Hythe United Church fonds. — 1929-2011. — 91 cm of textual records. — 42 photographs.
Agency History
The Hythe United Church was first known as Happy Valley Mission, Methodist Congregation. Rev. Charles Hopkins, the Methodist minister, travelled from Lake Saskatoon to the Happy Valley/Hythe area and conducted services in their homes. In 1914 Rev. Hopkins helped them build a little log church on NE19-73-10-W6. In 1928, the log church was hauled into Hythe and settled on Lot 14, Block . The next year, Rev. Wallace Moss arrived in Hythe with his family and they settled into the newly constructed Manse located behind the church. By this time the congregation had grown so much that services were being held in the Masonic Lodge. A church building committee was formed with Rev. Moss, including members T.J. Thompson, Fred Hood, M.B. Mill, and Frank Phillips.
A new building meant funds needed to be raised and a canvass began. Carl Anderson constructed a miniature of the church with an opening in the chimney for donations to be given. The contract was awarded to J.A. Leadbetter, which stipulated that the new church be completed in two months. It opened on June 29, 1930, but the first services were conducted in the basement. The upstairs was completed the following year. The dedication service took place on July 13, 1930 with Dr. R. B. Cochrane moderating, and Mrs. Erick Freeman as the organist. The first Sunday School Superintendent was Len Healy and Mrs. Meta (Sullivan) Lacey was the teacher.
The Hythe United Church also had a very active Ladies Aid and their first congregational supper was held in October with approximately 100 people in attendance. The Hythe United Church held its last service on June 26, 2011. Members are now invited to attend service in Beaverlodge.
Custodial History
These copies of records from the Hythe United Church were deposited after it was decommissioned in 2011 by the last secretary of the Board of Directors, Elaine Baker. The original records are in the United Church Archives at the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of minutes and reports, membership records, annual reports, financial records, building records, Women’s Missionary Service/United Church Women and a history of the Church.
Notes
The Agency History was written from the records as well as the Hythe United Church webpage . :
Table of Contents
Series 574.01 | Minutes & Reports |
Series 574.02 | Membership Records |
Series 574.03 | Annual Reports |
Series 574.04 | Financial Records |
Series 574.05 | Building Records |
Series 574.06 | United Church Women |
Series 574.07 | Hythe United Church History |
Series 574.01 | Minutes & Reports. — 1929-2011. — 49 cm of textual records. — 36 photographs.The series consists minutes and reports (1930-2010); building committee; members records; birth, marriages and deaths of members. Photos located in file 3-7. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Series 574.02 | Membership Records. — 1929-2011. — 13 cm of textual records.The series consists of baptism (1921-2008); marriage (1924-2004); and death records (1933-2010) of members of the Hythe United Church; an offering book (1961) and a communion and roll register (1971). Some of the material is restricted by the Personal Information Protection Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series 574.03 | Annual Reports. — 1961-2011. — 10 cm of textual records.The series consists of annual reports from Hythe United Church and Pastoral Charges (1961-2011). Included in the annual reports are updates from the Pastor, financial statements and a review of the various acticities that the church and its members were involved in. Hythe was a member of different Pastoral Charges over the years and because of that there are also records relating to churches in surrounding communities.The different Pastoral Charges Hythe belonged to are: Hythe-Wembley pastoral Charge (1961-1972), Hythe-Beaverlodge-Wembley Pastoral Charge (1972-1980), Sexsmith Pastoral Charge (Hythe & Clairmont) (1980-1990) later named Clairmont-Hythe Pastoral Charge (1990-1994), Hythe Pastoral Charge (1994-2002) and lastly Beaverlodge-Wembley-Hythe Pastoral Charge (2002-2011). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series 574.04 | Financial Records. — 1961-2011. — 13.5 cm of textual records.The series consists of financial records and treasurers books of the Hythe United Church (1961-2011). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series 574.05 | Building Records. — 1930-1997. — 1.5 cm of textual records.The series consists of building records of the Hythe United Church including insurance records for the United Church building (1984-1997), the sale of the Manse (1993), and the sale of the church to the Hythe Historical Society (2011). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series 574.06 | United Church Women. — 1947-1992. — 4 cm of textual records. — 6 photographs.The series consistsof records of the Women’s Missionary Service and later the United Church Women. The ladies met reguarly and assisted the church in raising funds for the upkeep of the manse and church. “The Ladies Aid of the Church was a very active group in those days, and as a church kitchen was non-existent the dishes and dainties were brought in, often on hand sleighs and over frozen and bumpy roads. In October 1930, they held the FIRST Congregational Supper to help raise money toward the church building.” Members in 1947 included Mrs. Clara Dawson, Mrs. Olive Stickney, Mrs. Clara Spraggs, Mrs. Ray Reed, Mrs. Les Maricle, Mrs. Chris Inkster, Mrs. Meta Lacey, Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, Mrs. Muriel McLeod, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Jessie Shail, Mrs. Ruth Webb, Mrs. Urich, Mrs. Daisy Maricle, Mrs. Ed Robertson, Mrs. Lena Seniuk, Mrs. Wm. Oakford, Mrs. Fanny Dyer, Mrs. Alice Baker, Mrs. Bertha Mill, Mrs. Pike and Mrs. MacGregor. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Series 574.07 | Hythe United Church History. — 1929-2011. — 1 cm of textual records.The series consists of a history compiled about the Hythe Church in 1967 by Meta Lacey and Donna Shail, and a history booket completed in 1980 by the same authors, with updates by Olivia Patterson, cover design by Mrs. Mildred Nordhagen and typing by Joy Juneau. Another history of the church was compiled by Elaine Baker in 2007. This very well researched report is 158 pages in length and highlights the church and its activities since its inception. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||