My name is Marie Paul and I started as the new minister here at Oliver United Church and in Osoyoos United Church in January this year.
Oliver United Church has a lot of news to share with the community. Our Soup Kitchen will start up on Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., from Nov. 1 to January 24.
We are happy to partner with community volunteer Christina Ruddiman and others. We are grateful that local businesses contribute by donating food for the soup that is shared with anyone from the Oliver area.
On December 11 we are celebrating our 100-plus anniversary with a special joint worship service at 10 a.m., slide presentation, and lunch downstairs with historical materials on display in our open house.
As our anniversary committee researched historical photos and information in the Oliver Archives, we were delighted to access numerous articles with photos published by the Oliver Echo and the Chronicle since the paper started sharing our news with the community.
This event is bigger than our own faith community because many Oliver, Osoyoos, and Okanagan Falls residents have family connections to and an active interest in the historic pioneers, the church, and the faith community they formed over the decades.
Rev. Henry Feir was the first minister, a Presbyterian before the United Church was formed in 1925. His grandson, Keith Feir from Vancouver Island will be attending our anniversary, honouring our people and our past.
Many people heard that we sold our church building, but they may not know that we made a lease arrangement to use part of the building to continue gathering on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. The possession date for the new owners is February 1.
We will continue to use the building for Sunday morning worship for years into our foreseeable future.
Marie Paul, Oliver
