1st reported by the West Toronto Junction Historical Society,
A beloved historic landmark, built in 1923, and a vital community hub, St. John’s West Toronto Anglican Church sat at 288 Humberside Ave by the Diocese of Toronto. St. John’s doors have always been open to those in need, offering comfort, hope, and a sense of belonging, and with the Junction/High Park being an area of intense development and increasing density, the loss of another “third space” for community wellness and gathering, especially one of such historical significance, would be felt deeply by many.
With the collective effort of our community, we can help preserve St. John’s as a place of gathering and support—here is how:
-Write to the Diocese: Send an email/letter to aasbil@toronto.anglican.ca; krobertson@toronto.anglican.ca; jmarshall@toronto.anglican.ca.
-Raise awareness: Share your memories, photos, and stories about St. John’s using the hashtag #SaveStJohnsWestToronto
On behalf of the WTJHS, we appreciate your collective support. St. John’s is more than just a building; it is a living testament to the shared history, culture, and faith in our community. It has witnessed generations of weddings, baptisms, funerals, and community gatherings.
The church has a strong and proud legacy of social justice initiatives and has been a pioneer in the drive for the inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ people. With the closure of St. John’s, the Early Enrichment Day Care (EEDC), which has provided childcare to over 50 families for more than 30 years, is also at risk of closure. The Alcoholics Anonymous/High Park Group, which has been meeting at St. John’s for nearly 40 years, will also be left without a safe and supportive meeting place.
St. John’s and the WTJHS have shared many members over the years, most notably, the late Gib Goodfellow, who served as a St. John’s warden and was also President of the WTJHS.
1 Comment
A lot of the traditional churches do good work in terms of worship and helping the poor, but they’re not good at community outreach and creating social bonds between new parishioners. Nowadays, the city is so dense and busy that it can be hard to establish social connections. Churches can certainly help people in this regard, but only if they’re aware of the need and foster connections.
A church can be a good place to meet people and develop connections in a community if people feel welcome and encouraged to mingle. But among those who didn’t grow up in the church community, few want to spend time in a church where everything is traditional, where half the people don’t even understand the meaning of the traditions, where youth aren’t engaged in any significant way, and where most people leave to their next destination right after the service.
It’s sad to see all these churches close. Today’s progressives sometimes just assume it’s inevitable that religion will decline for reasons like religion not backed by scientific evidence, etc. But these traditional churches can still be successful if they get the community engaged.