'Holy Conversion': St Matthew's profiled on CTV national news
One of the oldest churches in Canada has found a groundbreaking method of paying its growing repair bills while enduring a shrinking congregation - building affordable housing inside the sanctuary.
'Church eyes adding apartments': St Matthew's profiled in the Winnipeg Sun
Scores of inner-city residents might soon find out whether the big man upstairs is a good roommate.
With maintenance costs rising at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, directors want to build 26 apartments into the 61-year-old building while turning its main parish into a community gathering place.
"This is not an exit strategy for us. This is a strategy to become an even better presence in our neighbourhood," said priest Cathy Campbell, while pointing out the potential surrounding the main worship hall.
"If you stand here, you'll have apartments all around you -- three floors of apartments. And there will be a public plaza in the middle for the housing complex -- and hopefully from time to time as a resource for the neighbourhood."
Working with architects on the $4.2-million vision, Campbell sees the church at 641 St. Matthews Ave. perhaps being eventually owned and managed by a non-profit housing corporation.
The church hopes government grants can help bring its dream to life.
While the plan means that St. Matthew's "would not be a church, per se, any more," Campbell said, it would continue to hold worship services in a different part of the building.
"Our real energy is Monday to Saturday, with all the different programs serving the community. We want that to continue," she said. "The idea of the project is that the church becomes more modest, but useful, renewed space -- so it can continue to be a presence in this neighbourhood. And the neighbourhood gets to move in."
St Matthew's profiled on CTV local news
One of the oldest churches in Canada has found a groundbreaking
method of paying its growing repair bills while enduring a shrinking
congregation - building condos inside the cathedral.
