History
Celebrating over 190 Years in Newmarket!
The History of Trinity United Church begins with Methodism, which grew out of the Church of England in the 1700's under the guidance of the brothers John and Charles Wesley. They began a movement that was to be centered on helping the poor and the average person following Jesus's command to spread the Good News and serve all humankind.
In the early days of the nineteenth century, the "saddle-bag" preachers of the Methodist Church began to bring the gospel message to the rural areas north of York (Toronto) which was the capitol of Upper Canada at the time. Because of the distance between settlements, these preachers would ride on horseback. The Methodist Circuit of Yonge Street first included Newmarket in 1824 with worshippers meeting in local houses.
A temporary chapel was built in 1827, and in 1840 a permanent church and a school were erected on Prospect Avenue (on the site of the present Alexander Muir Residence). By 1877, the congregation had grown substantially and a parcel of land (the present location) was purchased at the corner of Main and New Street (now Park Avenue) for $1,514.35. In 1879, the front section of the present sanctuary was built with broad stone steps leading to two front entrances. The first of the week-long education services were held on Thursday evening, 22nd of January 1880 with the four hundred seat auditorium filled to capacity.
By 1908 it was becoming apparent that the church, and particularly the Sunday School, needed more space. In 1911 renovations resulted with an auditorium of about double the seating capacity. This included enlarging the downstairs rooms and altering the front section to a single entry. The cost was roughly $28,500. Trinity Methodist Church was reopened on the 11th of February 1912. The building has been enlarged and renovated several times since that date.
On the 10th of June 1925, Trinity had joined other Methodist congregations to amalgamate with Presbyterians and Congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada.
Today, Trinity United Church is a vibrant Community of Faith that is celebrating over 190 years in Newmarket. Our historic church building itself is a ministry! We are home to many community groups and outreach programs. We have a mission to help our generation know God offering opportunities for spiritual growth and nurture to all while caring for the needs of God's people and God's world. We warmly invite you to join us as we carry this ministry forward in the 21st century.