The History of St. Mary's Anglican Church Nanoose Bay, BC

 

Some 25 years ago, a group of twelve Anglican families began meeting in Nanoose Bay with a vision of planting a new church. Archdeacon Logan McMenamie, then a young theological student, was dispatched from the Diocese to do the legwork in the community, discerning whether a new church was needed. In 1984 a Mission Church was established under the leadership of the Rev. Tony Essex. It met in the old Community Hall on Morello Road. The late Lt. Col. Jack Bagley had willed a seven-acre site to the diocese, and fund raising began towards the acquirement of a church building. The Mission Church changed from its venue to the Nanoose Library June 5, 1988 and continued to welcome new members. A Church Building Committee was elected in 1987. Missioner Tony Essex's final day was August 28, 1988. The mission church continued under the direction of St. Edmund's and the Rev. Peter Parker until his farewell August 6, 1989. Following that time, there were a number of officiants including the Rev. Bill Savage, the Rev. Barbara Huston, and Kirk Woolverton from the Laity.

 

Bishop Ronald Shepherd and the Synod of B.C. officially gave St. Mary's Church to Nanoose Bay in June of 1989. This little church was built in Errington in 1926 and was lit by candlelight and heated with a wood stove! The church bell was placed in 1957, a gift from the C.P.R. Sadly the congregation dwindled and it had to close its doors in 1988. The building committee oversaw the physical move of the church building from Errington to its present site on Powder Point Road in Nanoose Bay, on All Saint’s Day 1989. In 1990, the Rev. Barbara Huston conducted the first service in St. Mary's new setting. July 1, 1990, the Rev. Dean Henderson arrived as assistant and soon became our incumbent. Dean resigned his position at St. Mary's in June 1999 and was succeeded by the Rev. Peter Norman. Peter's first service at St. Mary's was January 9, 2000.

 

St. Edmund's had decided to build a new hall and generously offered their old hall to St. Mary's. … We have been given so much! The church grew quickly under Dean's guidance and a great yearning for independence developed and was achieved in 1992. Thus, the first new parish was born in the Diocese of British Columbia in 30 years.

 

Our 9:00 A.M.  Service was soon added to the 11:00 A.M. traditional service to accommodate the many new young families, which had joined the parish. Sunday school and V.B.S. soon followed.  The growth continued and in 1999 it was voted to build an extension onto the old building and to modernise it to accommodate 200+ worshippers at a service. The expansion was completed on schedule, with the first service in the completed new facility being held in June 2000.

2600 Powder Point Road

Nanoose Bay, BC  V9P 9E8

To contact us:

Phone: 250-468-5684

Fax: 250-468-5682

E-mail: stmarynb@shaw.ca

Web-page:  http://stmarysnb.org/