Part 1: The CSC growth history
Space. Central Campus has lots of it. And yet, throughout our history of growth at CSC, the more space we get, the more God fills it.
Throughout CSC’s history, God has moved powerfully through growth, through the generosity of people and through the provision of land. Time and again, we’ve been called to build more room…for ministry, for people, for community, and for God to keep moving in our church.
In 1958, our 61 charter members bought land and built CSC’s first worship centre and parsonage at a cost of more than $95,000. This was no small feat — in those days, the average salary was around $3,500 per year. Elsie and Wally Bowe, two of these charter members, recall how they had to start tithing more seriously to make this new building a reality. Despite the apprehension they felt, Wally recalls how their pastor at the time, Rev. Fred Synder, assured everyone, saying: “We’re all going to do our part and trust the Lord. He has taken us this far. He will lead us.” And so, through the faith, generosity and sacrifice of these 61 charter members, CSC’s first building (what is now CSC’s West Campus) was built.
The church community flourished, and persevered through a difficult period after the passing of Rev. Fred Snyder. After being strengthened spiritually through the refining “Wilderness Journey”, God brought a new period of growth to CSC. In 1976, a flourishing youth and college ministry led CSC’s congregation to build more room by constructing a gym and education wing. CSC continued to see incredible growth. God used facilities, fervent prayers and strong leaders, such as Rev. Art Hein, a dynamic youth pastor Dave Currie, and, later in 1982 and another amazing Youth Pastor named Henry Schorr to see CSC grow in community. After Pastor Henry became Senior Pastor in 1987, the church grew from 279 people in 1986, to 800 people by 1992. Once again, we needed more room for God!
“We were asked as a congregation to listen to what we sensed God was asking us to do,” recalled Laurie and Brock Crowley, who joined the church and became Christ followers in 1989. Relatively young in their journey with the church, they decided they wanted to do something that would stretch them in their walk with God. “We gave up many of the worldly pleasures we thought we needed and traded them in for kingdom purposes and we found that we really didn’t miss them at all. We pledged our commitment to our new-found church and never looked back.”
In 1996, the congregation raised $3 million to expand the education wing and the sanctuary. God worked in miraculous ways to make land available for that expansion. Charter Member Ken Anquist remembers how a recession in the 80s worked in CSC’s favour. He watched as several developers dropped various plans and ideas for land on and north of 41st avenue. It was land that even the city approached CSC about buying. Deal after deal fell through and eventually the church was able to purchase it using an interest-free loan so they had the extra parking space needed to acquire the necessary permits for the sanctuary expansion.
By 1997, CSC was growing at an annual rate of 40 per cent. The biggest issue now was the need for more land for parking. Incredibly, God made 16 acres of land available (where Central Campus now sits) for a price far below market value ($1.7 million, with only $1 million down and 0 per cent interest on the remaining $700,000 to be paid off in five years). Terry Busche, CSC’s Finance Pastor at the time, recalls everyone’s amazement at securing the land for such a bargain: “Right after the deal closed, I got a call every month from people who were interested in buying the land. God held the land for CSC…for whatever reason, God chose to bless CSC. If you look at it objectively, it wasn’t reasonable to have accomplished the things we accomplished.”
God continued to bless CSC. By 2001, a congregation of 3,200 people was once again bursting at the seams. The 1,100-seat sanctuary built in 1996 was no match for CSC’s rapidly growing congregation. It was time to build again. Over the next three years, through a campaign called “Giving God Room,” our congregation raised around $17 million to build more room for God, and in 2004, a new building opened its doors for the first time: a building that we today call our Central Campus.