Our Mission Statement:

  • Grow in faith as a church family.
  • Worship God and proclaim the Gospel.
  • Nurture all members and participants in accordance with the precepts of the Christian faith. 
  • Develop and offer an environment for wholesome Christian fellowship. 
  • Provide outreach into the community and beyond in order to promote the Christian faith, serve those in need, and overcome the evils and injustices that harm God’s people. 
  • Work in harmony with other churches of similar purpose.

History of Kanata  United Church

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Kanata United Church (KUC) was constituted on Sunday May 7, 1967, with 77 Charter members, in the new planned bedroom community of Beaverbrook in March Township.  We met for 20 years in the local community centre and schools before deciding to develop our own church building as a physical presence and resource in the community.  Our building at 33 Leacock Drive was dedicated on February 8, 1987.  We have made our building available to many outside groups and improved its accessibility (handicapped entry door and washroom, enhanced sound system).  We now acknowledge that we gather on unceded Algonquin territory and give thanks for the First peoples who lived and loved this land before us.

We have been open to a variety of Worship styles and experiences over the years.  Throughout the years, our adult choir as well as our youngest voices in the Sounds of Joy and our Intermediate choir inspire us with song.  We have a tradition of putting on biblical musicals and Christmas pageants and benefit from having a KUC band. Our love of music led us to welcome the donation of a grand piano (1989) and to purchase a pipe organ (1995).

From its beginning, lay volunteers have provided leadership for our children in Sunday School, for youth groups and, earlier in our church life, for mid-week groups.   Growth and a busy congregation led us to call a second Minister for Christian Education and Community Development in 2000. Today our second half-time Minister nourishes our children in Kidsown on Sunday mornings and supports a variety of youth related initiatives.

As community, we support and nurture each other through pastoral care in our times of distress, anxiety and grief.  We have dedicated the stain glass window, Spring, to the memory of our children.

KUC has been a place to explore, question and learn about faith and spirituality. We hosted six Ministerial interns on their faith journey in the 1980s and 1990s.  We have a long-standing Bible study group and have organized lectures, retreats and book studies.  We work to create relations with other faith communities and to find our way towards truth and reconciliation with our Indigenous peoples.  We are open to new ways to explore our spirituality.

From its earliest days, KUC has been active in reaching out to support the wider church and meet local needs.  We helped set up a Kanata branch of Amnesty International, volunteered for many years at the Mission downtown, supported local food cupboards, are involved in the local refugee sponsorship group and many other ministries.  We have organized Habitat for Humanity trips and supported our young people on GO Projects of social action.  Several of our major fund raisers have become community outreach events, such as our annual Book Fair; our flea market and mushroom compost sale in the spring.

 KUC has actively worked to discern who we are and where we are going. At its Annual General Meeting on February 7, 2016, the congregation approved our four core values: caring, community, inclusive and seeking.  This is our foundation for KUC as a caring, seeking, inclusive community.  After dialogue and reflection, the congregation approved a new Vision and Mission statement at its Annual General Meeting on February 28, 2021.  At a special meeting of the congregation on June 13, 2021, we voted overwhelmingly to become an Affirming Ministry and to publicly declare our commitment to inclusion, openness and justice for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.  Our Vision and Mission statement was amended that same day as we became the 270th Affirming congregation within the United Church of Canada. 

Holy Mystery continues to challenge us, to change us, to call us to action.  Please join us to share and shape our journey.  All are welcome.