They've Changed The Locks!

“They’ve changed the locks.”

These are not words you want to hear on a Thursday evening when you are planning for church on Sunday.

Beacon Church Strathcona had been meeting since mid-July 2024 in a Whyte Ave brewery/restaurant space. We had heard similar words back in June of that year when we were required to leave our previous rental space because of a dispute between our landlord and the property management company. We gathered once in a home and once in a park while we looked for a space and asked God to provide. He did. On Edge Brewing was a welcoming and stable place to gather for eight months. In that place, our community grew in number and in depth of relationships.

But here we were hearing the same message again. There was a rental conflict and though we were not directly involved, we were affected. We had two days to make a plan for Sunday. This time, it seemed natural to combine services with our Millbourne location. We were welcomed that Sunday and supported in prayer as we began the search for a new space. We gathered with Millbourne again the next Sunday, but this time we celebrated finding a new venue for Beacon Strathcona. 

Once again, God has provided for us in a time-sensitive situation. We are the sole occupants of this new space and we have 24-7 access. This opens up many opportunities for mid-week Beacon Church gatherings and for serving our community. We met for the first time in our new space on March 23. There was a palpable sense of calm and thankfulness as we settled in and worshipped together. 

Given the choice, we’d probably have opted to have more predictability and control over the moves that our church has made, but we have seen God work in spite of the circumstances of each move to bring us into the space that we need to be in for each season.

Through it all, our confidence that He is working through our church and that He will provide for us has grown.