From the Times Colonist:
What do the Conservatory of Music, Belfry Theatre, Ballet Victoria and the Canadian College of Performing Arts all have in common? They’re all located in former churches.
And in a year or two, 10 more Greater Victoria church properties could be sold or leased, holding opportunity for creative new uses.
Elsewhere, former churches have become galleries, single-family homes, condos, museums, coffee houses, clubs and lecture halls. An old Ottawa church is now a bed and breakfast. A rock group in Montreal turned a church into a recording studio, while another was reincarnated as a pub called L’Anglican.
Christopher Page, rector of St. Philip’s in Oak Bay, is surprised by the number of inquiries received so far, especially as no decision has been made. Some queries have come from Jewish and Buddhist faiths.
“It’s a very competitive market. Who would have thought?”
The buzz is fuelled by a recent recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia to close churches because of declining attendance. If approved at the March synod meeting, this could be implemented in 18 months. The local churches in limbo are St. Stephen’s, Brentwood Chapel, St. David by the Sea, St. Peter’s, St. Columba’s, All Saints, St. Martin in the Fields, St. Philip’s, St. Saviour’s and St. Mary the Incarnation.
Meanwhile, the Anglican Church of Canada remains determined to wrest properties away from ANiC parishes who are using them to glorify God, in order to sell them for condos, clubs, pubs and recording studios. It’s all a part of prophetic justice making.
David could you please elaborate on your term “prophetic justice making” this is for understanding and not argument.
Stuck, I was being sarcastic. It’s a phrase that the ACoC likes to use when it is claiming to promote justice. Here is an example.
Thanks David, In my limited pardygm I have always been leary when the church talks about justice issues. It seems to detract from her original purpose.
#3 Stuck
But surely justice issues have been a purpose of the church since day one, with Jesus himself preaching strenuously on it, e.g. Matthew 23:23:
“But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
“Christopher Page, rector of St. Philip’s in Oak Bay, is surprised by the number of inquiries received so far, especially as no decision has been made. Some queries have come from Jewish and Buddhist faiths.
‘It’s a very competitive market. Who would have thought?’”
Apparently not AC0C’ers in that Diocese.
The NEED is obviously there. I’ts just currently being filled by others.
Here is the perfect opportunity for the apostate church of Anglicanism in Canada (ACoC) to do the about face that is required.
IF and heavy on the IF, the ACoC could and would exercise some Christian Love (the love they espouse) to the members of ANiC and negotiate in faith and make arrangements for the church buildings that should have remained with the ANiC parishes to now be turned over to them, then they would have a hand in helping to save the Anglican Faith in North America and in themselves.
However, looking at the selfish greed that has spewed forth since this all started, the ACoC would rather destroy good christian people and their own Faith for the sake of the almighty dollars.
May God have mercy on them.
Noli – With due respect it is important to notice that Jesus was speaking to those whose responsibility was “under the Law”. He presented to us a very different viewpoint. My comment “It seems to detract from her original purpose” is relevent when the church emphasizes justice issues ahead of the “New” Law.