Trinity Church (later Church of the Ascension) had been built in 1877 at the corner of Main and Echo to serve the Anglicans and for nearly two decades had also been the church of other Christians. By 1901 the Catholic population of Ottawa East was large enough to require a separate parish. The bilingual parish of Holy Family came into existence that year under the direction of the Oblates and Ste. Famille Church was built on what is now Oblate Avenue. The large German community, was served by St. Paul's Lutheran Church built in 1875 at Wilbrod and King St. (later King Edward). The Baptists held their first meeting in a tent at the corner of Main and Hawthorne in 1908 and later built the present-day church at Main and Evelyn. There was a Congregationalist Church on Fourth St. (Havelock) in 1897 as evidenced by a James Ballantyne photograph but no records have been found as yet.

The Methodists, up to that point, had endured the long walk over the swing bridge to McLeod Church on Bank St. or the Dominion Church uptown at Queen and Metcalfe. Partly to avoid the long journey to a place of worship (especially difficult for children) but also to have a church of their own, forty Methodist from Ottawa East met in late 1908 to begin the process of establishing a new pastorate. Supported by the new Ottawa Methodist Church Union, by July of 1909 the Wesley Methodist Church building fronting on Hawthorne* at Main was dedicated.

As chronicled by Cy Chapman and others in the following "History of Wesley United Church", the Methodists immediately assumed a major role in the day-to-day life of Ottawa East. We are indeed fortunate that, from the very beginning of the congregation, detailed records of the activities and people who formed an integral part of the Christian mosaic that made up the community.

It is necessary at this point in the story of Ottawa East to remember the important role the churches played in the life of almost every individual. Think of the number of religious holidays and church social events that took place each year and this represents only a portion of church connections people experienced. Each institution took care of its own members by acting as "a social safety net", to use a modern term. And every church supported the needy, no matter what their particular belief. Ottawa East at this point was a community of Christians who adhered to the basic belief of "charity".

Throughout this historical work, this writer has gone to great lengths to include as many references as possible to the ordinary people of Ottawa East. The vast majority of those cited were simply individuals that helped create the fabric of the community. Ottawa East was (and still is) the people. As an example of the Christian charity so evident in the Wesley community, one need only read about Dorothy, a lifelong member of the church. She, as well as countless others, were part of what Cy Chapman describes as "a simple, unassuming fellowship of Christians paying homage to God in a family atmosphere".

The link just below will take you to the astonishingly detailed story of the Methodist heritage of Ottawa East. Originally written in 1982, it was updated by Cyril Edward Chapman in 1996 and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the author and the church. It is indeed fortunate that the minutia of church life has been preserved, as this is the information that keeps the history alive.