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Congregational Profile Form (continued) NARRATIVE-SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The Region of Waterloo, which includes the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and surrounding townships, is a prosperous area whose population is approaching half a million people. The population is expected to grow as newcomers seek the benefits of a peaceful, prosperous community, or are attracted by the housing prices which are lower than in the Greater Toronto area. Our community is the 3rd largest destination of immigrants in Canada at this time. There are numerous recreational facilities such as golf courses, arenas and a ski hill. The region is a thriving cultural hub and boasts one of the premier concert halls in North America, home of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. The economy is supported by the Universities of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier and Conestoga College, large insurance companies, high-tech industries, meat packing plants, automotive industries and other manufacturing. The community has an unemployment rate of only 5% compared to 7% for all of Canada. Of course, to those who are unemployed, the prosperity may not be so evident. As in any large city, there are those who, for a number of reasons, do not share in the wealth.St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is one of a dozen large churches located within a few blocks of the downtown core of Kitchener. This is the oldest part of the city, with a commercial and one-time industrial core, surrounded by "century" homes, some well maintained and others somewhat run down. More social agencies are located in this core area than in any other part of the Region and thus St. Andrew's, by its physical location, is a neighbour to those who are in need of help. Next to the church is Knell House which the congregation owns and currently rents to a legal firm. Beside it is Solo House, also owned by the church and provided rent-free to Family and Children's Services, which assists youth who were formerly foster children to live on their own once they are no longer wards of the Court. St. Andrew's is a very busy place with facilities offered free of charge to non-profit groups. There is rarely a day or night of the week when St. Andrew's is not open for meetings of community organizations including social justice, recovery, development and cultural activity groups. In fact, there are times when we have trouble accommodating all the groups who wish to utilize our facilities. Once a week from November to March, St. Andrew's Iona Hall is the overflow area for neighbouring Trinity United Church's "Out of the Cold" program, providing shelter for homeless men. The Women's Association runs a thrift shop three days a week, offering clothing at low prices. On New Year's Day and Victoria Day, the members of St. Andrew's provide a dinner for the downtown needy when other "soup" kitchens are closed. The month of February is officially "Potato Blitz Month" when money is raised to purchase potatoes for the work of the House of Friendship, a local agency, which provides food and shelter. The Local Outreach Committee guides the raising of funds and the distribution of these to a number of near-by social agencies such as Mary's Place (a women's shelter at the YWCA), Anselma House (an emergency shelter for women and their children), St. John's Kitchen, ROOF (a support agency for "street kids"), Oasis (a drop-in place for downtown youth), etc. The contents of mite cans go to local outreach and many individual members donate personal-care supplies to be given to the social agencies. A new venture provides volunteer transportation to and from church services as requested. Every May, since 1975, the congregation holds a Stewart Awards dinner which recognizes the teaching excellence of three high school teachers who are nominated by their peers. A unique feature of St. Andrew's is our television ministry, now in its 45th year. Four times per year, at communion services, special envelope offerings are used to help support this ministry. As well, we have many households from within the TV audience who communicate with and regularly support St. Andrew's. All letters received are faithfully answered. If requested, our TV members will be mailed Sunday bulletins. Obviously, there are many more households that join us occasionally. In the past, when a communion service coincided with a broadcast service, elders were sent to various retirement homes to distribute communion during the broadcast, with more than Presbyterians eager to participate.Could we do more for our community of Kitchener? Of course. Back | Profile Index | Next |