As part of our Featuring Communities of Faith and Ministries in Chinook Winds Region, we thank Dave Wood and others who put together this profile of their church, Knox United Church, Drumheller, AB. You’re encouraged to send stories about your own community of faith or ministry to be published. Check out details HERE

Website: https://ucknox.ca

Facebook: ucknoxdrumheller

Minister: Rev. Rachel Nadon, commissioned May 8, 2022, by Chinook Winds Region

History: Knox United Church has been a fixture in the Drumheller valley for over 110 years.

As families settled in the beautiful Red Deer River valley in the late 1800s and early 1900s, church services were held in cabins, restaurants and finally a one-room school which, in 1910, became known as Knox Presbyterian Church.  The sanctuary was built in 1920 and is where we continue to worship today.  In 1925 our name changed to Knox United Church after joining the newly-formed union.

Mission Statement: “We of Knox United Church will serve Jesus Christ and celebrate God’s Love. As we follow Christ’s teaching we will care for and grow with one another, responding to the needs of others. We are called and feel privileged to nurture life in the unique beauty of this valley and beyond.”

Some ways we live out this statement are:

• Knox United is known as a welcoming, friendly place to worship.        
• Through the years members of Knox have been very visible and active participants and leaders in all aspects of our community.
• our church serves as the sponsor for all scouting and guiding programs in the valley and a meeting place for a variety of adult groups.
• a local playschool uses a portion of our facility throughout the week to hold classes.

Some things that we really like and cherish about ourselves as a community of faith are:

• we have a rich musical history that is enhanced by our magnificent pipe organ (one of very few on the prairies).  The fact that our sanctuary has wonderful acoustics has led to it being used for many concerts and music festivals over the years
• our church building has beautiful and unique stained glass windows
• our congregation loves to gather for fellowship and food (which has been sorely missed during this pandemic).

Some features of our valley are:

• the natural beauty of our layered hills, the Hoodoos and the Red Deer River that meanders through the valley
• the natural amphitheatre that is home to the annual Badlands Passion Play
• the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the giant dinosaur remind us of the amazing history of this valley.

Some challenges our community faces are:

• maintaining services and connections throughout this pandemic
• an ageing nucleus of volunteers and adherents
• lack of youth and younger families.
• envisioning what church and programming can look like as we come out of the pandemic.