New Vision for St. Giles

I want to commend members of New Vision United Church for their excellent piece in Saturday’s Spec. Their well written opinion goes to the heart of what it means to be church in today’s society. The church is not a building. Church is about doing justice, looking after people on the margins, doing the work of love in the community and serving the poor which is precisely what New Vision is attempting to do amid an uproar of save-our-heritage voices.

Make no mistake, a congregation does not just arbitrarily decide to get rid of its building. But as the authors eloquently stated “the dwindling St. Giles congregation joined with Centenary to form a new congregation New Vision.” Make no mistake what they have done takes time, thought, reflection and very difficult decisions. I laud this new congregation for being brave enough to go against the grain and actually use the St. Giles site for a glaring need in Hamilton. They have taken a moribund building and are attempting against unjustified push back from people who in many cases have never supported St. Giles financially to do the work of Christ in the inner city namely by offering this site for housing.

In my view St. Giles will be resurrected through New Vision by becoming affordable housing for people in need. Congratulations to these people of vision. They have chosen to be people who act justly in this community.

Patricia Strung, Dundas