Trinity United Church began it’s life as St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in 1904 in the old Community Hall situated about where the Legion is on Kingsway Avenue, then known as Dewdney Trunk Road.
In 1908, pioneer Donald McLean, undertook the building of the Central Hotel on Dewdney Trunk Road near Shaughnessy St. where the public parking lot now lies. He deeded the eastern portion of his property to St. Andrew’s and built a church at the same time as he was building the hotel.
In 1925, when union with the Methodists and Congregationalists occurred, the name was changed to Trinity United Church. At about the same time the church was relocated to Shaughnessy Street. For a long time Trinity was part of a two-point pastoral charge - shared with the United Church in Pitt Meadows. It became a single pastoral charge about 1960.
In 1966, our congregation moved to the north side of Port Coquitlam. It was a daring move, as the corner of Shaughnessy Street & Prairie Avenue was pretty much surrounded by bush. Since then at least three additions have been built onto the church. The kitchen was expanded, the preschool area added on, and the office and Thrift wing was added in the mid-1990s. With so much activity going on, even today we continue to be pressed for space.
In 1991-92 we enjoyed a one-year ministerial exchange between the Rev. Wilf Carson of our Church and the Rev. Rob Ferguson and family from the Methodist Church of New Zealand. The congregation greatly appreciated the different perspectives brought by Rev. Ferguson as well as those brought to us by our own Minister on his return.
Trinity has always been a community-orientated church. In the 1980s we participated in a self-examination process called “Vitalization” - looking at who we were as a congregation and establishing priorities. As a result of this process, affordable subsidized non-market housing emerged as a priority. A discernment process arrived at a congregational consensus of building a project serving both families and seniors together. Trinity had land beyond the parking lot which was not being used. Funding came from both levels of government. Eventually the property was leased for a period of 60 years to Stewart House Society who have ably managed the project since 1994 supporting the housing needs of handicapped, seniors, and families.
Women's organizations have been a vital part of the church over the years. In the early years there were two official groups, the Women's Auxiliary and the Women's Missionary Society. In 1962 these two groups were officially amalgamated into The United Church Women (UCW). Among the many lasting UCW projects is the Thrift Shop, which started in 1965 as a once a month sale. Thrift is open Wednesdays, 12 pm to 7 pm.
In 1999, a neighbouring church in downtown PoCo was condemned when an underground river started undermining the foundation. When we heard that the parishioners of St. Catherine's of Alexandria Anglican needed a new place to worship, we invited them to share our premises, which they did with much joyful collaboration until March 2020. They now worship with St. Laurence Anglican in Coquitlam.
In 2002, with the retirement of our minister of 21 years, Trinity decided to enter into Intentional Interim Ministry to complete the transition. Rev. Mollie Williams spent two years with us, helping us to establish who we are and where we want to go, to better guide us in the subsequent call of a long-term minister.
From 2009-2014 Rev Brian Burke led the congregation until his retirement.
Our current minister, Rev David Cathcart came to us from Oakridge United in South Vancouver in 2014. He continues to bless us with his leadershiptoday.
Trinity United Church continues to be a religious, social, and uniting force in our community.
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Trinity United Church