Gone are the days that church buildings came to life for a few hours on weekday evenings and on Sunday mornings. To live our mission, and to be sustainable in an increasingly secular world, we must reach out, building community by inviting people to use our beautiful spaces seven days a week. When Huron Shores United Church undertook its two-million-dollar renovation, this concept drove many of the decisions.

 

How could we create a truly welcoming and accessible space and encourage its use by diverse community members? How could we respond to the need in our small town for a year-round meeting place? How could we counter the problem of social isolation by giving our full-time residents opportunities to gather and share special experiences?

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Grand Bend Place (GBP) is the answer to those questions. Under the GBP banner, Huron Shores has thrown wide the doors to our community, providing a warm welcome to community group meetings, exercise and meditation classes, a knitting group, a shared learning group, social gatherings, film screenings, and more.

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We have gone a step further, planning a series of concerts with broad appeal. Offered from February through June  and October through December when the town becomes quiet, they are an opportunity for concertgoers to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and enjoy the uplifting gift of music. They encourage Grand Bend residents, many of whom are older adults at risk of social isolation, to engage with their neighbours. They introduce people to Huron Shores United Church in a comfortable, non- threatening way.