Westminster United Church

Westminster United Church is a Victorian Gothic church of brick and stone with a tall spire, on Broadway in downtown Orangeville. Its own history records that it was designed by the Guelph architect Cornelius J. Soule, who also designed the county buildings on nearby Zina Street, and built of brick from the town’s brickyards and stone from the Hockley Valley quarries; the cornerstone was laid in August 1878 and the first service held on 22 June 1879. The Town of Orangeville lists the church, built in 1879 for Zion Presbyterian Church, on its register of non-designated heritage properties, and the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee has given it a plaque.

The congregation traces its roots to the Presbyterian congregation formed under the Rev. Alexander Lewis in 1837 and to Orangeville’s Methodists, who organized locally in 1849. In 1880 the Bethel and Zion Presbyterian congregations united as St. Andrew’s and made this church their home, and in 1884 the town’s three Methodist churches joined as Orangeville Methodist Church on First Avenue. Both became United churches at church union in 1925, when members of St. Andrew’s who wished to remain Presbyterian left to form what is now Tweedsmuir Memorial Presbyterian Church. In 1948 St. Andrew’s and First Avenue United merged, kept the Broadway building after an extensive renovation, and chose the name Westminster by a vote of the members.

Westminster belongs to the Western Ontario Waterways Regional Council and describes itself as an Affirming congregation. The Rev. Aidan Legault, ordained in the church on 8 November 2025, is its 14th minister, and Nancy Dettbarn is minister of music; the Celebration Choir sings at Sunday services, and the church has handbell and chime choirs for adults and children. Worship is at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, or 10:00 a.m. in July and August, and is livestreamed. The church runs a food cupboard that it says supports more than 120 local families, a clothing depot, a milk program and a refugee sponsorship group, hosts Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and is turning its lawn into food and pollinator gardens.

What to expect

An usher greets people as they arrive and shows them where to sit, and newcomers can leave a name and number with the greeters if they would like to be contacted. The service brings together Scripture, a sermon from the minister and music from the Celebration Choir and guest musicians. Children's and Youth Church are offered during the school year, and a quiet activity table at the back of the sanctuary is there for children and their families. Afterwards everyone is invited downstairs to the auditorium for coffee, treats and conversation.

What United Church members believe and how they worship