AIRDRIE UNITED CHURCH ‘BUILT ON ALBERTA BEEF’
Congregation used its own cattle brand to help raise funds for projects
An Airdrie church is celebrating its own particular brand of Prairie religion.
It isn’t some newfangled futuristic faith. Actually, it is more of a step back in time, to when members of the congregation raised much-needed money for church restoration projects in a way they knew best.
Members of Airdrie United would take feedlot calves and raise them on their own land before eventually selling the fattened animals at auction, with the proceeds then handed over to the church.
The practice was so widespread that Airdrie United even developed its own brand. Now, the church minister, Rev. Karen Holmes, is trying to discover more about this decades-old tradition at what is one of the province’s first places of worship.
“Some folks say we were the first church in Canada to have a registered brand. Others think we may be the only church with its own brand. We’re hoping someone out there knows for sure,” says Holmes.
She came across the brand certificate while going through old church records as the congregation prepares to mark the 115th anniversary of the hiring of its first minister, at celebrations planned for the weekend of April 28 to 30.
The certificate shows that the brand, which is made up of the letters AUC, was renewed in 1984 until Dec. 31, 1988. It was to be placed on the animal’s left rib. The mark was likely first registered in the 1960s and the renewal was certified at Alberta Agriculture’s office in Stettler. It appears to have lapsed in the 1990s.
According to Dan McKinnon, a retired rancher and old-time church member, cattle were an important income source for the pioneer church, which is older than Airdrie itself. The church bought feedlot calves from members who had cattle, and several farmers fed them for the church, including some of the area’s founding families, such as the McKinnons, Morrisons, Fowlers and Reids. When the cows were sold, the church got the cash.
“It turns out we built our church on Alberta beef. It’s a great reminder that we have deep agricultural roots and it’s such a great way to raise funds in cattle country,” said Holmes.
The congregation is looking for- ward to the anniversary celebrations — the centennial in 2002 went by virtually unnoticed. However, once again, the effects of time are being felt on the church’s infrastructure. The current place of worship, which replaced the original structure in 1921, is at the point of no return and funds are needed for a new building.
“The basement is a wet basement — we need to have four sump pumps going constantly and there are major issues with flooding. We’re essentially trying to keep the walls from caving in and it makes much more sense to start afresh with a new building, but we will try to hang on to some of the things people have cherished in what is a very lovely, graceful little building,” said Holmes.
“The history of our church is essentially the history of Airdrie. I am told that most everything in town used to start with a conversation at the United Church, because that’s where Airdrie gathered.”
Plaques on the church walls celebrate several early residents, including Doc Edwards, a local physician whose service to the town was legendary during the Spanish flu epidemic. Artifacts on display at the anniversary celebrations will include a wedding dress worn in the 1930s and items from the Glenbow Museum’s Stephen Wilk Airdrie Collection. Rev. Wilk, a minister from 1958 to 1963, wrote two books about the area and recorded many voices of town pioneers.
For many years, the church catered to all denominations in the area, as it was the only place of worship in the vicinity.
“It was the first church in this area and was opened as a church for anyone. Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists — they all came together to worship. There were not that many of them and, as they did everything else together, so they worshipped together. This was really the only church in Airdrie for about 50 years,” she added.
Holmes is still hopeful more information will come to light about the cattle brand — how successful it was and if indeed such fundraising was unique to this church.
“Maybe we can find out how many calves they would have in one year as, so far, we’ve never laid our hands on anything that documents actual numbers of cattle. There must have been a good amount because the fundraising in the end would have been significant for the needs of the building,” she said.
The historic church building will be open for viewing on April 29 from 1 to 2 p.m., and for a celebration service the following day at 10:30 a.m.