Amalgamation 2023

Joint statement from First Metropolitan and Broad View United, Feb. 26, 2023:

Around the year 2010, the historic downtown congregation of First Metropolitan United Church (FMUC) received a commissioned report on the state of their heritage building. The result of this information was the search to redevelop the property at the corner of Quadra and Balmoral for the purpose of maintaining a safe physical site for the activities of the community of faith. In the many years since, FMUC has been working to redevelop the site in partnership with the regional and, subsequently, with the national church.

Despite their best intentions and due to complications with developers at the time, these initiatives were not successful. The congregation came to the conclusion that once this avenue and hope had ended, a new future must be found. After a lot of hard work, the congregation of FMUC voted strongly in favour of receiving options the Board proposed for that different future. In these times of changing church demographics and circumstances,  FMUC made the brave decision to seek a partner church with whom to continue their journey.

A steering group was named and today they are reporting that the Board of FMUC has approached the Board of Broad View United (BVU) for the conversation around an invitational amalgamation. BVU is a recent amalgamation of three communities of faith who are currently renovating one of their buildings to create an updated and purpose designed new home.

Click here for Rev. Mark Green's Feb. 26 sermon at Broad View on the amalgamation proposal

(part of the 9:30 am worship service; sermon at approx the 30:00 mark))

Click here for the Broad View United webpage

Click here to view floor plans and a virtual video tour of BVU's building renovation.

FMUC extended an invitation to BVU based on a shared set of  values and operating principles that made them a good match. Before that was done officially, several conversations happened between representatives of the Boards of BVU and FMUC and their respective Ministers. We are proceeding to work out the details of a proposed amalgamation. with BVU. Both our Boards have indicated we have a lot in common to proceed – we have shared values in social justice, educational approaches and theological perspectives. With the hope in being a united and uniting church, FMUC wanted to pivot to a new future which would express the energy, faith and stewardship of our community of faith.

We understand the churches are at very different places; both are the results of amalgamations profoundly different from the each other and from our hope in 2023. This mutual embracing would create greater vibrancy and energy. With this foundation and many experiences of shared endeavours in their past, FMUC and BVU Boards have authorized a deeper and exclusive conversation to explore what we are calling an Invitational Amalgamation.

After the initial overture from FMUC, both communities of faith can now imagine the mutual benefits and opportunities that will be created by each saying ‘yes’ to this invitation to journey together.