As Reserve Mining Company plotted out the town of Silver Bay, they provided the land for three churches: Catholic, Lutheran and Protestant.
By the summer of 1953 church services were being held at the Beaver Bay Town Hall. In the summer of 1954 a Women’s Guild was formed and Bible School was held for the children of the area.
On November 26, 1954, the charter, as signed, officially brought into existence the United Protestant Church, which was the first ecumenical church in Minnesota. The word OIKOUMENE on the altar and also on the cornerstone of the building is the Greek word for ecumenical.
Permission to use the designated land for a church building was received in August of 1954. Construction began in October of 1955 and was completed by April 15, 1956. The first service in the new building was held on July 15, 1956.
In April 1987, through a reorganization of the Minnesota Council of Churches, we are now affiliated with:
+ The American Baptist Church, Mid-American Baptists of Minnesota & Iowa;
+ The Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ), Upper Midwest Region;
+ The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbytery of Northern Waters;
+ The United Church of Christ, Minnesota Conference; and
+ The United Methodist Church, Minnesota Conference.
