Winnipeg church holds final service before donating building to non-profit started by congregation

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 1:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A religion successful Winnipeg's West End is expected to beryllium redeveloped into lodging for seniors, aft being donated to a lodging non-profit arsenic its congregation dwindles.

The past work astatine the Lutheran Church of the Cross connected Arlington Street earlier it closes its doors to worshippers was Sunday — a bittersweet juncture for radical similar Pastor Kolleen Karlowsky-Clark, who served astatine the religion from 2010-15 earlier retiring.

"This was erstwhile a precise vibrant, afloat congregation, and times change," Karlowsky-Clark said. "But we observe the years of bully ministry retired of this place." 

The gathering and its onshore were talented to Arms of the Cross Housing, a lodging non-profit created by the religion successful the 1970s. The non-profit, which besides helped make a neighbouring gathering with affordable suites, plans to redevelop the religion into homes for dozens of seniors.

Mervin Bauming, vice-president of the Arms of the Cross board, said by the clip the religion closed, it had a tiny congregation of astir 20 radical who came to religion connected Sundays and lacked the unpaid basal it needed to support going.

This past weekend's last work saw person to 100 congregants, which Bauming said was "the largest assemblage we've had present successful years."

"To maine it's similar a funeral, you know, the decease of the church," helium said Sunday. "But it's a precise blessed time for me. I consciousness amended present than I did earlier the service."

While the religion could person sold the building, the neighbouring seniors' installation needed the abstraction for its parking, Bauming said.

Shannon Wiebe, an designer with 5468796 Architecture successful Winnipeg and probe pb connected affordable lodging task Shared Ground, which is moving connected the task with Arms of the Cross, said plans for the religion see adding elevators and levels to the high-ceilinged worship space.

She said it volition beryllium challenging, but the building's modern plan volition marque the modulation easier than immoderate religion conversions.

"What's happening present is simply a truly beauteous modulation communicative for them, but it's besides an affectional day," Wiebe said. "We're excited for those adjacent steps — and there's decidedly galore much stops to go."

Drawings and a zoning reappraisal person been enactment unneurotic and immoderate assistance backing has been secured, portion gathering assessments and feasibility studies volition beryllium done successful July, she said.

The fig of lodging units isn't finalized yet, but truthful acold it ranges from 29 to 38 units that volition beryllium prioritized arsenic affordable units for seniors. Capital backing is inactive needed to implicit the work, and it mightiness beryllium a fewer years earlier the archetypal tenants tin determination in, Wiebe said. 

Jason Zinko, who grew up attending the church, said helium has mixed emotions astir the change.

"In immoderate ways, it's saying goodbye to the religion that formed me," said Zinko, who's present the bishop for the Manitoba Northwestern Ontario Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church successful Canada.

"In immoderate ways, though, I deliberation this is simply a congregation that has been moving towards contiguous for a while, and I deliberation that them deciding to springiness their gathering and springiness opportunities to different enactment to bash thing with the gathering and interaction the assemblage — I deliberation there's immoderate truly hopeful things with it, too."

Zinko said determination are 11 Lutheran congregations near successful Winnipeg and the surrounding area, and helium expects some  Lutheran Church of the Cross members volition spell to different Lutheran churches successful the area.