The congregation of the Squamish Presbyterian Church realized that a Union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches in Canada was fast becoming a possibility, after more than thirty years of discussions.  On June 10th, 1925 a majority of the three churches united to form the United Church of Canada, and on August 23rd, 1927 the Squamish Presbyterian Church decided to become the Squamish United Church.

As yet, there was no resident minister; theological students still served the congregation, and a minister from Lillooet came to Squamish occasionally to hold a Sunday Service. Finally, in May of 1929, the Rev. Evan Baker was posted to Squamish, serving our church for one year.  He was succeeded by the Rev. J.G. Gibson who, with his wife, ministered to the Squamish United Church from 1930 to 1942, broken only by a nine month period holiday in Europe in 1933.  Rev. Gibson's long ministry gave the congregation a much needed feeling of solidarity and permanence.

With a resident minister and his family firmly settled in Squamish, permanent living quarters were needed within easy reach of the church.  In 1930, the Ladies Aid under the presidency of Mrs. D.D. Morrison bravely undertook the task of providing a manse; Mrs. Morrison retained that post until 1939, when the mortgage on the manse was finally burned.

On the 8th of November 1930 the P.G.E. railway offered to sell Lot 19, on the southeastern corner of Victoria St. and Fifth Avenue to the Squamish United Church for the princely sum of $25, the deed to be presented as soon as the manse was built and occupied. At approximately the same time, the Lillooet Board of Church Managers donated $200 towards the project. The ladies lost no time in setting up a building committee (Mrs. J. Kuntze, Mrs. D. MacCollum, Mrs. D. D. Morrison, Mrs. J. A. Quick, Mrs. C. B. Ingraham and Rev. J. G. Gibson).

The siting of the building posed a problem, as the adjacent house had been built very close to the lot line, with windows facing the proposed manse. This difficulty was resolved by placing the new building at an angle, with the main floor higher than that of the adjoining house. This was a decided advantage, ias there never was any difficulty in finding the manse. "Turn off Cleveland to Victoria, and keep going till you come to the house that sits kitty-corner on the lot."

Built almost entirely by volunteers, under the supervision of Mr. T. K. Smith, the material for the foundation was on site early in January, and more lumber and other materials arrived in the spring. Work continued steadily, and the manse was ready for occupancy in the spring of 1932.   Although the ladies had pushed the project and raised money by every means possible, tribute must also be paid to the men who worked so hard to make their dream come true - Don MacCollum, Tom Smith, Robert Kirk, Bob Ross, Rev. J. G. Gibson, Lew Brooks, R. E. McNamee, C. B. Ingraham and many others.  Although the manse was ready for occupancy by the Rev. and Mrs. Gibson and their son, the upper floor was not completed until many years. Finishing touches to the main floor and exterior, and even furniture were still needed, and a debt had to be paid.

The ladies worked for seven more years before the manse was truly owned by the Squamish United Church. Raffles, teas, bazaars, luncheons, turkey dinners, bulb sales, garden parties, plays, travelling baskets, catering to dances, and bean suppers were just a few of the ways the money was raised. A willingness to carry out many ingenious methods of raising money achieved the desired result.  The manse was finally paid for!

Although members of the Ladies Aid were wholly committed to construction of a manse, the formation of a Junior Ladies Aid in January of 1931 proved of invaluable assistance. By taking over much of the care of the church, the Junior Aid made it possible for the senior ladies to devote all of their time and energies to the manse.

During the years 1931 to 1939, when the Junior Aid disbanded, its members raised the necessary funds to shingle the church roof, add a vestibule, steeple, and new steps, provide a janitorial service and maintain a supply of wood.  Other smaller items included the purchase of a new stove, window panes, repairs to the chimney and church steps, occasional payment of light bills and donations to Allocation and M & M Funds. The paint for the exterior of the manse was also provided by these young ladies, who raised the money by projects similar to those undertaken by the senior ladies.

Among familiar names in the Book of Minutes are Marion Eadie, Rose Watson, Mary Stathers, the five Lasser sisters, Mary and Violet Sobotka, Mary Munro, Iris Ingraham and Esther Lamport.

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