St. Albert’s Braeside Church will open in its new home this Sunday — a home that’s in Lacombe Park, rather than on Riel Drive as previously planned.
Members of Braeside Presbyterian Church announced last August that they had sold their church building at 6 Bernard Dr. and planned to move to a new location at 44 Riel Dr. on Oct. 9.
That move hit a snag when the church checked the city’s land-use bylaw, Rev. Janet Taylor told the Gazette this week. 44 Riel Dr. was zoned commercial/industrial service, which does not allow religious services as a land use. As such, the church had to cancel its lease on that property and search for a new home.
Taylor said St. Albert Montessori Preschool, which now owns 6 Bernard Dr., allowed the congregation to stay in its old building until Dec. 1. The congregation couldn’t find an affordable space to lease, so they decided to buy and move into #30 161 Liberton Dr. south of the Salvation Army building instead.
“Unfortunately, the location is smaller than Riel Dr. was,” Taylor said, able to host just 60 people compared to 80.
Taylor said the church currently gets about 45 people at Sunday service, and will likely start a second service time next spring. Church members were now setting up the sanctuary at 161 Liberton Dr. in preparation for this weekend’s service.
“The congregation is really excited about it,” Taylor said of the move, as it will free up church funds for community service projects.
Braeside Presbyterian holds worship services every Sunday at #30 161 Liberton Dr. at 10:30 a.m. Call Taylor at 780-231-5990 for details.
