Project Oikos

(oikos: a building consisting of one or more rooms and normally serving as a dwelling place)

Raising funds to buy a church building during a global pandemic seems like a crazy idea. But then again, so does crossing the Red Sea and surviving life in the desert for forty years as the nation of Israel did 3,500 years ago. Or walking on water; healing the sick; or being resurrected as Jesus did 2,000 years ago. The history of the people of God is filled with stories of faith and the miraculous. "Project Oikos" is one of those stories.

One of the meanings for the word "oikos" in New Testament Greek is "a house" or "dwelling place." The people of All Saints Community Church have called this proposal "Project Oikos" because we believe it is time for us as a community to have a home base. A place where we can worship God, provide a Christian world view for the community and serve our neighbours.

Our All Saints community believe God is calling us to make the Holy Cross Church in Crescent Beach our home. In order to do that, we need to raise $3 million: just over $2 million to buy the building and parking lot and just under $1 million to refurbish the inside of the building and parking lot.

The Vision

The opportunity for a Christian community to purchase a church property for the purpose of serving the wider community is a once-in-a-lifetime privilege. For that to happen—in the neighbourhood of Crescent Beach—borders on the miraculous. The vision for purchasing this historic church is threefold:

Sacred Space

The first priority is to maintain a "sacred space." The historic tradition of Holy Cross is that people have prayed in that church since 1946. Keeping a sacred space will honour the historical integrity of the congregations who have gone before. It also means that the wider community will have access to the sanctuary—during the day—for prayer, reflection and rest.

Ministry Center

The second imperative for purchasing this church is to ensure that a "ministry center" will complement the sacred space. A ministry center will provide the Church community a place to serve the wider community.

Ministry opportunities include:

• caring for senior citizens
• ministry for youth and children
• welcome and care for new immigrants (especially those who are experiencing "immigration abuse")
• providing English as a second language
• collecting food and goods for the food bank
• a day care and nursery center
• supporting local restaurants and coffee shops
• help and support for refugee families
• providing a place for lonely people (one of the greatest needs in our community)
• providing a memorial garden
• hosting an annual summer festival (as we have done in the past)

Debt Free

The third priority for buying this building is to entrust it to the next generation of Church leaders—debt free. The success of All Saints and its ministry is largely dependent on the fact that the future Church community will not have to pay off a previous debt. Rather than paying debts, the people of God should be engaged in serving the local community.

This may be one of the most important investments a person could make: to maintain a Christian presence and serve the community for generations to come. "Project Oikos" will have eternal significance.

Architectural rendering of All Saints' sanctuary

What You Can Do

We encourage you to partner with us in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference. You can find the latest newspaper article by clicking here.

In order to donate to "Project Oikos" you can do one of the following:

CanadaHelps

Go to our CanadaHelps page and donate:

Mail

Send a cheque to:

All Saints Community Church

P.O. Box 75068

R.P.O. White Rock
Surrey, B.C. V4A 0B1

(Please make cheques out to All Saints Community Church and specify "Project Oikos" on the memo line.)

Mail Donations from the USA

Send a cheque to:

New Covenant Anglican Church
Attention: Bishop Buffington
800 Tuskawilla Road
Winter Springs, FL 32708

(Please make cheques out to Anglican Mission International and specify "Project Oikos" on the memo line.)

INTERAC e-Transfer

Send an Interac e-Transfer to:

allsaintswhiterock@gmail.com

(Please provide your mailing address and postcode and designate your e-transfer to "Project Oikos". See GIVING page for further details.)

Please note that all donations to All Saints Community Church are tax-deductible.

100% of your donation will go to the purchase and refurbishment of the building.