 15 Bissett Road Dartmouth, N.S. B2V 2T1 () Phone: 434-7714 Fax: 434-2901 Sunday Morning Worship: 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. |
 |
Our Community
The community surrounding the Cole Harbour Woodside United Church is made up of three distinct communities, Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage, and Woodside. These three are all suburbs of the greater community of Dartmouth. Neighbouring communities include Lawrencetown, Lake Echo, Preston, and Waverly. Cole Harbour is a bedroom community with a population of approximately 30,000, composed of mainly single-family dwellings, duplexes and apartment buildings. The community is expected to continue growing, as new housing subdivisions are constantly being developed. The real estate market is good and houses turn over quickly, as Cole Harbour tends to be a transient neighbourhood. All services can be found in the community including doctors, dentists, allied health professionals, veterinary services, pharmacies, banking, car repair, hair stylists, and shopping. It is served by two medium-sized shopping centres, a library, and a community recreation centre. There are a number of elementary, junior high, and high schools in the area. In addition to a second United church, there are two Roman Catholic churches, two Baptist churches, a Mormon congregation, an Anglican church, a Lutheran church, a Jehovah’s Witness church, a Pentecostal church, a Wesleyan church and a Salvation Army congregation. Some small commercial development is present but most residents work in Halifax or Dartmouth. There are white-collar professionals and blue-collar workers, as well as Military personnel living in Cole Harbour. Eastern Passage has a population of approximately 15,000. There is a small strip mall and services such as banking, dentistry, and hairdressing available within the community. Eastern Passage is the proud home of Fisherman’s Cove, a tourism destination constructed to resemble a historic fishing village and includes a Marine Interpretation Centre, shops, and restaurants. There is one elementary school for primary to grade 5, a school for grade 6, and a newly built junior high school. High school students are currently bussed to Cole Harbour District High School, but it is hoped that there will soon be a new high school for Eastern Passage. There are three churches in the area – an Anglican church, a Roman Catholic church, and a Baptist church. There is a small fishing base remaining in Eastern Passage and some employment in the service industry, however, most people work in Halifax or Dartmouth. Woodside is broken down into North and South. Combined, the population is approximately 20,000. There are a couple of strip malls, a grocery store, and services such as banking, dentistry, doctors, and hair dressers within the community. There are two elementary schools and one junior high. High school students are bussed to Dartmouth High School. There are three churches in the area – a Baptist church, a Roman Catholic church, and an Anglican church. There is an Industrial Park which employs many people, along with the Moirs Chocolate Factory, the Imperial Oil Refinery, and the Irving Oil depot. Like Cole Harbour and Eastern Passage, most people work in Halifax or in other parts of Dartmouth. Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage and Woodside (as neighbourhoods of Dartmouth) are all part of the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax has an International airport and two military bases, including a small helicopter squadron and civilian airport at Shearwater, very close to Eastern Passage. There are major shopping malls in both Dartmouth and Halifax and a downtown shopping area in Halifax. There are also two areas for shopping in many of the “big box” stores found across Canada. Both have live theatre, art galleries, and a large variety of restaurants to choose from. There is a community hospital in Dartmouth and Halifax has a children’s and women’s hospital, as well as the tertiary care centre for the Maritimes. There are five universities in the metro area and Nova Scotia Community College campuses in both Halifax and Dartmouth. Our Pastoral Charge
Cole Harbour Woodside United Church (CHWUC) has a rich past and recent history. The two original congregations in Cole Harbour and Woodside were started in 1830 and 1880 respectively. In our recent history, these two churches amalgamated on July 1st, 1999. Shortly after amalgamation, we started discussing our needs for a new building. Construction began in August 2003. The first service in the new sanctuary was Thanksgiving Sunday in 2004 and the dedication service was held on April 17th, 2005. Renovations to the old building were completed in August 2005. Our church functions under a unified board structure. There are fifteen committees who report to the board monthly. One of these committees is our worship committee who works to plan the church’s worship services. This includes: our Sunday 9:30 am quiet service which incorporates more time for reflection and prayer; the Sunday 10:30 am family service; and the monthly Wednesday afternoon service. This last service is a more traditional service, geared toward seniors. There are also a variety of special services and observances that take place throughout the year. The CHWUC’s mission statement is, “offering the care and comfort of Christ”. As our minister, Rev. Dr. Susan MacAlpine-Gillis, states in her welcome letter to new members, “[w]e are a church that believes in putting our faith into action. We place a high priority on inclusion, participation, education, and celebration. Our doors are open to one and all.” This is seen clearly in both our Sunday services and in every other aspect of our church. Each Sunday you are met by friendly faces throughout the sanctuary and hall. From the beautiful music by our pianist, the children’s voices in call to worship, the fresh flowers donated each week, the performances by our choir and other guests, all the way to the sermon, you instantly feel the fellowship of our congregation on your first visit. Of course, our church wouldn’t be what it is without the myriad of individuals, volunteers, and groups who provide the lifeblood of our inreach and outreach activities. All of our ministries and committees are listed elsewhere on our website, but some that have been especially prevalent both inside and outside our congregation are: The Food Bank Hope Cottage The Funeral Ministry The Pastoral Care Team The Shawl Ministry Our two UCW units Youth Group Sunday School The Presbytery Resource Centre The Learning Community Our adult education classes. There are also a number of smaller, less “formal” groups within the church such as the women’s spirituality group, the men’s group, and the comfort quilters. These groups and others offer fellowship activities throughout the year. There have been bridge nights, kitchen parties, family events, and dinner theatres. We’ve also hosted a variety of concerts and special services, weddings and funeral services. All of these groups and activities take place in a friendly and comforting atmosphere reflected by the people of our church. Our church building is also host to an early learning centre (preschool), meetings for groups with the Girl Guides of Canada, and the Halifax County Girls’ Choir. With the new building’s hall, kitchen, chapel, nursery, and upstairs meeting rooms, it is an ideal location for events and activities in the community that don’t necessarily connect directly to our church and its members. The true picture of our pastoral charge comes from the people in our church. Though a wide range of ages are represented in our church, the church demographic (compared to the proportion of the population in the surrounding communities) is under represented by people under the age of 41. We are over represented by people over the age of 51. However, we are still a multigenerational congregation that is a welcoming, extended family to all. You can always find someone to watch your young children for a few minutes, someone to share a cup of tea with, or someone to give you a ride home. We are an open-minded and creative congregation who still rely on some of our traditional comforts. As much as you will hear a traditional hymn being sung during a service, you may also hear someone beating on the church’s djembe drum. As well as you will hear scripture being read from the Bible, you can learn the interpretation of those stories and how they relate to modern day, and more liberal thought. We have a wealth of experiences, skills and energy to be tapped into to promote the growth of the CHWUC pastoral charge. For more information on the activities and groups in our church, please click on the topics listed at the top and bottom of this page. History
History of Cole Harbour United Church
 In 1825 the first church building was erected. It is known today as the Meeting House and is situated at the top of "Long Hill" overlooking the harbour and is now owned and preserved by the Cole Harbour Rural Heritage Society. Special services are still held in this building 2 or 3 times a year. The meeting house has undergone renovations in the 1870's, in 1892 and also in recent years. In 1925 the United Church of Canada was constituted and in 1959 Cole Harbour-Lawrencetown Pastoral Charge was formed. In 1961 the old Meeting House was vacated in favor of a portable church which was situated where our present parking lot now exists at the corner of Bissett Rd. and Cole Harbour Rd. In the 1960's a Church Planning Committee was appointed, from which a Building Committee was established and construction began on the present church building. It was dedicated on June 7, 1970. In 1977 we became a 3-point charge - Cole Harbour-Lawrencetown-Lake Echo Pastoral Charge. Some years later Cole Harbour became a single-point charge because of the rapid growth of the community. History of Woodside-Imperoyal United Church
 In the early days of Woodside, religious services were held in the "Mission Hall", which was built in 1880 on land north of our present church. The site of the hall was donated by Mr. A. S. Hunt, a resident of Dartmouth, who had great interest in the welfare of Woodside. Mr. Hunt was a Baptist by denomination. During the evenings,the hall was built by voluntary labour. At first, it was used by ministers from Halifax of all denominations. The ministers of the different denominations preached in turn. Around 1920, it was decided the hall was not large enough to accommodate all needs. Three churches made their appearance in rapid succession: Roman Catholic, Anglican and United Churches. In 1921 a lot of land was purchased for our present church. As the lot was larger than required, a piece was sold for school purposes. The Rev. Dr. J. A. MacGlashen and Rev. Dr. J.W.A. Nicholson, from St. James, gave leadership and inspiration. The contract for the church was for about $15,000.00. On December 4, 1921, the cornerstone was laid by Lieutenant Governor McCallum Grant. Our records show that many of the furnishings, including the organ, were donated. In March 1922, the opening and dedication of our church took place. On May 7, 1922 the first communion service was held in the new church with forty-eight communicants. Later that year, the Session met and petitioned Halifax Presbytery for a disjunction from Stairs Memorial to form a separate congregation to be known as Woodside Imperoyal United Church, this was before the formation of the United Church of Canada. This request was granted by Presbytery and in September of that year, Rev. R. A. Patterson was extended a call to become our first resident minister. In 1925, we came into the union with the United Church of Canada. In 1926, a move was made to erect a Manse. After some discussion, the present location was decided on. Tenders were called in 1927 and the first tender was for $8,000.00. As this was more than the Board could afford, the size of the building was reduced and the final figure submitted was $5,500.00. Work started in June 1927. On October 8, 1927, it was completed and occupied. In 1965 the new hall was built and dedicated. The cornerstone was laid by Rev. J. Touchie. At the same time the kitchen was renovated, a church study and new washrooms were added. In 1966 John Hartley was ordained to the ministry, being the only member from the church to do so until 1997 when Helen Waddell was ordained. Since 1974 our church has operated with a part-time minister. |