Move to 300 Bloor St. W. in Toronto in 2026 will reduce costs and carbon
footprint as denominations share office and archive spaces
TORONTO, May 8, 2024
/CNW/ - The United, Anglican and Presbyterian churches have signed
leases to share national office space at the redeveloped site of
Bloor Street United Church at 300 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. The agreement reflects the churches'
ongoing commitment to nurturing ecumenical relationships and
cooperation, to reducing costs and their carbon footprint.
The Venerable Alan Perry, General Secretary of the Anglican
Church of Canada; the Reverend
Victor Kim, Principal Clerk at The
Presbyterian Church in Canada, and
Rev. Michael Blair, General
Secretary for The United Church of Canada, met at the construction site at 300
Bloor St. W. on March 1 to see the
progress of the project and to offer prayers of blessing for the
safety and wellbeing of the construction workers.
"We've marked a formal agreement between the Presbyterian
Church, The United Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, as we prepare to move in together in
shared office space in a couple of years," said Mr. Kim. "I'm very
excited about the possibilities of what this partnership will
produce in the years to come. A happy day for all of us!"
"This opportunity to be together in this space came out of a
relationship and conversation," said Rev. Dr. Blair. We are excited
about the possibility of the relationship and working together,
with a commitment 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."
Located in downtown Toronto's
Annex-University of Toronto
neighbourhood, the development includes a refurbished Bloor Street
United Church, office, community, commercial, and worship spaces.
The floor plans reflect a more efficient and flexible use of
physical space for the new offices, and were drafted with input
from all three denominations. The Archives will also be moved to
the new national office building, and shared, along with meeting
and video spaces.
"The possibility of better ecumenical collaboration in this
space will also allow us to make more effective use of our
financial and human resources," said Archdeacon Perry. "Being so
close to good public transit allows for easy access to visitors to
our offices and means we will have less impact on the
environment."
Besides being a practical solution for resource optimization,
the shared space is also a tangible expression of the
denominations' commitment to collaboration, greater impact in the
public space and increasing the ability to innovate and share ideas
between denominations.
SOURCE United Church of Canada