Exchange Community Church: A History
The small beginnings of Exchange Community Church have their origins in the denomination (a group of churches called the Christian and Missionary Alliance) National Assembly conference in Calgary (2000) when, “one after another, representatives of various interest groups addressed the Assembly, expressing their experiences of being marginalized, overlooked and mistreated by [the] denominational structures.” These 'interest groups' included women, divorced persons, First Nations persons, and the inner-city dwellers. Exchange Community Church was thus born out of a vision that was articulated at this conference, and ultimately became the 'experiment' for the voiced intentions of the denominational President Dr. Franklin Pyles' understanding of the 'calling' for “denominational churches to become parish churches that sought the well-being of the communities they were planted in, and...to become a 'social justice movement.'” The ultimate vision for the Exchange District community specifically was held by Philip and Sheila Wright, churchplanters who worked within the Alliance denomination but desired to “enter into the emerging culture, and to see an 'indigenous' church rise up within it.”
In 2001 the ‘church’ – which was really just a group of committed people – took form. Phil Wright began studying at the University of Winnipeg, pursuing graduate studies in theology and other themes that were present in the Exchange District. In the spring of 2003 the group gained a name; “Exchange Community Church Project.” Funding was provided by the Canadian Midwest District of the denomination, and there was a five year commitment in place. By Summer 2003 the small group began meeting by renting a space in a dance studio in the Exchange District, and exploring through discussion what it would look like to be a church in this community. Phil and Sheila Wright, along with Brendan and Marie Olsen, partnered together in leadership roles as they explored the potential for a church in a postmodern culture. Brendan and Marie helped to lay the foundation for Exchange Community Church, but shortly after the doors opened they departed to pursue studies in counselling.
Fall 2003 saw the group looking for a more permanent home, and the location at 84 Albert street was decided upon. Eleven months and many renovations later, Exchange Community Church opened its doors.
This little church has had many friends and financial contributors over the years, and among those especially other Alliance churches in Winnipeg and throughout the MidWest District, as well as local neighbours and folks who come in to lend a hand when needed. There has been a lot of effort and prayer poured into this “little golden place” (as one volunteer described it), and we exist mostly because people come and, by the grace of God, we have funding to enable our doors to remain open.
Our dreams for the future include one day working towards social justice in a more focused way through the expansion of our Community Resource Centre (www.exchangecrc.ca) and also the realization of living/work space for local emerging artists. Affordable living and work spaces for artists, and the challenges that many people who have been excluded from the current power structures face, are things Exchange Community Church members and leaders are consistently aware of, and see the role of parish church as integral to addressing these things on a community level.
Recent changes in Exchange Community Church leadership have seen the resignation of Phil Wright and Jesse Wood as lead pastor and assistant pastor respectively, and the subsequent move by the ECC Board of Elders and community members to a more community-led model of church governance. We have established teams (volunteer-led) to run different portions of church community, and we have been able to hire a part-time Community Administrator to keep these teams connected and accountable. This time of transition has been a winnowing process, and while the community has changed considerably, we are still following the original vision set out by the small group of people, led by Phil and Sheila Wright, and have not been discouraged from pursuing the Spirit of God wherever we sense his/her presence.
(compiled by Rachel Reimer-Vandenberg, March 2008)