Development and new neighbours 'a blessing' for church in Kitchener's Williamsburg neighbourhood
Church started to offer English conversation circles and is hosting an Easter dinner for new neighbours
Erin Jamieson says development around her church felt like it happened overnight.
"It's changed a lot. We're no longer alone," Jamieson, who is an assistant pastor at Freedom in Christ Church on Bleams Road, told CBC News.
"They told us for years this was coming and then all of a sudden there were houses and neighbours."
Construction of the Williamsburg community began roughly 20 years ago on one side of Bleams Road. Jamieson said on their side, there was nothing but farm fields until recently.
But a boom in construction over the last two years has brought new neighbours to the church's east and soon to the west, as well as behind the property.
"We're actually part of the community now. We were always part of Williamsburg, but we weren't actually in the neighbourhood," she said.
Jamieson said the church has been on Bleams Road for the last 30 years and they welcome the change.
"The people who bought [the property] had a vision of what it could be and had a vision that this could be a blessing to a community," she said.
"We're here now planted in the middle of a community that we can bless and we can partner with and we can be friends with. It's what we wanted and it's happening, so it's really exciting for us."
Jamieson said the church is now looking for new ways to accommodate the growing community and their needs. She said the Williamsburg Community Association uses their facilities often to run programs throughout the year.
Two years ago the church built a facility and pavilion on the property to help run more programs. She also said the church's baseball diamond used to sit vacant but is now getting good use as a cricket field for some members of the community.
The church has also started to offer English conversation circles and is hosting an Easter dinner for new neighbours in the area.
"Lately we're having lots of people who are new to Canada and that's coming from our new development," she said.
Jamieson also sees the development as a good thing because it will connect the church to city services, bring much needed housing, sidewalks and introduce transit to the area.
"We need housing and we need affordable housing. People need places to live and this is part of development and its part of a city that is growing," she said.
WATCH | How the Williamsburg Community Association creates sense of belonging for residents:
Diverse growth in Williamsburg
Frank Prospero, president and treasurer with the Williamsburg Community Association, said the area is seeing a lot diverse growth with different types of housing going in the area.
"We have condominiums coming in, some housing for seniors coming into the community, not just single-story homes and the biggest thing is the ethnic diversity in the community," Prospero told CBC News.
He said the association runs a lot of different recreation programs that include sports, music for youth and activities for seniors, but because the neighbourhood doesn't have a community centre, they normally rely on nearby churches and schools.
Prospero said they spend time listening to the community about different programs and activities they would like to see and work with volunteers to try and make it happen.
He said it's an important way to create a sense of belonging in the neighbourhood.
"It's really a sense of how do we bring people together? How do we keep them engaged and flourishing in the community?" he said.
Prospero said he's looking forward to the construction a new recreation complex in the Rosenberg area in the coming years that will allow the association to offer their programing out of that facility and offer a bigger gathering space.
The recreation complex is expected to be attached to a new elementary school and a new library, he said.
"I think we've done well over the last 15 years utilizing the schools and utilizing the space here and I think it's time we have our own space and do our programing out of there," he said.
A new recreational complex is also slated to be built in RBJ Schlegel Park. The proposal is going before city council on April 8 and if it gets approved, construction could start as early as May and finish in late 2026.