Cornerstone Campaign Update: Our Vestry Moment
"It is indeed the cornerstone for future generations and for making our buildings and ministries accessible to us and to the community around us." – Michael Rowland, Cornerstone Committee Co-chair, Vestry Meeting, 22 February 2026
At our Annual Vestry Meeting on February 22, the parish gathered to acknowledge significant progress made in several key areas in 2025, including launching the Cornerstone Campaign, and to look ahead as we continue to build on these successes.
We are delighted to share that we have pledges and gifts of $4.37M toward our total project cost of $8.12M. This includes funds raised in our earlier Our Heritage Is Our Future campaign, which through investment have grown to $1.77M, along with $2.59M raised through the Cornerstone Campaign to date – surpassing our parish goal of $2.5 million! We are 54% of the way toward our total project goal, and deeply grateful to everyone who has made this possible through their gifts of time, talent, treasure, and prayer.
Campaign ambassadors have now met with 86 individuals and families, and conversations will continue in the weeks ahead. If you haven’t yet been visited, you will hear from us soon – we look forward to connecting.
The remaining $3.75 million will be sought through continued parish outreach, foundation and government grant applications, and a diocesan line of credit to support cash flow during construction. On the building side, the architects and engineers are now in design development, with construction documents and permits anticipated for fall 2026 and construction targeted to begin as early as January 2027.
On Sunday, March 15, during coffee hour after both the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services, Rob Kennedy, Chair of the Accessibility Atrium Working Group, will lead a site tour to walk us through the renovation plans. We warmly encourage everyone tojoin us. Meet in the parish hall.
Every form of participation matters deeply – and every gift raised now reduces borrowing and strengthens the long-term ministry of St. Thomas's.
To learn more, visit stthomas.on.ca/cornerstone or speak with any member of the Cornerstone team after a service.
– The Cornerstone Committee
