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The parish of Holy Trinity Riverbend has overcome many obstacles since the start of the pandemic, not the least of which was having to sell its church building which was deconsecrated in June. 

“As a small parish, we could not afford the very costly repairs needed to bring our church building back to health. So, with heavy hearts, it was determined the best path forward was to sell the building and land,” said the Rev. Rebecca Harris at the time. 

Since then, the parish, which has been worshipping together every Sunday virtually, has been looking for a temporary place to gather in person. 

After touring Providence Renewal Centre (PRC) in November, Harris and Bishop Stephen London were pleased to announce that PRC had offered the use of a small chapel on the second floor. As well, the parish will be able to hold a larger service in the PRC auditorium on Christmas Eve. 

For the parish's first Sunday service at Providence, “twenty-six brave souls ventured through minus-16 temperatures to gather,” said Harris. “It was like a family reunion!” Services will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook. 

“Having this temporary home gives us some breathing room,” says Harris. “We dream of one day building a new church in south Edmonton, where we can open our doors and hearts to the neighbourhood. Thank you for all your prayers on this journey.”