CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ACCESSIBILITY
“You are members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.” – Ephesians 2:19b-20
At St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, we are a community where people gather not only to worship but also to serve, learn, and grow together. Serving parishioners, students, families, and the broader community through worship, education, and ministries such as our Friday Food Ministry and the Friends of Music.
In recent years, our parish life has flourished. Our children’s choir has doubled in size in the past two years, outreach programs have expanded, and worship attendance remains strong with 22 services offered each week. Both in-person and online attendance continue to rise across all demographics—except among those unable to access our facilities. We continue to be a vital gathering place, yet the physical barriers of our historic building prevent us from fully living out the radical hospitality of Christ.
The Cornerstone Campaign directly responds to this challenge and these improvements will transform St. Thomas’s into a fully accessible hub for worship, arts, outreach, and fellowship.
An Invitation from Fr. Humphrey
Dear People, Neighbours, and Friends of St. Thomas’s,
The Cornerstone Project is the result of our collective discernment about the most essential challenges St. Thomas’s must address if it is to continue as a cornerstone of the community and a bulwark of our heritage. It is a distillation of our hopes and dreams for “Smoky Tom’s” as we seek to see, know, and love each other and our neighbours as Christ Jesus sees, knows, and loves us. And it is an expression of faith that the Holy Spirit is moving among us and in this place to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
We know that God is calling us to focus on those who can’t currently enjoy our common life of worship, music, outreach, and fellowship—particularly those kept out by mobility issues—and to remove the literal stumbling blocks that hinder people’s full participation at St. Thomas’s. We need to make it possible for people to be physically present in our worship and in our works, so that all may offer and receive the blessings of this community.
I invite you to join the dedicated lay and clergy leadership of this parish in making this vision a reality. People of all ages, sorts, conditions, and circumstances will find here a welcoming and comfortable space devoted to our present-day flourishing and long-term sustainability. In this campaign, we are laying a new cornerstone that we can build on over the next 150 years and beyond. And, with God’s help, it will be made possible through your generosity, your commitment, and your prayers.
I invite you to learn more by visiting this page.
Yours in Christ’s service,
