Sprucedale United Church first became an idea with the purchase of a parcel of land in 1952. Hard work followed and a white frame church building was dedicated on February 20, 1955.
An increasing number of worshipers and Church School pupils created a need for a new sanctuary; the present sanctuary and offices were dedicated in 1964. The shorter pews in our sanctuary are from our original church, which is used today for children's groups, a resource area and meeting room.
Continued growth resulted in the addition of our Friendship Hall, new kitchen, washrooms and storage areas in 1981.
Sanctuary, hall, offices and washrooms are barrier free, providing easy access to all.
Today we remain a strong and healthy congregation made up of families of all ages and sizes. We would be happy to see you and/or your family.
It was in August of 1804 that some of the settlers along the Thames gathered at the home of Isaac Dolson for worship, led by circuit rider minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Detroit. Throughout the years the name changed from "The Thames" to "Raleigh" to "Dolson's" to "River" and finally, in 1866 to Providence.
By this time most of the Methodist followers along the river, most of them farm families, knew they were ready to build a church. With donated land, logs and labour, a small, unpainted, one-room sanctuary was dedicated on August 28th, 1866.
Most of the various Methodist denominations united in 1884 and we became simply, Providence Methodist Church, part of Victoria Avenue charge in Chatham. Church union in 1925 transformed us into Providence United Church.
In 1922, the original building was raised to add a basement and choir loft, and again in 1959 an addition to the back of the building added washrooms, new furnace and kitchen conveniences.
Until 1957 services at Providence were held in the afternoon most of the time. It was then that the small, young congregation of Sprucedale was in need of a full-time minister and a manse to better serve their growing needs. The leaders of both churches met many times and the Providence records show that we would provide a down payment for a manse if we wereguaranteed an early service time.
On October 28, 2007 we celebrated our 141st Anniversary. We continue to experience change. Farm families are now in the minority on any given Sunday as our members and adherents come from many professions. For this we are still thankful to the Providence of God, as were the faithful who chose our name in 1866.