Turning the Page to a New Chapter in Edmonds
By Cailey Morgan, The Neighbourhood Church, Burnaby, with research from Natalie Warkentin
I’ll admit I wasn’t quite sure how to feel as 160 people packed into our Edmonds facility for a banquet designed to recognize the decades of ministry in the facility—and look ahead to its impending demolition and redevelopment.
I was in kindergarten the first time I laid eyes on the building, so every square foot of that dilapidated, lovely old place holds memory for me, from the rusty heat vents where my brothers and I would huddle before services as kids, to the various crannies we’d gather as youth small groups to listen to the Lord together, to the spot where I took my wedding vows—a mere 5 feet from the tank in which I was baptized as a preteen.
Ten-year-old me with my dad at a Christmas event.
But I know I’m not alone in my nostalgia. Hundreds and hundreds of people have passed through those doors to pray, to worship, to learn, and to play.
According to a 1912 newspaper, the original Edmonds Baptist Church building was erected for about $3000.
“Standing as it does on Walker Avenue, close to Kingsway, the new edifice occupies an imposing position in the rapidly growing settlement of Edmonds, and those who have had the matter in charge feel well pleased with their labours… The pastor of the church, Rev. Reid McCullough has worked untiringly towards the completion of the new edifice.” (“Edmonds Baptists Have New Church,” Westminster Daily News, November 25, 1912)
Under the leadership of McCullough, Ernest E. King, Jonathan Wilson, Richard Matiachuk, Cam and Shelley Roxburgh and many others over the years, Christ followers have used that sanctuary to offer hope in southeast Burnaby for more than a century. So I was at a loss that night—how could we sum up the life of Edmonds Baptist/Southside/The Neighbourhood Church in a 3-hour event? How could we possibly narrow down which stories of offering shelter, food, meaning, and friendship to share? Which of the countless moments of God’s faithfulness would shine brightest in our collective mind’s eye? How could our hearts even handle it all?
But on January 31, 2026, as I found my seat at the banquet and gazed into the eyes of old friends across the table, I realized it wasn’t about trying to cram a century into an evening. It was about experiencing the present moment as an opportunity to recenter on our calling as a church from the beginning.
Jan 31 Banquet: Volunteers from several Burnaby churches hosted and served at the banquet to allow former and present church members to enjoy time at their tables
So, that night we continued to do what we do best: celebrating the faithfulness of God through a meal, shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours. While the fancy hors d’oeuvres and table of municipal dignitaries might have been a special touch, the regular ingredients of our weekly dinners remained: a diverse group of kinda–messed–up, beautiful people coming together to share words of hope, acts of kindness, good food, prayers of gratitude, and boisterous joy.
Feb 1: Our Sunday gathering was the final collective chance to say goodbye to the building.
Feb 1: The kids got to say their goodbyes using Sharpies on the walls!
BCY Regional Minister Brian Louw joined us for that Saturday evening, as well as our church’s final service in the building on February 1. “Joining The Neighbourhood Church for their Imagine Edmonds celebration was a tremendous joy for me,” Brian says. “I thank God for the clear evidence of His Spirit at work in the Edmonds community through faithful disciples serving there for over 100 years. Both gatherings over the weekend were filled with joy and wonder at the stories of God through this church, and it is my prayer that we will see many more reasons to glorify God through this church.”
The building is now in the hands of the demolition crew.
Hot dogs with neighbours as we settle into our new home for the next 3-5 years
On February 11, we inaugurated our interim ministry centre—a former credit union located 2 blocks from our original campus—with a neighbourhood hot dog dinner. It already had flashes of feeling like home as we picked up where we’d left off with our weekly community meals. Church was never about the building anyways. It’s about God’s people, together, declaring God’s love and His Kingdom come.
Brian is right—God’s Spirit is present and moving here and will continue to enliven us for mission in the season ahead.
Imagine Edmonds Development projection
Please pray for us in this multi-year season of transition. To learn more about the Imagine Edmonds project—featuring plans for an art centre, ministry centre, and 480 units of housing, read Cam Roxburgh’s article from the BCY Newsletter last fall, or visit imagine-edmonds.ca.
