Early congregational work began in 1859 in Victoria, but was withdrawn by 1864. In 1895, a Congregational minister from Port Angeles Washington, U.S.A. began making regular visits to Victoria to hold services in Temperance Hall on Pandora Street. On November 20, 1895, First Congregational Church was formally organized. Around 1901, the congregation erected a small church on the corner of Pandora and Blanshard Streets, and became self-supporting by 1911. A much larger church building was opened in June, 1913. However, within a year, an economic depression and the beginning of the First World War had put the congregation into a precarious financial position. By 1925, the congregation entered the United Church and was for a very short period known as Pilgrim United Church, until it merged with Metropolitan United Church in September, 1925.