‘Emotional day for all’: church donates building to create affordable housing

A longtime Arlington Street church held its final service Sunday after donating its building to be transformed into affordable housing.

“Today is an emotional day for all of us who have seen God at work in this building,” said Jason Zinko, bishop of the Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada during the final sermon at Lutheran Church of the Cross.

The church, founded in 1906, had occupied its building at 560 Arlington St. since 1965. Once a full and thriving congregation of more than 400 members, attendance had fallen to about 20 to 30 people a Sunday.

“Now we say goodbye, acknowledging how our faith was shaped here,” Zinko, who grew up in the church, told parishioners. “Although church is closing, the invitation and command of Christ is the same to follow him… it remains our call long after today.”

He said God had prepared a new future, which includes serving the wider community.

That’s where Shannon Wiebe comes in. The architect with 5468796 Architecture is part of Shared Ground, an organization she leads to help non-profit groups, such as churches, convert their buildings in order to provide affordable housing in the city.

“We saw a need to help groups who wanted to do good with their property, but didn’t know where to start,” said Wiebe.

As part of that work, Wiebe provided pre-development expertise at no cost to the church, including a building review, zoning confirmation and schematic design drawings to guide future development. She also helped them secure grant funding to pursue a comprehensive building condition assessment and feasibility study for the church conversion.

The plan is to convert the large high-ceilinged sanctuary of Church of the Cross into two floors, adding new windows on both sides. As many as 39 bachelor and one-bedroom apartments for seniors will be created in the space, which could open in 2026 or 2027 if plans are approved and government funding is secured.

Wiebe said the project is meaningful since it not only addresses an important need for affordable housing, but also has added environmental benefits by using and preserving existing structures.

“Many congregations today are having very hard discussions about their futures,” she said, noting she is working with other Winnipeg churches about what to do with their buildings. “There is lots of need. I want to give my time and energy to it.”

Providing housing for seniors fits with the mission of Church of the Cross — it has been doing that since 1977 through Arms of the Cross, a nine-storey, 123-unit seniors’ housing facility they helped create that is located across the lane from the church.

“I get calls every day from people asking when they can move in,” said Heidi Gerrard, property manager of the Arms of the Cross and a member of the church. “There is a long waiting list already.”

Five years ago, church leaders saw “the writing on the wall,” she said. “They realized it didn’t matter what was done, people weren’t coming back.”

As they pondered closing the church, they began to think about a new use for the building. It was decided to gift it to Arms of the Cross, with ownership transferred on May 1.

The closing of the church is hard, Gerrard said, but she is excited by what the property can mean for seniors seeking an affordable place to live. At the same time, she is grateful for the work of Wiebe and Shared Ground, which is supported by the federal government through the Research and Knowledge Initiative from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada.

“They have been part of each step, guiding, supporting and providing their knowledge,” she said, adding through the collaborative effort, the legacy of the Church of the Cross can be continued “for generations to come.”

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