Crossroads United Church officially began on July 1, 2009, when Royal Heights United Church and St. John’s Strawberry Hill United Church joined together to form one congregation. But the story of Crossroads stretches back much further, into the early history of North Delta itself.

Early days in Strawberry Hill

Christians were gathering for worship in the rural community of Strawberry Hill as early as 1910. In 1922, a small white Presbyterian church was built on the current Crossroads site. Although that congregation did not join the newly formed United Church of Canada in 1925, the building would eventually become home to a United Church community. After the Presbyterian congregation dissolved in the early 1940s, the church stood empty for a time before being purchased in 1945 by a United Church congregation that had already been using it for evening services. Bought for $800 and carefully repaired and renovated, the church reopened on May 6, 1945. A Christian Education hall was added in the 1960s as the congregation continued to grow.

Royal Heights United Church

At the same time, North Delta itself was expanding rapidly. During the 1950s, residents in the northern part of the community began discussing the need for another United Church congregation. Royal Heights United Church was officially established in May 1959, and a modest church building—affectionately called “Solomon’s Porch”—was built the following year. Over the decades, Royal Heights evolved through partnerships and pastoral charges before becoming an independent congregation with its own full-time minister in 1984. Like St. John’s, it experienced significant growth in the 1980s and expanded its worship and community spaces to meet new needs.

Two become one

The two congregations shared a long history of cooperation in ministry and community life. Conversations about joining together surfaced occasionally over the years, but it was not until 2007 that serious discussions began. A visioning event led by Rev. Don Robertson helped both congregations imagine a future shaped not simply by practicality, but by a shared sense of purpose and calling. That spirit of cooperation and trust carried the congregations through the many decisions involved in amalgamation. Since becoming Crossroads United Church, the congregation has continued to build on the faith, generosity, and commitment of the communities that came before it.

Where did we get our “Crossroads” name?

The name “Crossroads” was inspired by a verse from the Book of Jeremiah:

“Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls”

— Jeremiah 6:16