The Church of the Messiah is an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church in
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. It is located at 240
Avenue Road, on the corner of
Dupont Street
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
. The church was founded on March 24, 1891, by members of the
Church of the Redeemer further south on Avenue Road. The building was designed by
Gordon & Helliwell,
Landmarks of Toronto
/ref> along with a rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically ow ...
next door (which has not been owned by the church for many years).
The church suffered a major fire in 1976 that gutted the building and destroyed the parish hall next door. The fire was determined to be arson by Toronto police and the perpetrator was convicted and jailed. The church was rebuilt preserving the original exterior appearance, however the interior was radically redesigned to maximize flexibility. As a result, the Church of The Messiah has a liturgical space that can be configured in several different ways. During the week the space is used for worship, community meetings, a food bank, a daycare, and rehearsal / performance space.
Historically, the Church of the Messiah was a bastion of the low-church Anglicanism in Canada. Every Rector (or Incumbent) prior to the most current one was a graduate of Wycliffe College. Several of these were noted preachers and two went on to become Bishops. Currently, the church is known for a creative worship style, diverse congregation, food access programs for the neighbourhood (including the Avenue Road Food Bank). The Messiah was home to the Bell Tower Café (closed in 2019).
The most recent Incumbent was the Rev'd W. Tay Moss, AHC. Sarah John serves as Minister of Music.
See also
*
* List of Anglican churches in Toronto
References
External links
*
{{coord, 43.676916, N, 79.397866, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark, display=title
Messiah
Messiah
Messiah
Gothic Revival architecture in Toronto
Religious buildings and structures in Canada destroyed by arson