New Waterford: Calvin

Antedating the community by five years, Calvin Presbyterian Church was established in the future town of New Waterford in September of 1908, with 37 adult members. The congregation has since grown to nearly 600 members and includes both the Town and the surrounding areas.

Calvin was one of the pioneer United Church congregations in Canada being formed in 1918 by members of the Methodist congregation of Calvin Presbyterian Church. Calvin congregation has had ten ministers since it was formed. Former Ministers include Very Rev. C.M. Nicholson, a former Moderator, Rev. Norman McQueen, Rev. J.H. Hamilton, Rev. G.E. Whidden, Rev. D.M. Matheson, Rev. M.A. McMillan, and Rev. D.I. Macintosh.

A Methodist congregation was formed in 1908 and was supplied from Sydney until 1911, when Rev. Percy Johnston came to the community. In 1913, the Church counted 40 adult members, 116 in the Sunday School. In 1918, during the pastorate of Rev. J. Jefferson Neale the members of the Methodist congregation in anticipation of national Church union decided to merge with Calvin congregation and effected Church union in New Waterford, seven years before the United Church of Canada was formed in 1925.

During the pastorate of Rev. M.A. McMillan, Calvin United Church built a large new hall and this has served as the focal point for an expanding program of social activities and religious education. Calvin has given a number of native sons to the Christian ministry and one of its daughters has been serving for many years as a missionary in India. The present pastor is Rev. Duncan Roach, a native of Glace Bay, who succeeded Rev. D.K. MacLeod in 1971. In 1972 a former Calvin Pastor, Rev. Donald I. Macintosh, was named President of the Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada. In recent years the Church has directed increasing attention to Youth and their problems and has been a leader with other local churches in a greatly increased Ecumenical Movement.

The original church building was destroyed by fire early in 1986. The new church building is pictured below. A new manse was erected in the past decade and the Church Hall built in the 1950s continues to be a Center of Community Activity, and has in fact served as a church building since the destruction of the church.