By Danny Gallagher, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Through the darkness and the fog and devastation caused by a Jan. 6 fire, light is shining a bit more now for Amanda Todd and Dan Peters.
They have purchased the historic Zion United Church in Douglas and an adjoining hall on Malloch St., a few blocks southeast of their former premises on Main St.
The buildings will become a new place of business for the Douglas Trading Post and possibly a restart of the Douglas Diner they operated.
In a deal made with the Toronto-based United Church of Canada, the owner of the landmark edifice, Mr. Peters said the closing of the transaction will hopefully be made May 1.
The buildings were put up for sale June 19, 2025 with an asking price of $249,900 but it was dropped to $199,900 a few months later. Neither the church nor the buyers were prepared to say what the final price was.
“That’s not information I’m able to share. All decisions about the sale were made by the United Church of Canada as the buildings belong to them, not the local congregations,” explained Rev. Ingrid Condie-Bennett, the minister at the Douglas church.
“We worked out a fair deal. It was a bit more than we wanted to pay,” Mr. Peters said in an interview. “When we lost our buildings, we were looking around for something. There aren’t many other options in Douglas so we looked at buying the church. There’s nothing else in Douglas that suits us at all.
“We wished it (new property) was on the highway but it’s in a nice spot. We love old buildings. It’s been in the community for a long, long time. The church is a beautiful old building. The roof was changed not long ago. The hall is much younger. We were looking for space. It has a lot of space.
“My sister is an officiant so we might have weddings in the church. We could start up a restaurant. It depends — the kitchen would have to be brought up to health standards.”
Mr. Peters told the Leader he and Amanda have yet to receive any insurance payment as a result of the January fire.
The church property is currently zoned “rural residential” but it will need to be rezoned to something like “village commercial’, Mr. Peters said. Each building contains about 1.300 square feet.
The church was put for sale due to dwindling attendance which saw 15 people show up for each Sunday morning service. After COVID-19 arrived in 2020, attendance dropped dramatically so the board of directors consisting of the minister, Brian Stokes, Sarah Dick and Carol McLeod, decided to put the buildings on the market.
Proceeds from the sale are slated to be used to support Grace United Church in Cobden. Rev. Condie-Bennett told the Leader the Douglas congregation voted to discontinue worship services last December and began worshipping at Grace United Church in Cobden.
“The two congregations are amalgamating,” she said. “It’s really important to stress that their church (Cobden) is continuing and very much alive and thriving. They are an active family of faith who do amazing outreach and service.”
Discover more from The Pro News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
