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The United Church resulted from the
combining of the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. This act didn't take place until
1925; before that, each church was independent.
In 1866, Alexander L. Fortune, who was a missionary, came to the Okanagan Valley and settled on the Spallumcheen River. There he taught Indians on the Enderby Reservation of the Great Spirit and conducted services each Sunday with the support of Roman Catholic Priests.
The first Presbyterian Church in Enderby was built in 1890 where the laundromat is today (on the corner of Russell and George Streets). A.L. Fortune held the very first Sunday School in almost all of Canada in that building.
During that time the Presbyterian as well as the Methodist Church was part of the Spallumcheen field which included Armstrong north to Sicamous. Gradually, the field decreased over a period of years and Enderby eventually got its own minister.
The second Presbyterian Church was erected on the corner of Belvedere and Regent Streets in 1906 and was called St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. It was the very first brick church in the valley and the approximate cost of construction was $5,000.
After laying the bricks, which were made from Enderby's own brickyard, the Masons left the trowel in the wall; it is still there today. Funds for the construction of the building were raised through a combination of weekly collections and outside-of-church donations.
Since Alexander L. Fortune was very active in the Presbyterian organization, a monument was erected in 1924 in honor of his memory. It was placed in front of St. Andrews Church.
In the early 1900's Enderby's Methodist church was also slowly prospering. George Bell (who later became Enderby's first mayor) was a very hard worker and prominent member of the Methodist congregation. The first Methodist church in Enderby was located on Cliff Street. A second larger building made of bricks was erected next to it in 1909. Later, however, it had to be torn down due to an accumulation of water in the basement which could not be drained. Thereafter, services were held in the Drill Hall until 1925, at which time Enderby's Presbyterian and Methodist churches joined to form St. Andrews United Church. The unification of these two faiths was supported and encouraged by the small community of Enderby.
The first ministers of Enderby's United Church were: Mr. J.L. King and Mr. R.D. Hall.
In 1951 the congregation built the manse beside the St. Andrew's Church. Four years later the Christian Education Annex was built.
Enderby's United Church has been around for nearly a century now and has played a large part in the organization of the community's social gatherings. The building has gradually modernized over the years and many additions have been added. St. Andrews United Church continues to hold services on a regular basis and will continue to do so for a long time.
Vicki Dodge, Elisa Lockhart
ALF School, 1989