The Rev. Brian Pearson

Rector, St. Stephen’s Anglican Church
Calgary Alberta
Diocese of Calgary

Ten years ago our parish had a dream. We imagined our aging buildings transformed from a costly liability into a self-sustaining platform for outreach to our local community. It was a bold vision, requiring the renovation of our worship space, accessibility improvements, and the repurposing of our meeting rooms. Early in that process, we approached the Anglican Foundation for a grant, explaining that we wanted to create flexible spaces to serve both our church and the wider community. AFC responded with a generous grant and substantial loan, allowing the work to proceed. Now our community is active and thriving inside our doors! The sanctuary is booked every weekend from September to June with music, theatre, and dance. On weeknights, meeting rooms host neighbourhood gatherings, condo associations, and recovery groups.

Having received a grant and loan from AFC, it seems only right that we should support it for the sake of other churches with dreams of their own. Now every year, as we prepare our annual budget, we include between $500–1,000 for the Anglican Foundation. We want other churches to dream, as we did, and to be supported in their dreaming.