‘This church is more than a building’ Congregation presses on, despite building’s likely demise By: Tyler Searle Posted: 4:50 PM CDT Sunday, May. 26, 2024 Last Modified: 8:45 AM CDT Monday, May. 27, 2024 Updates

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A historic church in downtown Winnipeg may be at risk of demolition, but the congregation who call it home are committed to carrying on.

Holy Trinity Anglican Church, located at 256 Smith St., is facing possible collapse due to structural issues; the 140-year-old building was constructed without a foundation, causing it to shift over time.

Cracks have begun to show on walls near the altar, forcing the church to erect scaffolding to protect the organ player from the possibility of falling plaster. Elsewhere, the floor has begun to bow, making doors difficult to open and close, said congregation member Karen Klassen Bender.

“It’s not just a little wonky, it’s a big problem,” she said. “We are not happy about it, but it’s the reality.”

Klassen Bender, who joined Holy Trinity about two years ago and leads a bi-weekly community lunch program, was among roughly 40 people who attended service on Sunday.

The structural deficiency was identified in a geological survey conducted in 1989, but an annual report published by the church in February says the issue has now reached a tipping point.

Without intervention, the building could face condemnation due to safety concerns.

“It’s a bit of a grief process. Some of these folks have been coming here for decades and it’s unthinkable for them,” Klassen Bender said.

Despite the prospect of a possible closure, it was business as usual on Sunday. Clergy members announced plans for future services and events before Rev. Helen Holbrook delivered a sermon to a congregation diverse in age, ethnicity and appearance.

Parishioners, dressed in collared shirts and dresses, greeted each other with smiles and waves. Some harmonized together during the hymns, while others bowed their heads in prayer.

The church’s fate was not discussed during the service, but it has long been on the minds of the congregation, said parishioner John Fraser.

“We’ve know that it has had problems for quite a while now, but this church is more than a building, and the congregation will still continue … you get to know all of the people, and it gets to feeling like a community group,” he said.

“There’s the historical aspect about it that you would be sad with losing … but we are still praying for a miracle; a kind of Hail Mary pass.”

Fraser, who has attended nearly every Sunday service for more than four decades, said he has seen the congregation dwindle over the years.

While the weekly sermons used to draw more than 200 people, it is now common to see crowds between 30 and 60, he said.

Churchgoers include longstanding members, newcomers to Canada, downtown residents and people who have connected to the church through its meal program, he said.

The annual report notes low membership has placed financial strain on the church.

“People have a lot of connections to this place and so it’s sad things are getting more and more precarious all the time,” appointed warden Michael Minor said.

“This congregation still has its own life and the work that’s being done here is still very committed.”

People’s warden Sandra Bender (daughter of Klassen Bender) said there is no definitive timeline for when the congregation will have to leave the church, but it could be a matter of months.

The church is designated as both a National Historic Site of Canada and a protected historical building in Winnipeg. In a best-case scenario, a corporate partner will step in to purchase and repair the property, Bender said.

The church’s vestry committee believes it would need $7.2 million to make the necessary repairs.

“Whether we find a buyer or not, the congregation will have to leave,” Bender said, estimating it could take up to five years to complete the necessary repairs.

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“It’s really hard for people to come to terms with it and really believe it is as bad as it is.”

The church hopes to partner with nearby community organizations or another parish to find a new home for the congregation.

Diocese of Rupert’s Land bishop Rt. Rev. Geoff Woodcroft has approved the building for sale at the vestry’s request.

Woodcroft is slated to visit the church and meet with the congregation on June 10.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.