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Our History
77 Coburg St.
1960 |
| ...in the beginning
The Pentecostal message first preached by the Apostles has
enjoyed a long and colorful history in Saint John, dating
all the way back to 1925 when God called two sisters from
Macon, Georgia - Carro and Susie Davis - to pioneer a work
in New Brunswick’s port city.
Twelve young men saved under the ministry of the Davis
Sisters eventually became Oneness Pentecostal preachers. It
was one of them - Rev. Raymond Beesley - who later founded
the United Pentecostal Church in the city of Saint John in
October of 1960. He led the young congregation, which met at
77 Coburg Street in the former location of the Christian
Church, until he was succeeded by Rev. Cecil McKillop in
October of 1963.
Church attendance numbered just under 100 in August of 1968
when Rev. Euliss McKeen assumed the pastorate. He led the
assembly until September of 1973, when Rev. Arden Bustard
was installed as Pastor.
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130 Mark Drive
1975 |
| ...the move to Mark
Drive Early
in 1974, a two acre lot was purchased on Mark Drive in east
Saint John, with construction beginning on a new church
sanctuary in the spring of 1975. That building, with a
seating capacity of 325, was dedicated on December 31, 1975.
During Rev. Bustard’s ministry the assembly - now called
First United Pentecostal Church - grew in attendance to over
200. He continued as pastor until October of 1988, when Rev.
Edward Goddard moved to Saint John to assume the pastorate.
By this time, the congregation had grown to the point where
further expansion was inevitable. In April of 1989,
construction began on new facilities adjacent to the
existing church building. The first phase of construction,
encompassing the exterior shell of a new sanctuary and a
connecting foyer, was completed with the unveiling of its
cornerstone on October 1, 1989. |
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130 Mark Drive
1994 |
| ...the building
expansion
Work continued intermittently on the facilities until the
early part of 1993, when the final stage of construction
began. Services began in the new sanctuary in August of
1993, but it was early in 1994 before other areas of the
complex were completed. These included Christian Education
Facilities, a combination Youth Center and Fellowship Hall,
an Office Wing, and Noah’s Ark Daycare. The new sanctuary
has a seating capacity of 650, and was dedicated on April
30, 1994.
With four decades of history behind them as they entered the
twenty-first century, the First UPC congregation flourished
under the capable leadership of Rev. Edward Goddard,
building tomorrow’s dreams on the foundation of yesterday’s
rich heritage.
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