Aurora United Church's capital fundraising campaign is struggling to get off the ground, as construction work continues on its new building on downtown Yonge Street.
The church launched its Rising from the Ashes initiative in April 2024 to raise the funds to cover the cost of finishing the project, largely the interior areas. So far, the church has raised $183,000 of its $5-million goal.
While the church raised double its $100,000 goal from its own members, its campaign has faltered beyond the congregation, according to Nancy Kerswill, chair of council at the church.
Campaign volunteer Laurie Irwin also works with several other charities in the province and said fundraising has proved difficult elsewhere.
“It has really been a challenge on all fronts,” she said. “There are very focused agendas for government funding and foundation funding on the big issues that we’re facing in the country: youth, youth employment, food security and housing. They are the very big things that funders are really focusing on right now, rightly so.”
Irwin said the campaign had applied to about 30 different foundations for fundraising last year, with little luck.
“The funders want us to show what we’re doing for the community, but we’re trying to do stuff for the community without a space,” said Irwin, noting the church does have plans to run its weekly Rise and Shine breakfast programs out of the new location. “We have been talking about what we normally have done, what the potential is to do, what we intend to do, what we are committed to do. But it's hard to do that in construction.”
“The need in our community grows,” she added. “A church, any community group that is able and willing to support people in this community are going to be needed more and more. So we are committed to doing that, but we need to build a space to do that, too.”
While the church building will be open to worship, with construction set to be completed in September, spaces like the larger events hall in the basement, the full kitchen, and some upstairs offices will be unfinished. There are also pricey items like audio equipment, which are used to broadcast services online.
“It does mean that our sanctuary will become very multi-purpose, it'll be a space that'll be used for far more than just worship on Sunday mornings, because any events that we would have within the hall down in the basement, we can do those types of things in the flexible space of the sanctuary,” said Kerswill. “We're hoping that will be sufficient to attract renters back into the space again.”
Kerswill said the church had previously been busy with bookings from user groups, and was hopeful those renters would return, which would help with the fundraising.
It’s been more than a decade since the former church building was destroyed in a fire on April 11, 2014. Since then, congregation members have been worshipping at nearby Trinity Anglican Church.
Ground was broken on the new location in July 2021, with construction work happening near the intersection of Yonge and Tyler streets.
The church hit a milestone in June, with the installation of its new steeple.
Undeterred, the church is continuing its fundraising campaign into the new year, with plans for social media campaigns and events, including a fundraising concert on May 25 at Trinity Anglican Church at 79 Victoria St.