PAGE 2 PAGE 7 PAGE 9 Historic houses Troops get caps, Can we be Christ used for ministry cards from home to the earth? TheTHE NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF TORONTO A A SECTION OF THE ANGnLICAN JOURNAL g l www.tiorontoc.anglican.caa n JANUARY, 2011 Church rebuilds from ashes Little church All Saints aims to re-open has big by Easter heart BY CAROLYN PURDEN BY CAROLYN PURDEN ON Thanksgiving weekend, A year after a fire gutted All parishioners at St. Margaret, Saints, Whitby, the church is well New Toronto, had reason to be on its way to returning to its orig - doubly grateful. After being dis - inal state, and the congregation possessed of their church for expects to move in before Easter. more than seven months be - The fire, which was set by an cause of extensive renovations, arsonist, left only the four exteri - they were finally home in a beau - or walls of the 133-year-old land - tifully refurbished building. mark standing. Everything else, The renovations were neces - including a large number of sary because the church had stained glass windows, was de - been suffering from structural stroyed. The arsonist has not problems. The basement was been found. wet. It was discovered during Now, the exterior and interior renovations that a stream was brickwork has been restored, the running under it (not unusual, roof is in place, the new ceiling Workers lift a protective cover says the Rev. Renate Koke, in - trusses are up and the ceiling from one of the new pews that will cumbent, because the water drywall is almost complete, said be installed at All Saints, Whitby. table is high around the the Rev. Canon Jeannie At right, the ceiling nears comple - lakeshore). Loughrey, incumbent, in Novem - tion. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HUDSON There were other problems ber. The basement is almost re - with the 104-year-old building. It stored, with choir and storage fa - or of the church. A used organ was not accessible, pipes were cilities. has been purchased from Quebec leaking and the washrooms and The window openings are tem - and is being refurbished, and the kitchen did not meet building porarily covered by plexiglass. pews are being replaced. A few code requirements. Some of the stained glass win - pews will be a little shorter than And so the congregation dows can be restored, but others the originals in order to accom - moved to a storefront on will have to be completely re - modate wheelchairs. Lakeshore Road and held wor - made, Canon Loughrey said. “Most of the things of senti - ship services at a local communi - They will be installed sometime mental value to the parishioners ty centre. It held its regular com - after the congregation has moved will be restored,” said Canon munity dinners at the Royal back into the church. The memo - Loughrey. Canadian Legion hall. rials that had hung on the church She paid tribute to the church’s The church has a large out - walls are also being restored. reach program, with many vol - Continued on Page 3 Work has started on the interi - Continued on Page 3 30 minutes with God Priest starts short service for busy people BY STUART MANN “I’m trying to ignite something about church. She regularly hour,” she says. “Some people will within people — their hope, their hears that while people are balk if you want them to commit THE Rev. Erin Martin has started love and their faith —just by searching for God and want to try to 45 minutes or an hour, but if up a new worship service for all spending 30 deliberate minutes church, they’re just too busy with you say, ‘Can you give me half an those people in her neighbour - with God,” says Ms. Martin, the family commitments or exhaust - hour?’ most people will say yes. hood who say they’re too busy to incumbent of St. Peter, Scarbor - ed from work to attend. So I thought, ‘Maybe people will go to church on Sunday morning ough. In response, she looked to the say yes to spending half an hour or don’t want to sit through a reg - Since coming to the parish two business world and the volunteer with God.’” ular-length service. It’s called years ago, she’s spent a lot of time sector for answers. “The model is The service is held at the The Spark, and it’s just 30 min - talking to people in the communi - that you can probably get people church at 11 a.m. on Sundays, and utes long. ty and listening to their opinions to agree (to meet) for half an Continued on Page 8 The Rev. Erin Martin IMMIGRANTS GET HELPING HAND -- SEE PAGE 12 2 The Anglican N E W S January 2011 Church plans $3.5 million renovation Thousands expected to move into area BY CAROLYN PURDEN bent. “We’ve had several attempts at doing this and several disap - LITTLE Trinity Church on King pointments spanning about 30 Street East in Toronto is facing an years,” he says. “Back in the ’80s, exciting future. After many false trying to do this divided the con - starts, the church is finally going gregation bitterly. So I’m really ex - to renovate three old houses on its cited that, although it’s been a property. It is also making up - long process, we’re united.” grades to the church building and The houses date back to the the old manse, which serves as an 1850s, when this part of old Toron - An artist’s impression of Little Trinity’s redevelopment shows the church, former manse and Georgian-style houses. office building. The projected cost to was the hub of thriving indus - In addition to renewing its buildings, the church hopes to renew its congregation, say the Rev. Canon Chris King. of the renovations is $3.5 million, tries such as the Gooderham and and the church is just $150,000 Worts Distillery. The area was of the buildings, and we’re restor - congregation prioritize the things foundations and in 2010, the dio - short of the target. known as Corktown, because it ing the storefront, using it as a it needs to do. cese provided a significant grant. All this is going on as the neigh - was populated by Irish immi - window for the street to look in on As the West Donlands becomes As well, the church sold a for - bourhood around the church is grants fleeing the famine at home. what we’re doing,” he says. developed, Canon King says the mer rectory this year. The asking turning into one of the fastest- The three houses were once home The interior of the three houses church will add capacity, rather price was $699,000. It sold for growing areas of Toronto, with de - to Irish brewery workers. will be demolished and rebuilt to than physical space. It already has $840,000. “We saw that as a real velopment of the West Donlands Historians say the simple Geor - contain a meeting room, a recep - a diversity of Sunday services, at sign of God’s blessing,” says bringing in thousands of families. gian-style architecture of the tion area, administrative offices 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Canon King. “The funny thing Perhaps the most exciting part houses stands out in an area dom - and a small kitchen on the ground “As we discover people in the was, the churchwardens had of the project is the restoration of inated by Victorian heritage build - floor. On the second floor will be a community need it, we’ll add serv - spent the half-hour before the of - the three terrace houses, which ings, and Canon King says the large multi-functional conference ices,” he says. “The room we’re fers were received deciding how front on King Street. There have restoration project will take the room that will hold about 60 people. building for 60-plus people in the low we would go. So we’re very been attempts in the past to reha - houses back to their original ap - The fastest-growing programs old houses will be ideal for alter - thankful.” bilitate the derelict houses, says pearance. in the parish are those relating to ative expressions of church, with The parish held a community the Rev. Canon Chris King, incum - “There used to be a store in one young families, children and different kinds of services.” meeting at the end of November, youth, says Canon King. For the Fundraising for the project be - and the planning process for de - first time, the parish’s youth will gan with a six-week campaign in velopment of the old houses will have their own dedicated space, lo - 2008 that raised $1.4 million from begin early in 2011 with a meeting cated in the basement of the his - 128 pledges. There have been gifts scheduled with city council in toric houses. The nursery and tod - from the Baker and Foster Hewitt January. dler rooms in the church will be completely renovated, and the basement of the church will have improved access and a cheerier room for receptions. Just west of the church on King Street, the old manse, currently used as office space, will be reno - vated to provide more room for the 70 Sunday School attendees and meeting space for small groups. The building renewal program has two facets, says Canon King. “One is the renewal of our build - ings and the other one is building the renewal of our congregation,” he explains.