Knox United Church is soon going to be adding much more than just a positive physical impact on the Central Park neighborhood. With the help of architect David Penner, they are planning to open Knox Cafe alongside their Late Gothic Revival facade on Edmonton Street. The objectives and intentions of this project are listed as follows:

"1.To further invest in community-based enterprise to ensure the future viability and continued sustainability of the community economic development society, the faith communities housed in Knox Interfaith Centre, and the existing church facility. The endeavor should be profitable, meaningful, and contribute to the well-being of the existing facility and the neighborhood;

2a.To provide the church building with a greater degree of public accessibility through creation of a welcoming community space, increasing the perception of ‘openness’ to the broader community;

2b.To provide a facility in which the neighborhood’s cultural diversity can be celebrated and developed, through menu and live performance/music reflective of that diversity;

2c.To enhance the community economic development activity of the existing hospitality and retail job training, expanding this program to include barista/service training, restaurant management, financial administration and entrepreneurial incubation;

3.To provide a gathering place for the neighborhood, attracting university/college students, young professionals, social-justice advocates, the arts community, etc.

4.To provide an impetus for the revitalization and redevelopment of Central Park itself, through conversation and informal or formal partnerships with both the City of Winnipeg and the Central Park Residents Council.


More of today's churches can take notes.

More information can be found at: http://theoldbill.typepad.com/knox_cafe/