Growing demand on places of worship inspires faith groups to work together
FORT MCMURRAY, AB–A shared need for larger facilities–and years of working together to address that need–has forged a unique bond between Pentecostals, Catholics and Muslims in this rapidly growing northern Alberta community.
In November, the three groups passed a major milestone, when they took part in a sod-turning ceremony on land where each will construct new buildings.
“It's just been a wonderful journey," says Glen Forsberg, pastor of McMurray Gospel Assembly (MGA). “Great relationships have been formed. An improved understanding of each other's faith and all that stuff has happened as well. It really has been remarkable, way better than what you might think when there's a diversity of faith."
When MGA began searching for land to build on 12 years ago, it soon realized that the Roman Catholic Parish of St. John the Baptist and the Markaz-Ul-Islam mosque were on the same quest.
Five years ago, the three agreed to work together and formed a non-profit consortium called the Abrams Land Development Corporation. And it made all the difference.
“Until the three of us began knocking on the door, the mentality of what churches needed was basically [they needed] a building lot," Forsberg says. “It took us a while to convince the municipality that churches today provide a lot more community services and so on."
Together with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, they succeeded in acquiring from the provincial government between eight and nine acres apiece as part of a new 99-acre subdivision. (Most of the municipality's land is Crown-owned.)
St. John the Baptist's pastor, father Paul Thekkanath, says it has been “beautiful to see" three faith groups work together for the common good, despite their religious differences.
“For one year, I worked as a joint director of a centre for bringing the different religious groups together for the purpose of peace and harmony in a big city in India," he says. “So when I saw this, I was really interested that this is happening here too."
“It was the right project for the right purpose and the right partners came together to make it possible," says Wood Buffalo mayor Melissa Blake. “I'm not sure we'll see something like this happen again."
As a hub for the ever-expanding oil sands industry, Fort McMurray's average annual growth rate for almost a decade was close to 10 per cent. In 2008, that slowed somewhat as the global economy worsened. Yet its projected future growth is still far from stagnant.
“Every time we have a new oil sands project or plant expansion, what we typically say is one new job in the oil sands means three more in the community," says Blake.
Designs for the three buildings are still in the planning stages, but their common purpose will be to serve their young community as well as be places of worship and ministry.
“The average age here, they say, is close to 30 years old," says Thekkanath. “So there are a lot of kids and young families involved in the church."
Forsberg meanwhile foresees ties between the three groups staying strong, even after their buildings are up and Abrams Land is dissolved.
“Obviously, we're not going to be meeting together on a regular basis like we do now, because that won't be necessary," he says. “But I think the relationship that has been established is going to go a long way towards continuing an attitude of neighborliness in years to come."
Markaz-Ul-Islam did not respond to a request for an interview. There are said to be about 6,000 Muslim families in Fort McMurray.
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
