Re: ‘Medical uses allowed in business parks,’ Nov. 24 Gazette:
The City of St. Albert is planning Rendezvous 2011 to celebrate the founding of St. Albert by the most holy Father Albert Lacombe, who arrived at this pristine location on the Sturgeon River and Seven Hills 150 years ago. Lacombe wanted to establish a Christian community to meet the needs of the people of this region.
Would the current city administration welcome Lacombe’s efforts to establish a church in St. Albert today? The latest move to block churches from business parks, forcing them to purchase property on St. Albert Trail is an unbearable burden on these small but growing Christian communities. This long-standing anti-church stance of the city can be clearly viewed by the location of many new church buildings outside of the former city boundaries: St. Albert Alliance Church, Christ Community Church, King of Kings Lutheran Church in the north. The North Pointe Community Church and the currently under construction Christ City Church on the Edmonton/St. Albert border are other examples. The current Lacombes of St. Albert represented by Rev. Ken Walker of New Hope Community Church and others are asking the city for the right to access reasonably priced property within the city limits but are restricted to prime retail locations. In the case of Walker, the city has informed his current landlords that they desire to place a road through the Legion/Cornerstone Hall property, adding more pressure for this congregation to relocate.
According to the Western Canadian Christian and Missionary Alliance’s survey of locations requiring churches in the Capital region, St. Albert is the most needy, currently deficient of 14 churches, a figure that is projected to grow to 24 by 2016. This need is compounded when reading through the church page of the St. Albert Gazette. There could be 10 Christian communities in need of their own property now or in the near future. These congregations are not requesting free land, just moderately priced space that is zoned so as to not discriminate against them.
The city wants its citizens to work, shop and ‘cultivate life’ in St. Albert but even in worship is forcing them to commute away from this wonderful community by not encouraging new churches to locate here. The two Pentecostal-style churches on the outskirts of St. Albert hold a potential seating of more than 2,000 people per service, many from St. Albert. This same survey states that more than 600 Alliance Church members from St. Albert attend churches in Edmonton. The restaurants, stores and other businesses of St. Albert are missing the opportunity to serve the needs of this potentially captive market by not having these worshippers stay within the borders of St. Albert.
Today, when Father Lacombe paddles down the Sturgeon River to city hall he is told, “Establish your church in Sturgeon County or Edmonton. There is no room in the inn, Father Lacombe!”
Gary Smith, St. Albert
