Clear-sighted

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This article was published 28/10/2023 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The surrounding landscape has transformed from suburban to urban, the building has moved, and even their name has been changed several times, but after 140 years, the people of Crescent Fort Rouge United Church remain committed to their original vision of serving the Osborne Village neighbourhood.

Formed by a merger of Fort Rouge Methodist Church — later United — and Crescent Congregational Church in 1937, the congregation’s history stretches back to 1883, when Grace Methodist Church on Notre Dame began a mission in Osborne Village.

“This was the Bridgwater (suburb) of the 1880s so there was nothing here but there was an identified desire to have a presence,” explains Rev. Marc Whitehead about the roots of the congregation that had its first home on the east side of Osborne.

The congregation of about 110 families marks 140 years of ministry next weekend at the red brick and limestone 1910-era building on the corner of Wardlaw Avenue and Nassau Street. Celebrations begin with a concert showcasing songs from the past 14 decades on Friday, Nov. 3, a dinner on Nov. 4 and worship at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 5.

With about 12,000 people passing through the doors annually, taking part in dance troupes, 12-step groups, seniors’ programming, art classes or musical performances, or using the daycare, the impact of the Osborne Village church reaches far into the community, says Whitehead.

“In many ways, stuff we used to do we no longer do,” he says of past efforts, including sponsoring refugees and mounting drama productions such as the musical Godspell in the 1970s.

“What we recognize is we can support groups that have the same energy, passion and vision.”

Six years ago, the congregation founded the Crescent Arts Centre, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the use of the building for the arts. Several musical groups, including the Winnipeg Boys’ Choir and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, rehearse and perform in the auditorium-style sanctuary, which features a curved ceiling, numerous arches, stained glass windows and a U-shaped balcony.

A year ago, MCO moved its rehearsals and performances to Crescent Arts Centre after the plaster ceiling started crumbling at their former venue, Westminster United Church. That congregation is still looking for funding to cover the estimated $4 million in repairs.

The hasty move has some unexpected benefits for both the audience and performers, says MCO executive director Sean McManus.

“The audience is closer, there’s intimacy for the audience and the acoustics at Crescent are really focused and really warm and full,” he says, adding the stage has been enlarged to accommodate the orchestra.

Producer and artistic director Sharon Bajer of the Keep Theatre and writer/performer Duncan Cox developed their vampire musical Afterlight in the church’s upper-level rehearsal hall and found the warm light and great acoustics shaped the production.

“What I find is that anyone who comes in comments on the feel of the space,” explains Bajer, a board member of Crescent Arts Centre.

“There’s a spirituality about creating art in this space.”

Designed by Winnipeg architect J.H.G. Russell, also responsible for Westminster, Augustine and Knox United Churches, the sanctuary highlights the human voice. People often feel a sense of mystery and presence with the combination of the acoustics and the golden sheen from the oak woodwork and stained-glass windows, says Whitehead.

“During most of my ministry I’ve emphasized the church is the people, not the building, until I got here,” says Whitehead, who has served as minister since 2019.

“But I also believe the spirit of this place is intangible.”

What’s not intangible is the practicalities of owning and operating a large building with many users, admits Doug Holroyd, chair of the leadership team.

“We’re not defined by our building, but we are shaped by it,” he says.

That includes meeting the annual budget of about $275,000, with about 30 per cent swallowed up in running the building. In February, the church raised about $15,000 in a crowdfunding campaign to cover part of their annual utility and maintenance costs.

This fall, the congregation installed new front doors with push button openers as the first phase of $2 million renovation project to improve accessibility. The next step involves upgrading electrical, plumbing and heating systems and the last phase includes installing a lift at the Wardlaw Avenue entrance to access all four levels of the building.

Although those renovations will improve the building for all users, what’s not clear is how long a small, aging congregation can continue to own and operate a space designed to seat about 650 people, says Whitehead. Instead, the congregation that started as a mission to Osborne Village will continue to find new ways to serve their neighbours.

“I’m quite convince that the facility as a community used space will be here and be used,” he says.

“I’m equally convinced that Crescent Fort Rouge as a community of faith has a good chance of being around. I just don’t know what that would look like.”

brenda.suderman@freepress.mb.ca

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