian Church / Riverview School / Riverview United Church (360 Oakwood Avenue, Winnipeg)

Sources:

“Fort Rouge,” Winnipeg Tribune, 15 September 1910, page 2.

“Rosedale Methodist Church,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 January 1912, page 5.

“Rosedale Methodists unveil Honor Roll,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 February 1918, page 6.

“Rosedale United will celebrate 18th birthday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 October 1928, page 16.

“Rev. S. J. Parsons, of Rosedale Church, is called to Brandon,” Winnipeg Tribune, 7 June 1937, page 9.

“Congregation extends welcome to new Minister,” Winnipeg Tribune, 20 November 1937, page 18.

“Rev W. H. Leech dies suddenly,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 December 1938, page 3.

“Two Ministers receive calls,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 January 1944, page 13.

“Rosedale United began services in tent,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 November 1946, page 14.

“Church pioneers lay cornerstone,” Winnipeg Tribune, 22 November 1948, page 5.

“To dedicate new Rosedale Church,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 March 1949, page 9.

“Old and new churches filled at Rosedale United dedication,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 March 1949, page 7.

“A record of growth since 1910,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 November 1957, page 35.

“Church turns 75 Sunday,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 November 1985, page 66.

Obituary [D. Wilton Fraser], Winnipeg Free Press, 2 March 2003, page B7.

Rosedale United Church: Silver Jubilee Anniversary, 1910-1935, Winnipeg Rosedale United Church, 1935. [Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.]

525 Beresford Avenue, Winnipeg Architecture.

For the names of First World War casualities from Manitoba who do not appear on any physical monument in the province, see the Manitoba Historical Society War Memorial. If you know of a name that is omitted from this list, please contact the MHS War Memorial Researcher Darryl Toews (darryl@mhs.mb.ca).

Soldiers of the First World War - Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial, Veterans Affairs Canada.

Financial support for research reported on this page was provided by the Manitoba Heritage Grants Program (2015-2016).

We thank George Penner, Darryl Toews, and Gordon Goldsborough for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 7 April 2023

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