Willowgrove United Church Sault Ste Marie ON

Our Mission Statement

Willowgrove United Church welcomes all to be part of a caring and compassionate community, dedicated to doing God’s work in a warm and friendly way both within and beyond our congregation.

We encourage spiritual growth, love, acceptance in the way of our Lord and Saviour.

Fellowship activities for all are very much part of our Christian focus as we worship, serve and follow God’s teaching as given to us through Jesus Christ.

 

Download Willowgrove United Church vCard with Service Times

Click here to contact the church  

Download Minister Rev. Dr. David Zub vCard

Click here to contact Rev. Dr. David Zub  

 

https://www.willowgroveunited.ca/  

 

 

Know how to get there? Share the knowledge with others!  

Please share parking information and/or parking experience!  

 

 

 

Willowgrove United Church Living Faith Story

The Willowgrove community of faith story is about love and care. We believe we have made an important difference in each other’s lives and in the life of our community. We are openly committed to living Christ’s teaching of love of God and our neighbours. We hope to continue to make a difference, and to be responsible, caring voices of social outreach and justice. We are under no delusion as to the nature of fundamental change a new minister will bring. With the energetic and dedicated support of our present congregation, this goal can be achieved, and many young families will again thrive in and build on our community’s caring environment, founded on the teachings and love of Christ.

The Willowgrove faith community was founded through the rebirth of three small struggling congregations. They found new life and energy through amalgamation in 1965. The new congregation soon decided to build a new one level accessible church, resulting in the centrally located construction of Willowgrove United. The first service was held in December, 1967. Not long after, a detached annex building was constructed followed by the major addition of the Fellowship Hall, a quality kitchen and resource library. The chancel was renovated in 2001. Assorted projects seem to be ongoing always with the intent of improving the efficiency of the facility plus enhancing the worship experience.

The three amalgamating congregations attracted many young professional families, who were new to the Sault and looking for a place to worship. Willowgrove became central in its members’ lives, and they became family to each other. This feeling of family remains a dominant characteristic of our faith community. Proud of our past, yet excited about growing into the future, Willowgrove is a dynamic and energetic faith community that is in a solid financial position that allows us to support our ministry priorities.

Willowgrove worships as a faith community every Sunday morning. One typically would find 100 to 150 people at Sunday service. The congregation is close to 400 strong, including active, non-resident and inactive members. We have been blessed to be led in worship by remarkable ministers whose wisdom, learning, sense of humour and compassion have encouraged us to live our faith in today’s reality. Most of our ministers came, enjoyed the community and stayed until retirement.

The faith life of Willowgrove is supervised and guided by Church Council, which consists of the usual executive officers plus committee chairpersons. Church Council has fifteen members plus the Minister ex officio. Council meets regularly to review and approve the activities of the larger group of committees. Our worship is managed by a 27-member Worship Committee of committed men and women, who operate under written terms of reference according to United Church protocol, and work in very close consultation with the Minister. They also assist in worship activities such as communions and baptisms.

We are very proud of the six ordained United Church ministers who have grown out of the Willowgrove community. They are the product of our hopes. Because of our aging congregation, young people are not the presence and force they once were, and that we would like them to be, although we still have a small but dedicated Sunday School. There is a strong consensus among members of the congregation that we must welcome and support whatever change is necessary to attract young people and young families to our faithful caring community.

Music is a very important part of our worship. Our 26-member choir is led by a talented music director who graduated in Honours Organ Performance, then pursued special post-graduate training and experience in Australia. With the music director’s knowledge and leadership, our worship has been enhanced by the acquisition of a Walker 2 manual tracker pipe organ and a 5’4” Yamaha Grand Piano. Our director also inspired the formation of the “Arts in the Grove” committee, which from time to time hosts concerts of variety and excellence to further expand and fulfill our practice of faith. There is a consensus among the congregation that we should expand our musical horizons to include a greater variety of religious music to reflect the diversity of genre and society.

We practise Christ’s teachings of loving our neighbours through a variety of activities, all based on caring. Several years ago, we supported a Syrian family in their move to Sault Ste. Marie. This not only involved a significant financial commitment but also the hands-on support of many members of the congregation in providing a well-furnished home, transportation, child care and on-going cultural orientation. Support is still provided as they get themselves established. Through our Mission, Service and Outreach Committee, we donate substantial sums annually to missions and emergency needs in Canada and abroad. They also provide a monthly neighbourhood free soup lunch that has grown in popularity. Willowgrove also supports our own members with financial and material support in times of need and family crisis. Willowgrove is an active community with strong beliefs in social justice. We regularly support local projects such as “The Coldest Night of the Year” in support of the homeless. Our faith community is a supporter of Camp McDougall (United Church Camp at Thessalon) and Rainbow camp for LGBTQ2+ youth so they can enjoy a camp experience in a safe environment.

Members of Willowgrove care for each other through a variety of fellowship activities where we are able to share our values and beliefs in a relaxed setting with lots of smiles, good times and learning. Study groups lead by the minister meet weekly to discuss themes of faith and life. Inspiration and insight are drawn from selected passages of the Bible, current books found in the popular market and film. “Men at Ten” gather weekly to share coffee, fellowship and much good humour. The “Something from Nothing” quilters and crafters are inspired to create as their name suggests. Through all of the groups, we keep track of each other and provide mutual care and support. An active prayer group has organized to ask God’s love and compassion for fellow congregants in need.

Willowgrove is particularly fortunate to have the dynamic support of its three United Church Womens (UCW) units, who have an active combined membership of over 70. The efforts of the UCWs have added immeasurably to the caring nature of our faith community.

Our community also has a strong male component, whose varied skills have been responsible for the construction of our physical plant and its continued maintenance, including strategic organization and financial operations.

Our faith community is supported by a dedicated office manager and capable maintenance/carestaff. They are important to the Church’s day-to-day life.

We are all proud to be part of the Willowgrove Community of Faith as we move into a new and exciting stage of our journey along God’s path.