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==History==
[[Eglise Evangelique de Girardville, QC| Assemblée évangélique de Girardville]], Girardville, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Central [[Quebec|Québec]], [[Canada|Canada,]] is the oldest French open brethren assembly in the province. Established in the summer of 1934, it continues to the present day, a monument to God’s faithfulness and to the perseverance of the saints. Its history is well-documented in ''Ebb and Flow: A History of Christian Brethren Churches in French Canada'' as well as in ''Pionniers de l’Évangile au Québec : 75 ans d’histoire et de souvenirs'', the latter published in 2008.
The people of this tiny community in the north of the province first became dissatisfied with the Catholic Church simply because the priest decided to have the church built at the village which is four miles from where the earliest settlers lived rather than on the corner where it would not be too far for everyone. The sacramental vessels had been taken from the Chapel and when the priest came to take out the benches and statutes he did not come and ask for the key but broke in by a window. He was seen by Mrs. Pierre Doucet who ran to the nearest neighbours to solicit help. The women, it seems, were the worst, threatening the priest with a canoe paddle if he dared touch one of the benches. The whole affair was subsequently taken to court, with the final decision coming down in favour of the people over the priest.
