Recap of where we’ve been and where we’re going

Following the fire, few of us could imagine Hudson without the presence of this church and property. This place that we have all come to love, was a gift that is too beautiful, too historic and too important to let go. And we knew that we wanted to ensure its existence in to the future. We committed to rebuilding.

But very soon some difficult questions began to surface.

Who will be using these buildings in 20 years? 50 years?

How can we ensure that what we are building will still be loved and cared for into the future?

How could we make this place self-sustaining?

One thing that was clear right from the start, was that we couldn’t do it alone. If we were to succeed, we would need the help of our extended community.

But did the community need us?

239 interviews later, we had learned that the community would be devastated if we did not rebuild. People are strongly attached to St. James’ and its’ history. They treasure memories of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, funerals. They have parents and grandparents buried in the cemetery. They love the beauty of the grounds. But most of all they look back fondly at the days when this church and its halls were a thriving hub for church and community events.

But those days are long gone. Religious activities are no longer the center of most people’s lives. And we can’t go back there. Yet people still crave community connections.

How can we make this place a true hub for community connection? One that will bring people together from diverse backgrounds and cultures, different stages of life and one that will help reintegrate this place into the fabric of their daily lives.

It is clear that to accomplish all that we envision, we must become self-sustaining.

And to do that we must build spaces that are as flexible and as multi-functional as possible to accommodate the diverse activities this community needs.

Self-sustaining and multi-function have become the two principals that have guided every decision that has been made so far. Not by choice but by necessity.

The biggest such decision was to NOT rebuild Memorial Hall. Driven by extraordinarily high costs and financial reality, this decision has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We have realised that by focusing on flexibility and multi-functionality in all our spaces, including the church and our newly renovated Large Hall basement, we will have more space available for community use - not less.  And we will be in a better position to maximize our rental revenue which we desperately need.

But… All of this does not come without change. Some of it is difficult to adjust to.

The church interior will now have comfortable chairs instead of pews -chairs that are easily stacked and stored out of the way. The look and feel of the church will be a mix of historical and modern as we honour the past but look to the future.

The Large Hall will be getting a new entrance extension to the south side of the building which will provide the necessary amenities in a concise manner. There will be a new kitchen, bathrooms and reception area along with adequate storage for all the needs of the church and tenants. The Large Hall will also be refurbished to bring it up to current standards and enhancing both usability and rentability.

Future plans call for a four-season walkway to reconnect the church to the Hall - one which will preserve the beautiful new view of the lake created by the demolition of Memorial Hall. This new view has changed the feeling of the entire property for the better.

We are looking forward to our future with hopes to be open for Christmas.