By Alexa Gilker

WOODGROVE Christian Community has rented Lantzville’s heritage church building for over a decade as a centre for worship, fellowship, community connection and more.

Therefore, a proposal to transform Lantzville’s Heritage Church building into a museum came as a surprise to Woodgrove’s pastor, Steve Wilkinson.

Lantzville council member Denise Haime upholds the museum proposal. She quoted the positive benefits of a museum in the Nanaimo News Bulletin,  saying “we become more of a community if we embrace culture and the community.”

Wilkinson points out that the church utilizes the building for more than just Sunday morning worship. As an active member of the community, they host Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, a summer child care program, weddings, concerts and more.  

Recently, the church sent a short-term mission group to work with dis-enfranchised children of migrant agricultural workers in Skagit County, Washington.

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“In every church I’ve served, awareness of needs away from home results in increased involvement in meeting needs at home, and our goal is to look more carefully at needs and opportunities here on the Island and in B.C,” said Wilkinson.

Lantzville Historical Society’s vice-president, Brian Blood,  said the building was originally purchased with fundraised money from the community, and was always intended to be a museum at some point.

“I think most people in Lantzville would agree that a museum would serve the entire community in a better way than a church would provide,” said Blood, who points out that the church is a private organization renting a public space.

He mentions that the historical society would most likely not continue hosting the programs that currently meet in the building.

“The heritage church building in Lantzville is not an artifact yet,” said Wilkinson. “It houses a thriving, living congregation.”

A decision on the museum will be made by Lantzville’s council in the new year.

January 2011