In the spring of 2013, a social worker in Chinatown for more than 30 years, felt led by the Holy Spirit to purchase the church building and renamed it Strathcona Church. This was a step of faith – stepping out without knowing where the vision would lead.
Since then, Marion and her family have poured love, prayer, and care into fixing up the church. She has prayerfully sought connections with many people about her vision. Marion’s focus has not been on the building itself, but on its potential to establish and grow a Christ-like community in the Strathcona neighborhood. The building is simply a means to a much loftier goal. She believes God is the owner of this building, and that He wants her to steward it for His use.
Marion has great respect for the many ministries that work faithfully in the Downtown Eastside and in Chinatown. She is not seeking to set up an alternative to those communities, but rather to offer a space where these ministries can be served.
Strathcona Church is a space for community, where people can enter the building and experience care, conversation, friendship, and transformation.
Our partner ministries listen and attend to the needs and desires of this diverse community. Strathcona Church is a collective of ministries that share space to fulfill the visions that Christ has given each of them in their ministries to the community.
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History
In 1910, the church building at the corner of Princess and Pender streets was built as a Lutheran Church for the Swedish community.
As the years passed, it became the St. Francis Xavier Church for the Chinese Catholic community, and then the Foursquare Korean Church, who later put the building up for sale.
Strathcona Church 