About Us

Mission Statement

Inspired by the Christian Gospel
Which nurtures, empowers, liberates
First United Church is an inner-city ministry of
The United Church of Canada.
Called by the Spirit
To be part of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver,
This ministry:
Affirms the worth of individuals
Empowers communities, and
Works for social justice.

History

The history of the ministry at the corner of Gore and Hastings Streets in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is a long one.

First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1885,  a year before Vancouver was a city. Through the years of colonialism,  joint outreach projects with Princess Street Methodist Church foreshadowed the work established in 1925 when The United Church of Canada was founded.

First Church has always served those in need.  During  the Depression of the 1930’s soup lines surrounded the building.  Small businesses were created and  people were employed by First Church Welfare Industries, which rebuilt small appliances and repaired furniture. Throughout its  history,  social workers, prison visitors and ethnic ministries from First United have been active  in the community and were instrumental in the birthing of many community organizations including – Dugout Day Centre, the Downtown Community Health Society, and the Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA).   In recent years as the Downtown Dastside has continued to be the home for the most marginalized members of society, the outreach work at First has tried to keep pace with the growing demands to walk with those struggling with issues of addictions, mental illness, homelessness and poverty.  

Our Space

We live on the corner of Hastings and Gore, literally on the border of the Downtown Eastside, Strathcona and Chinatown.

Our building main floor has an area of about 14,000 square feet of which some 5,00 square feet is office, classrooms, kitchens and utility areas.  The rest of the floor is shared by the people of our community.  The second floor is much smaller than the main floor because of the height of the sanctuary.  Most of this space is offices with some space for shared use and meeting rooms.

Our space is indeed ours.  We have understandings with the Vancouver Police Department and other agencies that allow us to tell the community with considerable confidence that they are safe here.

The floors and pews of our shared space are occupied almost continuously by the people of the community, often in preference to a bed with linen and some degree of privacy.

This is our space and we share it with our community.