About

Our past…

Union Presbyterian, Thorburn

On October 12th, 1875, the Presbytery of Pictou appointed a committee to look into the matter of forming a congregation in the Vale Colliery. On Oct 24, 1875, the committee met with the people from the Vale and began taking names of persons who were already members of a church, and who would like to form a congregation at the Vale.  At a congregational meeting held on march 13, 1876, it was agreed to issue a call for a resident minister.  In the summer of 1876, a call was issued to the newly Ordained Rev W.T. Bruce, of Musquodoboit.  On October 25, 1876, it was agreed to hold a communion service in Thorburn on the first Sabbath after the opening of the new church, which was almost completed, with the Rev. W.T. Bruce presiding.

Since its founding, the congregation of Union Presbyterian has been served
 by the following Ministers of Word and Sacrament:
 Rev W.T. Bruce    1876 – 1882    Rev L. Murray    1883 – 1885
 Rev A.W. MacLeod    1885 – 1898    Rev J.A. MacKenzie    1899 – 1912
 Rev J Harris        1912 – 1914    Rev J.A.S. Burns    1919 – 1925
 Rev D MacVicar    1926 – 1931    Rev C. Hayward    1933 – 1937
 Rev A. Mills        1938 – 1942    Rev P.F. Rockwood    1943 – 1944
 Rev R. MacLeod    1947 – 1951    Rev R. MacDonald    1952 – 1957
 Rev C.M. Shaver    1958 – 1968    Rev A.M. Old        1970 – 1973
 Rev J.A. Finlayson    1974 – 1984    Rev J.N. Openshaw    1985 – 1989
 Rev G.S. MacDonald    1990 – 2005      Rev J.R. Lackie     2006 – 2017
Rev. G. Dickson (I.M.) 2018 – present