George C. Pidgeon
James Endicott | |
|---|---|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1894 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1872 |
| Died | June 15, 1971 (aged 99) Toronto, Ontario |
| Denomination | Presbyterian |
| Alma mater | |
George Campbell Pidgeon (March 2, 1872 – June 15, 1971) was a Christian
Pidgeon was ordained by the Presbyterian Church in 1894 and earned his
From 1909 to 1915, he left pastoral ministry to teach theology at Westminster Hall in Vancouver. He then returned to Toronto in 1916, where he served as minister of Bloor Street Presbyterian (now Bloor Street United Church).
He became Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in 1925, and was a strong proponent of the proposed church union between the
With the pro-union support of the majority of Presbyterian congregations now guaranteed, The United Church of Canada was inaugurated at a large worship service at Toronto's Arena Gardens on June 10, 1925.
The ecumenical tone of the new church was set at the first General Council in 1925. The former Methodist General Superintendent Samuel Dwight Chown was considered the leading candidate to become the first Moderator because the Methodist Church made up the largest segment of the new United Church. However, in a surprise move, Chown stepped aside in favour of Pidgeon in the hopes that this would strengthen the resolve of the Presbyterians who had chosen to join the new Church.[2] As first Moderator of the United Church of Canada, Pidgeon served for one year.
Pidgeon was a supporter of the
He served as minister of Bloor Street United Church for 32 years, retiring in 1948. He died in 1971 at the age of 99.
References
- ^ "Vast Majority of Presbyterians Favour Union". Brantford Expositor. 1925-01-25. Archived from the original on 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
- ^ Gallinger, Kenneth R. (2009-02-08). "United, Unorthodox, Unlimited" (PDF). Lawrence Park Community Church. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-03-09.