Our History

From A Brief History of Trinity United Church, Huntsville by John Laycock:

“In the early days of Huntsville it was almost wholly due to the efforts of Capt. George Hunt that religious services were started and continued … It was at that time non-denominational and non-sectarian in character …

On June 6, 1869 Capt. Hunt’s first cabin was completed and occupied by him, and on that date, he opened the first Sabbath School, taught by himself and continued to hold services for years in and around Huntsville at various points…”
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October 17, 1869 – first regular service held in Huntsville in Hunt’s Cabin by Rev. R.N. Hill.

The Huntsville Methodist Church opened its doors for the first Sunday service in October 1897. In 1925 after Church Union, the name Trinity United was adopted. 100 years later our church continues as a focal point of the Huntsville community.

Trinity’s Ministers since the 1925 union resulting in the United Church of Canada:
1926 – 1929         Rev. George H. Purchase – first United Church minister
​1930 – 1933         Rev. J. Lavell Smith
1933 – 1938         Rev. Fred J. Bain
1938 – 1943         Rev. Beverly L. Oaten
1943 – 1944         Bruce Hall, a student minister (Interim)
1944 – 1956         Rev. Frank Milligan
1956 – 1961         Rev. Gordon Barkwell
1961 – 1967         Rev. William Stanford
1968 – 1984         Rev. James Oben
1985 – 1986         Rev. Dorothy Wilson (Interim)
1986 – 1987         Rev. John Brown
1987 – 1988         Rev. Len Keighley  (Interim)
1988 – 2003         Rev. John McTavish
2003 – 2018         Rev. S. Derek Shelly
​2018 July – October   Rev. David Woodall (supply)
2018 – 2020         Rev. Murray Rounding (Interim)
2020 – 2021 November – January   Rev. Doctor Peter Wyatt (supply)
​2021                     Rev. Diane Knowles