Letter from Pastor Henry

Dear Church,

Throughout Centre Street Church’s 60-year history, God has used the prayers, biblical teaching, Godly leadership, generosity and sacrificial service of our people, combined with the provision of land and facilities, to bless our church with significant spiritual and numerical growth.

It seems like just yesterday that we were standing cheek to cheek in the worship centre of West Campus. Between 1978 and 1988, we grew by 92 per cent. Between 1988 and 1998, our attendance increased by 618 per cent. The new 1,100-seat sanctuary in 1996 was no match for a congregation that grew at an annual rate of 40 per cent for the next two years. In 2004, through the sacrificial generosity of our congregation, we raised $17 million to build Central Campus. And we continue to grow! Our Children’s Ministry is spilling out into our galleria and chapel to accommodate growth. Our Special Needs Ministry has grown beyond capacity in our Special Needs room and the prayer chapel.

But in this season of our growth, it isn’t just about the size of the crowd— it’s about the size of the impact we’re having in our city and around the world. Our mission— introducing people to Jesus and then helping them become fully devoted followers of Christ — is the driving purpose of everything we do. It’s also why we are one church in many locations, so we can leverage the power of proximity to more effectively experience biblical community and to reach people in our region of the city for Christ.

I believe God is calling us to be generous with our time, resources, and the energy and courage we need to share Jesus in the places we live, work and play. God is calling us to bring the church into the community. This is why our ministry dynamic has shifted so much since our last campaign to Give God Room. Since then, not only did we become a multi-site church, but we also launched new ministries to serve marginalized communities such as new Canadians, refugees and people in need.

It’s all about people. The people are the church! However, we also believe buildings are tools that God can use to empower the church (us) to more effectively accomplish the mission He’s called us to. Permanent buildings are a visible sign of the church’s presence in the community, where people can find help, hope, meaning and community. We believe God has called us to build purposeful spaces for each of our campuses, and most immediately, our Northwest Campus, so we can serve communities and provide hubs for local Kingdom work, connecting a powerful network of Christians who are united on mission as one church family. We also believe God is leading us to expand Central Campus to address the space needs we face.

A generous gift of 11-acres of land from the Damkar family was the first big step of sacrificial generosity in the next phase of CSC’s growth journey. The sale of our West Campus to a Christian organization, giving us the funds to expand, was another signal of God’s blessing on this journey. Today, we are calling on you to
journey with us.

Please walk with us spiritually, emotionally and financially, so we can BUILD more room for God.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Henry Schorr