MOOSE JAW — Victory Church has grown so much that its leadership was thinking about adding another service on Sunday mornings — but the potential acquisition of a bigger building could alleviate that need.
The church, located at 637 Main Street North, offers in-person and online services at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. each week. Since new people continue to attend, though, the organization thought about starting a fourth service to deal with the influx.
However, leadership knew that less than a block away, the former St. Andrew’s United Church had been up for sale for more than a year. The historic building — which opened in 1912-13 as a Presbyterian church and can seat 750 people — held its last service on June 29, as the shrinking congregation could no longer manage the building.
Victory Church has not yet purchased the former United Church building, although it is in the process of doing so, said Kelly Boisclair, communications director.
“… St. Andrew’s is just across the alley, and we looked at it and loved it,” she remarked, noting the congregation will vote on Sunday, July 6, on whether to go ahead with the purchase.
Continuing, Boisclair said the arrival of new people at the church — especially families — has led to each service hitting maximum capacity. The church thought about starting the fourth service this fall, but its leadership “found an amazing deal on a building” that could hold more people.
So, once the purchase is official, Victory Church will move into the former United Church building and reduce its services to two a Sunday.
“We love it. We love that it has beautiful ties to Moose Jaw,” Boisclair said. “It’s a beautiful place. And it once was full and thriving (and) full of people. So we just think it’s cool to take that opportunity and see it full again.”
Once the congregation approves the purchase, Victory Church will officially take possession of the building in August and begin renovations, she continued. Some upgrades include adding more bathrooms to accommodate a bigger congregation, enlarging the foyer for people to socialize, adding a coffee bar and installing a stage.
However, Victory Church will maintain almost everything else in the former United Church building, including the stained-glass windows and the wood, Boisclair noted. Meanwhile, once those renovations are completed, the evangelical church will start worshipping there in December.
In the former St. Andrew’s United Church building, the sanctuary — where people worship — features 12 stained-glass windows that the McCausland Company of Toronto created. Six windows on the east side are based on Bible passages about the life of Jesus Christ, while the large stained-glass window on the south wall features the Sermon on the Mount.
The other windows honour the former congregation’s historical roots, while one window has an ecumenical theme that displays renowned religious figures from other denominations.
“We’re just really excited to be part of it,” Boisclair said, adding Victory Church has operated here for 30 years, thinks it’s “a really cool step” to purchase a historic building, and wants to “continue loving that building and loving the City of Moose Jaw.”
