Perhaps the most fervent of the Methodist sects, the Bible Christian Church was formed in southwestern England in 1815 and established in Upper Canada during the 1830's. Served by itinerant preachers, its small but loyal membership increased gradually, largely among British emigrants from Devon and Cornwall who had settled in rural areas in Northumberland, Durham and Huron Counties. In 1855 the Canadian mission, noted, as was the parent English body, for its emphasis upon lay-ministerial co-operation in church government, became an independent conference and by 1870 numerous chapels, including this structure, had been built. However, inability to gain support in emerging urban centres and mounting financial difficulties arrested the sect's growth. In 1884 the Bible Christian Church entered into a union with other Methodist bodies.

Location

On the grounds of Ebenezer United Church, formerly a Bible Christian chapel, Regional Road 34, south of Courtice

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Religion