Page 9 - Presbyterian Connection

presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2024
New Space for New Possibilities
By the Rev. Victor Kim, Principal Clerk, General Assembly Office
Who doesn’t get excited about moving into a new home! Re- cently, The Presbyterian Church in Canada signed a lease, along with the Anglican and United Church denominations, to share new national office space at the redeveloped site of Bloor Street United Church at 300 Bloor St. W. in Toronto, Ont. This move is scheduled for the Spring/Sum- mer of 2026. The agreement reflects the churches’ ongoing commitment to nurturing ecu- menical relationships and coop- eration, and to reducing costs and their carbon footprint.
“This opportunity to be to- gether in this space came out of a relationship and conversation,” said the Rev. Dr. Michael Blair, General Secretary for the United Church. We are excited about the possibility of the relationship and working together, with a commit- ment to mission and ministry. We collaborate to be witnesses in the healing of God’s world. So, I am excited and grateful for the possibilities.”
“The possibility of better ecu- menical collaboration in this space will also allow us to make more effective use of our finan- cial and human resources,” said Archdeacon Alan Perry, the Gen- eral Secretary of the Anglican
Pictured (left to right) are the Rev. Victor Kim, Principal Clerk of the PCC, the Rev. Dr. Michael Blair, General Secretary of the United Church of Canada, and Archdeacon Alan Perry, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada.
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Church. “Being so close to good public transit allows for easy ac- cess to visitors to our offices and means we will have less impact on the environment.”
The new national office will be par t of a development that in- cludes a refurbished Bloor Street United Church, office, and com- mercial and worship spaces. The floor plans reflect a more effi- cient and flexible use of physical space for the new offices and were drafted with input from all three denominations. The de- nominational Archives will also be moved into the new building.
As with any significant move, there is much preparation to be
done and that work is already underway at our current location at 50 Wynford Dr. in Toronto. We are grateful to the staff for their collaboration around the upcom- ing move. A committee of As- sembly Council has been given the task of discerning what will happen to the current national of- fice building.
The hope for our new home is that it will be a place to make new memories and space for new possibilities for ministry that serve the vision of the kingdom of God. I am very excited about the possibilities of what this par tnership will produce in the years to come!
The breaking of the ground ceremony for the new church offices at 50 Wyn- ford Drive, Toronto, in 1965. Some attendees included Dr. E.A. Thomson, the Rev. Dr. J. Alan Munro, the Rev. Dr. David Hay and L. Fowler. PHOTO CREDIT: THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ARCHIVES.