For the past number of years, UNA’s leadership has been exploring permanent space solutions for our community. Over the past 12 months, conversations related to one particular space have ramped up, and we are now in a position to take courageous strides forward towards exploring this opportunity with St. Matthews Lutheran Church in downtown Kitchener.

Will the congregations will be meeting separately?

Yes. Both congregations will remain distinct and will meet separately. The nature of our agreement is to operate autonomously and yet, share the space effectively (distinct timing and space use, collaborative transitions). While there may be opportunities to serve the community together through outreach or events, our Sunday morning experiences, programs, operations, etc. will be distinctly UNA's. Given the significant differences between the churches using the 54 Benton location, we don’t anticipate this ever being on the table.

Will the church be doing a full wipe down / sanitization between services and uses of the space?

We will be following all recommended COVID protocols and, before our first gathering at 54 Benton, we will be communicating all of the steps being taken to protect all Unites.

How will this affect the relationship with the city?

Una has intentionally built strong relationships with the CIty of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo. This is an intrinsic part of our commitment to local orthodoxy and mission and informs the areas we are invested in. We anticipate UNA's relationship with the local neighbourhood association in Kingsdale will change if we are no longer a tenant in one of their facilities nor "local" within that neighbourhood, however we would steward the relationships and commitments we have with care should we transition to a new home neighbourhood. And so, it is quite possible the relationship will shift but not end as we serve a different part of the city. There are limitless needs and where we can partner with the City which we're excited about. The relationships we've fostered will continue to help us should we move to 54 Benton.

Will the extended community we serve be comfortable entering into a building which looks like a traditional church building?

This is a great question, and one we're on a journey to discover together. We anticipate continuing to be sensitive and aware of the communities we serve, now matter where we are located. There will be times where we need to go out to meet needs and connect, with our home location being where we gather for our typical weekly gatherings. St. Matthews, from this location, has been actively serving the downtown community for years. Additionally, other downtown churches operating out of traditional facilities also have successful outreaches to the downtown community. Out-of-the-Cold programs operated out of several downtown churches in the past and St. John's Anglican Church hosted a clothes closet and kitchen to support the needs of the downtown. We are hopeful UNA might also serve the spiritual needs of the thousands of new residents who will be living downtown as several condominium projects are completed in the next year or so.