In 2013, St. John’s Shaughnessy is anticipating an income of $151,000. Operating expenses will be $445,000 and a replacement roof will cost $213,000, leaving a deficit of $507,000.
To cover its financial embarrassment, St. John’s is asking the Diocese of New Westminster for a number of restricted funds to be made unrestricted.
That’s what happens when a large, conservative, congregation that emphasises the Gospel is evicted to make room for a small, liberal one that emphasises social justice.
I do not think that they can do this. According to the CRA:
Restricted funds
Restricted funds are funds tied to a specific use and not available for the general purposes of the organization (for example, a fund consisting of contributions that donors specifically direct the registered charity to use to buy a new building). Endowments are one type of restricted fund. Donors create them when they stipulate that the registered charity must maintain the principal amount and only use the income earned on it.
Source:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/chrts/glssry-eng.html
I joined St John’s in 1982 and hearing about this so much is very hard on me and other members
We have a good and interesting history
It dwindled down to 60 or so in the late 70s
Some new persons came in and built the place right up to over a 1000
The new persons were part of Regent College
A number of our members are Regent staff
Regent now has its’ own building
It started at Mark’s college to VST to its’ own building
The sermons at St John’s are like the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Quite a few liberals in the Anglicans in Canada and the States
Quite a few liberals in the C of E as well
St John’s Shaughnessy got renewed in the 80s and is doing well
We are at 1,200 in the new location
The Anglican Church of Canada is in more debt in the 80s but look at it now with the Residential School lawsuit
With what has gone on in the Diocese has left it with debt
St John’s is having financial problems but there are others too
The Court case resulting from the split in 2002 resembles as bad divorce
It seems pretty clear that the diocese will not let this continue, and they said 1.5 years ago that they would give SJS 2 years to become self-sufficient or .. what? close down the building? I wonder how the new bishop will handle this.
in the late 70s was in the same situation and was told the diocese said, ‘you’re on your own’ and the above from comment 2 happened and we’re fine. was told we got no help from the diocese but now they are which is good, we’ll see in six months. St Andrew’s Pender Harbour, St Mark’s on W2nd & Larch and All Saints Burnaby have closed with exception to All Saints has 30 will close soon. St Matthias & St Luke’s has around 14 am told services done by priest from All Saints after he’s done service there. Our new location for St John’s Vancouver is diong really well with 1,200 or so persons also has 2 church plants St John’s Richmond and St Peter’s Fireside at UBC Robson Square.
St John’s (Shaughnessy) is a major building
It is also a War Memorial, I think, from and for World War 2.
In other words, it could not be easily sold and turned into Condos or something else or torn down
It would be rather sticky deconsecrating it as a War Memorial and removing all of the War Memorobilia
Our first Cathedral was Holy Trinity in New West but the Bishop’s seat was moved to Christ Church in the early 1900s
With a special canon Holy Trinity Cathedral was allowed to keep the name Cathedral
I’d read that St John’s Shaughnessy was once concidered as the next Cathedral after Christ Church
The design of the 1949 building does resemble a Cathedral might’ve been what was being planned
Anyways, it’s a major building and could be kept over others
In the United Church of Canada were three buildings with congregations of about 20 or so each
There was Collingwood United, Wilson Heights United and Fraserview United.
The two other congregations were merged into Wilson Heights
With St John’s could be the same with nearby St Faith’s on W 57th & Arbutus and St Chad’s on W37th & Arbutus might be merged into St John’s
There’s also a cemetary on the property too
St Matthias & St Luke also has a cemetary