Transfiguration into Golden Ears United Church
Golden Ears United Church was born on July 1, 2012. We were formed from the amalgamation of St. Andrew’s Haney United Church and Hammond United Church after a period of discernment and work by our Transfiguration Commissions. In the months leading up to our amalgamation, the two congregations got together for a number of fellowship and worship events. The name was voted on by our congregation and was revealed at our first worship service.
The church building at Hammond was sold – and the funds raised – are to be used for ministry at Golden Ears United in the name of the Hammond Legacy. Each of the ministers from our two founding congregations became the ministers at Golden Ears.
History of Hammond United Church
By about 1892, a Presbyterian congregation was meeting in Port Hammond in local homes. They shared a minister with the Haney congregation, which already had a building. In 1910 a Presbyterian church was built in Hammond, on Dartford Street (with chairs at first, because pews were too expensive). In 1925, the Hammond Methodists and Presbyterians joined as part of the birth of the United Church and Haney and Hammond became separate congregations.
In 1930, Hammond was in a 3 point charge with Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam, and then at some point, Hammond was back in a 2 point charge with Haney. In 1960, Hammond and Pitt Meadows joined as a 2 point charge and a new Sanctuary, lounge, and office were added to the original structure to accommodate the growing congregation. The old church became the Sunday School. A new manse was also built.
In 1975, the congregation celebrated 50 years of the United Church by burning the mortgage. Between 1979 and 1999, there were discussions between Hammond and Pitt Meadows about amalgamation into one congregation but there was not enough agreement. Instead, Hammond and Pitt Meadows separated into2 pastoral charges in 2000. And in 2012, Hammond United Church amalgamated with St. Andrew’s Haney to become Golden Ears United Church. The Hammond church building was sold to Open Door Church in 2013.
History of St. Andrew's Haney United Church
St. Andrew’s United Church, located in Haney (originally called Port Haney) in Maple Ridge District Municipality, began as a Presbyterian congregation. Regular services were commenced in 1875 and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church was built in 1888.
St. Andrew’s was the centre for a wider field which included congregations at Hammond, Westminster Junction, Lillooet (now Yennadon), Pitt Meadows, Whonnock and Albion. Whonnock and Albion were created into a separate charge in 1912. After church union in 1925 and subsequent to the closing of Maple Ridge United Church (formerly Methodist) in 1926, the Maple Ridge area churches were rearranged into two charges: Haney and Hammond. Haney included St. Andrew’s as well as Whonnock and Albion again. Whonnock became separate again in 1930 and in 1937 the Haney-Hammond Pastoral Charge was created embracing St. Andrew’s, Hammond and Websters Corners. Websters Corners was attached to the Whonnock charge in 1953 and in 1960 Haney and Hammond were again separated into St. Andrew’s (Haney) Pastoral Charge and Hammond-Pitt Meadows Pastoral Charge. St. Andrew’s was placed in Fraser Presbytery in 1959 from Westminster but in 1981 it was transferred back to Westminster Presbytery.
St. Andrew’s amalgamated with Hammond to become Golden Ears United Church in 2012. The new congregation worships in the building formerly known as St. Andrew’s in Haney.