Our History

Church Beginnings:

Roseville Church, formerly Roseville UB Church, has been involved in the community for 130 years meeting needs and proclaiming God’s good news about love and forgiveness through Jesus.

The United Brethren Church in Canada traces its roots to the 1820’s when UB pastors began preaching in Canada. After 30 years of itinerant preaching ministry, the first permanent church plant became established in Waterloo County in the 1850’s. The year 1852 marked the naming of Roseville settlement. Roseville United Brethren’s congregation began meeting in 1881 as a home Bible study group. The group purchased the original church building from Wesleyan Methodists later that year for $200. Originally constructed by a Lutheran congregation, it was sold to Wesleyan Methodists.  The original wood structure was bricked over in 1919.  A basement was added in 1950 with major expansions to the building in 1974 and 2006.  A tragic car accident resulted in the loss of the original sanctuary in 2017, which was replaced in 2019. Our first gathering in the new Sanctuary was a Concert of Prayer in January 2020.

Denominational Roots:

The United Brethren Church traces its founding to May 1767 at an inter-denominational revival event in Lancaster, PA. A Mennonite preacher and a Reformed pastor declared “we are brethren”, due to a conviction of shared saving faith in Jesus. A loosely organized Christian evangelistic movement followed. The name “United Brethren” was formally adopted in 1800. The United Brethren are the first Christian denomination to be formed in North America (ie. not a European trans-plant).  In 1821, we became one of the first denominations to formally oppose slavery.  

A couple distinct aspects of the UB Church include:  A) having the confidence of sins forgiven; you have a place in God’s family and a home awaiting you in heaven. B) Resulting forgiveness leads to changing lives: through the power of God’s indwelling Spirit we are called to transformation, becoming more and more like Jesus in our attitudes, actions, and motivations.

Internationally, the United Brethren Church is comprised of ten self-governing conferences: Canada, the USA, Honduras, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Sierra Leone and Guatemala. The United Brethren Church also has congregations in: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Haiti, India, Macau and Thailand.   

For a more detailed history you can check out: