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.
See a trend here? It will spread. Without people, buildings have little value to the Church other than the cash that can be raised by their disposal. When that cash is gone, …….
Meanwhile, south of the border, According to one of the blogs, the Church Insurance Corporation, Episcopal churches are closing at the rate of over 3 per month. God forbid that they should sell these buildings to faithful Anglican congregations who would use them as their original congregants intended. As a well publicized example, the church building and rectory of Good Shepherd church in Binghamton NY is still vacant one year after the local bishop refused to accommodate the congregation as they voted 98% to leave PECUSA. By God’s grace, that congregation is using an abandoned RC church and rectory with permission of the local RC bishop.
Let’s see: bars, coffee houses, condos, I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of the powers that be sitting on the seat of Judgment someday, trying to explain this away. 🙁
In the Faith,
NW Bob
No surprises here, but my stomach is turning just thinking about it.
One of the churches slated for disestablishment is Brentwood Chapel. It is the last Evangelical congregation in the Diocese of BC. You can find them at http://www.brentwoodchapel.com. Pray for these dear folks who have shown exemplary faithfulness and perseverence.
Does anyone understand the Archbishop of Canterbury being in favor of opening churches to secular entertainments which would be ultimately a nod in this direction?
Ah, inclusiveness at the last, achieved!