Sparked Thoughts

In Scarborough Ontario, Malvern is a community begun in the 1970s by an affordable housing initiative (HOME:  home ownership made easy) promoted by the Ontario government.  Young families were able to buy starter houses in the new suburb.   School boards set up elementary and secondary schools.   The city provided community facilities, playing fields, and libraries.   The churches were keen to do what they new best:   develop community by organizing congregations.   church authorities initiated the gathering of Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, and United faithful.  [Full disclosure:  I was appointed first ordained minister of the UC mission in 1974 and served four years.]   School gyms became sanctuaries for Sunday worship until leaders became tired of lugging their paraphernalia to the venue.   Then building plans were made.  The United Church congregation built a simple facility in the early '80s.   

Over the years the population became more diverse and an array of other congregations were formed by new Canadians.   The building became the home not only of Malvern Emmanuel UC, but also other congregations.  Currently the building houses MEUC, the Tamil Christian Prayer Church, Toronto North Seventh Day Adventist, and Scarborough Spoken Word Christian Fellowship.  The site has become an living icon of embraced diversity, shared unity, and peaceful cooperation.

Never a thriving financial initiative, the building was transferred to the Toronto United Church Council - a business arm of the UCC in southern Ontario.    This past summer the TUCC decided that the facility and property were no longer financial viable.   The congregations were informed that their home was to be sold.

For everyone involved the questions must be:   are the four faith communities just to go their own separate ways and possibly wither?  Or is there reason to imagine the property having an ongoing mission as a place where faith leads to collaborative service and witness for justice and peace?   Wouldn't it be something if the four plus their connected larger church backers sat down to discern what God might want this site to become in a complex community in need of creative, healing presence?  How many other situations like this could be found across Canada, in the western world!!    Just thinking! .....