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Gaetz Memorial
United Church
HISTORY
In 1886, William Vrooman, a student missionary of the Methodist Church, arrived in Red Deer. A Methodist Church was built in 1892 and enlarged in 1909, when the new Methodist Church was announced by the Board of Trustees, to be known as The Leonard Gaetz Memorial Methodist Church, named after Reverend Leonard Gaetz.
In 1925, the local Methodist congregation voted in favour of church union, and their building became Gaetz Memorial United Church, again named in honour of Reverend Leonard Gaetz. That building was destroyed by fire in 1955 which also resulted in the loss of much of the Church records, and a new church was built on the same site and consecrated the following year.
A pipe organ was presented to the Church in memory of Mrs. Gaetz, by her family members honouring her playing at the Methodist services.
Our Centennial Pipe Organ (Létourneau, Opus 17, 1987)
Of all musical instruments, none compare to the organ. The size and complexity of the instrument, the vast array of sounds, the wide range of dynamics, the emotion it inspires, the 2,600 years of history, the physical demands it places on the organist – all contribute to its uniqueness. Unquestionably, it is the King of Instruments.
It was built by M. Fernand Létourneau of St. Hyacinth, Quebec and was his first installation in western Canada. His pipe organs have now been installed all over the world from Canada to the Chapel Royal in the Tower of London, to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia. His most noteworthy organ is the Davis Concert Organ in the Francis Winspear Centre in Edmonton.
We are indeed fortunate to have an organ of this quality in our church. It is highly praised by visiting organists who have had the opportunity to play it. Choirs and organists always look forward to the Gaetz experience.
Gaetz United Church celebrates 90 years
Published: June 17, 2015 12:25 PM RED DEER EXPRESS
The Gaetz United Church celebrated last week by ringing the church bell a total of 90 times, one for each year since the United Church was established in Canada.
On June 10th, the community came together with cake and a BBQ to celebrate the event as they joined hundreds of United Churches across the country in making a joyful noise – in Red Deer’s case, 90 tolls of the historic bell.
“Across the country, United Churches have been invited to make a joyful noise, or ring church bells or hand bells. Literally from coast-to-coast, starting this morning in Newfoundland & Labrador at 10:30 a.m., bells started ringing after that all the way here to us in Alberta. It’s just a way that we can each in our own time zones celebrate the time of 10:30,” said Minister Jeff Rock.
“Ninety years is a lifetime and we like to think it’s a beginning. It’s really just a flash in the pan of the longer Christian history. We’re a thriving, exciting downtown congregation here in Red Deer. As Red Deer’s downtown is redeveloping, we’re finding ourselves re-birthing,” he added.
“We share a lot of history with Red Deer, we’re 25 years older than the City. Leonard Gaetz and his brother Isaac founded this congregation in 1887. A lot of history is in this community. This year marks the 128th year of the congregation. It’s been 90 years of us being a United Church, when the Methodist, resbyterian and Congregationalist churches came together.”
The bell has a special significance to the church and only adds more rich history to the community. The original church building burnt down in 1955 and at this time the bell was sold to a neighbouring Hutterite community. It was sold at some point to another Hutterite colony and then to another.
“After it was sold and re-sold and re-sold, it was eventually lost in time. As part of the 1887 centennial of the church, Norma Martin (and others) decided it would be a good project to find the bell. They set out to do so, and after much research they found that the bell was at a Minburn Colony east of Edmonton and so they asked if could we buy the bell back. The colony needed it but offered to give it back if a replacement could be found. In 1990 the bell was returned and installed.”
The church has gone through many historic changes and significant events since its inception and is a cornerstone of Red Deer’s history.
Gaetz Memorial United Church takes stand for inclusion
LANA MICHELIN RED DEER ADVOCATE
Jun. 12, 2018
The bell tolled 49 times on Tuesday at Red Deer’s Gaetz Memorial United Church, in memory of the 49 victims of Florida’s 2016 nightclub shooting.
The large downtown church welcomes all people, including members of the LGBTQ community.
“We chose to do this because we believe it is important that everyone know that they are beloved of God… We are saddened by every story of victimization. In the case of Pulse, it was a senseless tragedy based on prejudice, for a people who were simply celebrating their authentic selves in what they thought to be a safe place,” said the church’s co-Minister Leila Currie.
The special memorial was observed at religious institutions around the world on Tuesday.
“We hope that by opening our doors, ringing our bells, and communing in prayer, we can help make a difference, and create a more loving society and a culture of peace,” Currie added.
After the bell was rung at 4 p.m., several people of all ages and orientations, came to light a candle in the church, and to remember the lives lost two years ago during Orlando’s pride celebrations.
Red Deer Church Begins Process to Officially Become LGBTQ Inclusive
Published: Tuesday, 28 March 2017 16:42
Written by Jared Hammer
A Red Deer Church has started the process of becoming an LGBTQ inclusive congregation.
While the Gaetz Memorial United Church has been performing same sex marriages for over a decade, and Pride Worship Services, this process will make them officially inclusive.
Reverend Jeff Rock says the Gaetz United Church has a long history of being a welcoming and inclusive community, but a recent event made them want to launch the affirming process.
“After the shooting in Orlando at a nightclub there, and the death of 49 people, a young mother in our congregation felt that it was more important now than ever to really publicly declare that welcoming and inclusive community. So we launched the affirming process on Sunday with a showing of the play Oblivion.”
Rock says the conversations around what it means to be a church in 2017 is changing quickly.
“LGBTQ issues are certainly continuing to evolve when we talk about inclusive washrooms, and gay-straight alliances in high schools. And I encourage people from around Central Alberta to engage in these difficult conversations about belonging and meaning. Because they’re important ones for society.”
Rock says this process will last for about a year with several more conversations taking place, and their congregation will vote after that if they’d like to make it official.
Gaetz isn’t the first church in Central Alberta to do this, as St. Andrew’s United Church here in Lacombe became an affirming congregation in 2011.
The Church Board is represented by the Committees' and Groups' chairs, the executive, members-at-large, Region representatives, and the ministry staff.