Calvary Baptist Church seeking community support for repairs after flooding causes severe damage to historic building on Main Street

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

After more than 100 years of dedicated service to the community, the Calvary Baptist Church at 72 Main St. is seeking assistance from area residents to repair critical structural damage to the historic landmark.

“I’m asking for a community understanding that the building is the basis on which social programs happen,” said Rita Shelton Deverell, a trustee of the church for more than 50 years.

Every year, the church hosts a Christmas dinner event for the local community, providing individuals and shelters with more than 200 prepared meals. However, just a week before the 2024 event, the church sustained significant damage that resulted in severe flooding and sewage backup due to collapsed drainpipes, which then progressed into the building’s fire alarm, electrical, and structural systems.

“As we were making preparations for the food, the pipes burst in the building. And it’s an old building so there always ongoing maintenance, for which we financially plan as best we can,” said Deverell. “However, everything that happened several days before Christmas was unexpected.”

These issues worsened when, upon further inspection, it was discovered that flaws in the building’s infrastructure would require “mandatory remediations” to ensure visitor safety; costing the church upwards of $25,000 in non-deferable, unexpected, un-budgeted maintenance fees.

Although the church was able to restore most of the urgent critical systems to an operational state in time for Christmas, there are remaining priority repairs to be completed in the coming weeks. Calvary Baptist Church is now actively seeking help from the immediate and extended community to raise funds for the necessary repairs.

Deverell said she appreciates the efforts of the community to support the church and get the word out about its much-needed repairs thus far.

“Our relatively small congregation is doing what it can, but as well, people who are not part of the congregation,” said Deverell. “And a partner that we’ve always had which has also helped to spread the word is Centre 55 community centre on Main Street.”

The church is seeking donations, preferably before the end of February to ensure donators fit into the Canadian government’s extended deadline for charitable tax receipts for 2024, which is a result of the country’s recent postal strike. According to the church, many charities around the country have seen their donation revenues crippled by not being able to receive mailed donations for their end of the year campaigns.

“Many charities were not able to do their end of the year ‘giving’ campaigns, as they would normally want to. These are all kinds of charities nationwide – and what Revenue Canada decided to do as a result was to extend the deadline for charitable giving, so it’s now until the end of February.”

For those who may not be able to donate, Deverell hopes members of the East End community will spread the word about the church building’s condition.

“Things are up and running again, but we have a financial shortfall that is pretty serious, and I wanted to get in touch with people about this,” said Deverell.

The Cavalry Baptist Church has served the East Toronto community since 1893. Conceptualized by Architects Bruce Brown & Brisley, the 5,000 square-foot building’s exterior is crafted from Credit Valley limestone (grey and buff), which was brought to the site in cut blocks and faced by hand on site.

The stones of the building were laid by skilled Italian stone masons. The window and door framing is crafted with grey Indiana limestone, with a vibrant memorial window designed by Scottish artist Ernst Archibald Taylor.

The stained glass in that window was collected by Robert Frederick Sneyd from English church windows broken by bombing during the Second World War. Sneyd, who was a Reverend at Calvary, also served in as a Chaplain in the Canadian military during the Second World War.

Stonework on the church’s interior has been fashioned from fossilized buff limestone brought from Bath, England to Canada after the Second World War as ship ballast. The wood trusses and ceiling are fashioned from British Columbia fir, and the pews and furnishings with Canadian white oak.

The church’s website describes the church community as “a loving and welcoming Christian community that seeks to worship God in spirit and in truth in a historic and beautiful sanctuary in the Beaches community.”  

There are numerous community programs and services run out of the church building and the attached Grace Pascoe Centre.

“There are 12-step programmes that meet here, there is a French language preschool in the church, there’s another congregation that meets at the church,” said Deverell as she explained the many ways the church serves area residents.

Working with the Grace Pascoe Care Centre, the church provides Food Bank services on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Deverell said she believes the food bank services provided are essential for many area residents in today’s challenging socioeconomic climate.

“Food access is in a state of crisis. It’s very much something that is needed in the community at this time,” said Deverell. “That is why we have gotten in touch with the community far and wide, who may be affected by the slowdown in the activities at the church.”

To make a donation to help Calvary Baptist Church, or to find out more about the church and its services, head to https://calvary-baptist-church.ca/