History of the beginnings of St Simon’s Church

Excerpt From Echoes Across The Inlet
By Dawn Sparks & Martha Border
Edited By Damian Inwood

Deep Cove – New Beginnings

The first group of Anglicans met in 1940 in the back of a grocery store on Gallant Avenue. This evening service consisted of 12 people, seven of them belonging to the Rawlings family. When the community hall was built in 1940, the congregation moved there and morning services were conducted by laymen and students. Mr Naughton, a real estate agent in the Cove, donated the property on Deep Cove Road for St. Simon’s Anglican Church, across from Burrard View School. The congregation members literally got out and dug the foundations for their building. This consisted of one floor, with the altar screened off, so that they could use the rest of the building for social events. There were no pews, just benches, and a student minister gave the service. The first permanent resident minister was Rev. Helston, who felt the congregation was big enough to support a church service and a Sunday school. But the building was too small, so the congregation once again got busy and dug out a basement so that a lower floor could be added. This church was built on volunteer labour and donations for the most part. Mr Hancock worked on both, helping with building of the church as well as making the pews. Over the years this church has been used for many community activities: scouts, brownies, guides and a pre-school. St. Simon’s Anglican Church continues to actively fundraise with a thrift shop, auctions, carnivals, dinners and social teas.