Our Vision is to be a community with open hearts, open minds and open will as we become: stronger through various styles of worship; deeper through discipleship; warmer through unconditional welcome, fellowship; richer through radical inclusion; broader through ministry to all ages and stages of life; and larger through intentionally inviting others on this journey of faith. Collier is an active,
engaging, inviting, and inspiring community. In 1834, the first part of the sanctuary was built. In 1925, Collier joined other Methodists, Congregationalists and some Presbyterians as the United Church of Canada. Our journey is one of holistic change. In 1970s, a massive building project was undertaken, including new Sunday school rooms, meeting spaces, Church hall, gymnasium and current offices completing in 1986. We have an artist’s rendering of the church and Collier Place after the 1986 renovations in the building. Collier Place is an apartment tower that continues to provide quality geared-to-income housing for seniors and adults with disabilities. The twentieth century saw much governance change in order to meet the changing needs of our community. Our present model is one of a Board without a Session. There are three main teams: 1. Time, Treasure and Talents, 2. Worship Connecting and Community, & 3. Leadership, Mentorship and Growth, all seeking to fulfil the missional priorities established by the Board. These are supported by Ministry and Personnel and a Board of Trustees. The Board engages in strategic planning in keeping with the congregations core values: connection, creativity, love, community, inclusion and transformation. Communication is vital to the heath and wholeness of our community. In 1959, we established the News Link with information about the life and work of our church on a quarterly basis. This is distributed in hard and electronic copy. Worship and Ministry are central to our community. Our regular Sunday worship or other times include, music, prayers, silence, reflection, giving of resources and commitment to the way of love, hope, and justice in the world. Our mid week Lenten Services began in 1960s. Our children, youth, young adults and adults program are still meeting the needs of the world even in or out of a pandemic. Any of these groups would be happy to welcome you and your family. Our Social Action Task Force supports the downtown breakfast program, the Tiny Food Pantry, feeding of the homeless and needy and giving to Mission and Service both locally and overseas. In 2017, we established a Capital Campaign to raise funds for the upkeep of our building. To date, we have renovated the steeple, installed new sound and visual systems, provided upkeep on the building, install an electronic sign, renovated the parking lot and hope to replace the elevator. Our community is grateful for blessing of God and the generosity of the people to make these changes to our ministry and mission. Collier Street continues to be a vibrant and diverse congregation with many active people at all ages and stages of life. Yet, we will need continual renewal in our midst of the zeal for serving God, which motivated the founder of Methodism, John Wesley and the early Methodists. We like them seek to follow the way of Christ in our daily existence, not to serve ourselves but to reach out beyond our walls and share the good news of Jesus Christ who is life, love, liberty, peace, hope and much more. Therefore, making God’s Kin-dom come alive or exist in our midst. By grace, God has been at work among the people of this congregation for over 184 years. By grace, we continue to walk in confident hope!
