An open and accessible space for the arts
Sandi Howell and Linda Thorlakson are long-time members of the Crescent Fort Rouge United Church (CFRUC) congregation, and co-chairs of CFRUC’s Community Partnerships initiative. Howell and Thorlakson were both looking for a church they could feel truly invested in when they found the CFRUC community.
Howell, who joined church in 2009, says, “My partner and I had been exploring various churches in the area and this one was appealing. But then my partner died from cancer and I thought, community. That’s what I need at the time, and this is an extremely welcoming community.”
Thorlakson has been attending CFRUC for about 40 years. Like Howell, she also lived in the area, and says, “I had a list of the churches I was going to go and check out and this was the first one I came to. I never left.” Thorlakson says people were key to this decision, but the building also had a part to play.
CFRUC was built in 1910 and is a beautiful Gothic Revival structure, replete with square towers and stunning stained glass. The sanctuary, which is renowned for its fine acoustics, seats 800 people and is home to an impressive Casavant organ. In addition to the sanctuary, the building has several other halls and meeting rooms of various sizes.
The picturesque setting belies a struggle many churches currently face; how to deal with shrinking congregations and rising costs. Within CFRUC, there has been a growing awareness that the congregation is getting older and young people are not as likely to participate in the same way as preceding generations.
“If the church was going to live into the future, they had to become much more involved with community,” says Howell. To her, that was a call to action.
Thorlakson said it was an emotional time for the congregation as they grappled with the possibility of closing CFRUC’s doors. “The congregation did come to the conclusion that maybe we’re not here forever, but we’re going to be here for the community now,” says Thorlakson.
One of the ways CFRUC is working towards longevity is by opening the space to the broader community, predominantly through the arts. Over the years, many organizations have, and continue to, use the space for practice, performances, workshops, arts programs, and yoga. Offering seniors programs of substance is another priority; you will find more than the standard card game at CFRUC. For some, the church has become a second home.
As the church began planning for its future, it became apparent that although they had plenty of beautiful space to share, much of it could not be utilized due to accessibility. The building is more than a century old and much of it is not built to today’s required building standards. In the last few years, work has been done to retrofit new doors, make way for an elevator, create a ground level entryway, install motion detecting door openers, accessible washrooms, and more. However, to complete the renovations needed, work is being done in three phases and needs financial support. Thanks to members of the congregation and community support the first phase is nearing completion.
Serving the Fort Rouge neighborhood for more than 130 years, CFRUC has a vision of being a ‘safe place for all people to gather regardless of race, creed, age, ability, cultural background, sexual orientation, or gender expression.’
The current work around improving safety and accessibility will allow CFRUC to be even more accessible for all. The Winnipeg Foundation recently provided a capital grant to help with this important accessibility work.
