Hillhurst United sets its eyes on the future

While some churches struggle to fill their pews, Hillhurst United Church has grown so much it's preparing to expand, with hopes of carving a unique path in the process.

When construction of the church, which stands in the heart of Kensington, was completed more than100 years ago it was dubbed "a seven-day-a-week church."

"That's the way churches have to think about it," current ministerRev. Dr. John Pentland told CBC News. "Not Sunday for an hour, but who are we seven days a week?"

When Pentland started at Hillhurst United 10 years ago he decided to take that old ideal and apply it to a modern church. In that time its congregation has more than tripled.

'We want to make the absolute most of this opportunity."- Bryce Paton, Hillhurst United Church executive director

"I don't think they really knew what they were getting into, because what it meant was we were going to really seriously blow the doors open and wide and seek to be a community that's open," Pentland said.

Bryce Paton, who became Hillhurst United's first full time executive director in July 2013, saidthe church wants to be a major player in the problems confronting Calgary.

"We weren't going to be a spectator," Paton said. "We were going to be a participant in some of the big, big issues that face this city the end of homelessness, poverty reduction so the growth has been organic."

The church has outgrown an addition that was built in the 1960s. The plan is to replace it with a modern space that will honour the heritage of the original building and become the centre of the inner-city community a gathering place for the congregation, community groups and charities.

"They're a very rare organization, and a model for organizations in seeking what the possibilities could be," said Holly Simon, an intern architect who helped the church hold an international design competition for the project.

'Green space' emphasized

"There was a heavy emphasis on the community kitchens," Simon said. "There's several designs with outdoor ovens with large sharing facilities green space was really important in the designs."

Meeting rooms, a lecture theatre, a gymnasium and dormitories for the homeless are included in the plan.

"This is not just to patch us through the next few years," Paton said. "We want to make the absolute most of this opportunity."

The church will use some of the ideas from the competition as it continues to plan its expansionandfuture pathin the new year.

"For us it's not just about a building," Pentland said. "It's aboutpeople and what are people going to do in this space."