The Minister’s Visit – A minister’s visit is often prompted by a significant occasion or a life changing event.  When the minister is aware of this he/she will usually initiate a visit.  When people want to talk with the minister they are welcome to invite him/her to their home or they may come to the church office. The minister welcomes the opportunity to accompany people going through times of sickness and other difficulty.  We hope that if you are in need of pastoral care, or know of someone who is, that you or a family member will contact the church office to let us know.  If you are calling on behalf of someone else, please tell them what you are doing.

We Celebrate Baptisms – Since baptism welcomes an individual into the Christian family, our custom is to celebrate baptism during the morning worship service.  We baptise infants and adults.

We Celebrate Marriage – We welcome those who want to celebrate their marriage in the context of Christian worship at Fonthill United Church. You do not have to be a member of our congregation to be married here. We welcome those of other religious backgrounds or of none, those who may have been married before, opposite gender couples and same gender couples to celebrate their marriage in our sanctuary.  For more information about our wedding customs, please follow this link.

We Celebrate Lives – Whether or not people have a current religious affiliation, they often experience the death of someone close to them as a sacred occasion to be marked by an appropriate service.  Fonthill United Church’s minister is available to conduct services and to offer pastoral care to anyone regardless of their religious affiliation.  The church is available for funeral and memorial services.  We have good relationships with all of the local funeral homes in this area and work closely with them.  When no funeral home is involved, we are able to assist in conducting a memorial service for the person who has died.

We Support Local Missions – Fonthill United Church’s mission includes supporting those who are making a difference in the Niagara Region by helping those in need. Fonthill United has donated to the following organizations:

The Hope Centre, Welland
Brock University Chaplaincy
Shaver Hospital, St. Catharines
Pelham Cares
Wellspring Niagara
Women’s Place of South Niagara
Open Arms Mission
Cave Springs Camp

We Support the United Church of Canada – We support the mission of the United Church of Canada, the denomination of which we are a congregation. We allocate a portion of our receipts which is divided between the Mission and Service Fund and the General Council Assessment.

The Mission and Service Fund supports congregations and new church development, Canadian outreach programs, international relief and development, training and supporting ministers, and maintaining ecumenical relationships.  The General Council Assessment pays for administration and decision making.

World Development and Relief (WDR is supported by the UCW)

The United Church of Canada has a long tradition in overseas mission.  WDR money supports both long-term development work and short-term responses to humanitarian crises.  The United Church works within partnerships with churches and agencies that have established strong community development programs.  These focus on agriculture, community health, education, childcare, youth work, and HIV/AIDS prevention.  Many of these same partners have community-based networks for distributing emergency supplies in times of crisis.  The United Church is committed to helping not just with the immediate needs of crisis, but also with long-term work as communities re-build and re-establish.