St. Albert’s Presbyterian Church has published a book it hopes will help other congregations struggling to make ends meet.
The Braeside Presbyterian Church published Faith in Action: Braeside Church On the Move last November. The book’s publication celebrate the church’s 60 years in St. Albert and its first year of operation on Liberton Dr.
Braeside Presbyterian Church was located at 6 Bernard Dr. from 1968 to 2023. The church moved to #30 161 Liberton Dr. in late 2023 after its old home became too big and expensive to operate.
Many congregations across Canada face similar challenges with the upkeep costs of their old buildings, said Braeside Presbyterian Rev. Janet Taylor, editor of Faith in Action. Some church buildings are over 150 years old, and have features such as stained glass windows that are effectively irreplaceable.
“We wanted to be able to share our experience and hopes with other congregations,” Taylor said.
Taylor said the book includes a history of Braeside Presbyterian and its move, as well as about 40 statements from church members on why they joined the congregation. The book aims to create a snapshot of the group at the time of the move.
Moving history
Braeside Presbyterian started in 1963 after Bill Lowrie, Joanne Peterson, and Herb McIlveen put a notice in the St. Albert Gazette asking if any residents wanted to start a branch of the Presbyterian church, historian Bill Bissonnette writes in the book. The congregation held its first service in the library of what was then Sir George Simpson school (now Hillgrove School) on Sept. 29, 1963, and continued to meet there until they constructed a dedicated church building on Bernard Dr. in 1968.
That building went through many renovations, three fires, and a global pandemic in the next 50 years, the book notes. By 2021, Taylor said the building’s age had raised the church’s utility bills to unsustainable levels. The congregation learned it had no money left over for charitable projects and was at risk of having to close within three years.
After exploring many solutions (including selling some of the church’s land for use in affordable housing), Taylor said the congregation decided in December 2022 to sell the building and move to a smaller site. The sale was completed in June 2023, and the church held its first service in its new home on Liberton Dr. on Dec. 3, 2023. The service packed the place to capacity, and saw seven new members join the congregation.
“This move has actually revitalized and rejuvenated this congregation,” Taylor said, and freed up enough money for them to contribute $15,000 to community causes in the last year.
Taylor said she hopes the book will inspire other struggling churches to take risks and find solutions with their communities. Some Vancouver churches have become part-time theatres or entertainment venues, for example, while others now share pastors and buildings.
“To do any of those things, you have to have the courage to think outside the box,” she said.
Taylor said the church has entered the book into the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s annual book contest. It might be barred from winning, though, as she is chair of the contest committee.
Copies of the book have been deposited at the Musée Héritage Museum and St. Albert Public Library. The book is also available for purchase through the Amazon website for $10, which covers the cost to print the book.
