Faced with the choice of upgrading their 1920s church or starting from scratch with a brand new building, the members of Knox in Waterloo, Ont., took a radical leap of faith.
“There was an overwhelming burst of passion,” recalled Rev. Linda Ashfield, co-minister at Knox. “It was like Pentecost. I was shocked.”
At a meeting on Feb. 10, 2008, members voted 230 to 17 to demolish their old building and build a new $7-million-church on the same site.
“It’s the older folks who have been leading the way absolutely. A lot of the young people said it would be sad to lose such a pretty church – by which they meant the sanctuary – but the older folks just said, ‘For heaven’s sake get over it. This has been my church my whole life. It’s just a building.'”
The site is at the heart of uptown Waterloo, close to two universities, several condo developments, and four buildings that received architectural awards from the Governor General. The church has refused two $3-million offers to buy the land.
“From the beginning we knew God had planted us on a very interesting piece of Waterloo. The church felt very strongly about the uptown core and the idea of creating a building right outside of the University of Waterloo’s new theoretical physics building, where Stephen Hawking will be coming to teach.”
A prominent Toronto architecture firm drafted the plans for a “simple yet modern” building that would fit in the current church’s parking lot. Funding has come entirely from the church’s adherents, with $2.3 million raised so far. But since shovels hit the ground in November, the church has been planning to expand its campaign and look for help from the community.
Following a year of construction, the old church will be demolished to make room for a new parking lot. The organ, pews, some stained glass and other pieces will be refurbished for the new building.
The dream has taken a decade to come to fruition. It began at a session retreat where elders realized their building – with its abundance of stairs – was the church’s biggest barrier to growth. After a deal to purchase three acres of land from the city fell through at the last minute, dashing initial plans for a new building, the church had its doubts. But they realized they already had the land they needed to make the dream a reality.
“We’re not just saying the church is a cute little place out there,” Ashfield said. “The church is in the middle of this.”
For more information and pictures, see knoxwaterloo.ca
