The parish priest of St. Vincent of Lerins Orthodox Church thinks God opened a door for his congregation when buying the Third Avenue United Church building became a reality.
Father Herman Fields says the original thought was to expand their old church, but between repairs and expansion costs, it wasn’t looking good.
St. Vincent Church was trying to rent the Third Avenue building so they could hold larger Easter services but then the COVID-19 restrictions tightened further to only allowing 30 people despite the size of a building.
Father Fields says that’s when they broached the subject of whether the building was for sale, and the United Church said they were just getting ready to put it on the market.
Two months later, St. Vincent Church was in its new home.
Father Fields says all of the heritage items will remain, like the stained glass windows and the organ, but because Orthodox churches don’t have instruments in their worship services, the organ will be played at other opportunities.

Along with the restoration projects, the building will be re-worked to have an altar area that faces front, which is tradition for the Orthodox church.
Father Fields invites community organizations, like twelve step programs, to consider their hall for meetings and events.
He says it’s not about the rental money, it’s about supporting those programs.