Our story
From a handful of believers to a home in central Edmonton.
It began with a few energetic men and women and a lot of faith. Nearly seventy years later, we are still gathering on the same corner.
A church built on faith and hard work
Edmonton Central grew out of immigrant Adventist families who settled in north-central Edmonton and gathered to keep the Sabbath together. As the little congregation grew, so did the dream of a permanent home. What follows is that story, in the order it happened.
1957
Immigrant roots in north-central Edmonton
German and Ukrainian Adventist families, along with other newcomers, gathered in the Church Street area of north-central Edmonton to worship on the Sabbath. Out of that fellowship, a congregation took shape.
A bold decision, and a swift answer
With about 250 members and outgrowing their space, the congregation, led by Pastor Daniel Skoretz, resolved to build a new church and a church school at an estimated cost of $190,000. A canvass committee was formed, and within three weeks the members had pledged roughly $90,000. Faith met works, and the building could begin.
1957
The foundation stone is laid
On Sabbath, August 17, 1957, the members laid the foundation stone at the corner of 111 Avenue and 102 Street, the corner the church still calls home. The Honourable William Hawrelak, then Mayor of Edmonton, attended the ceremony.
Coralwood Adventist Academy opens
The church school opened its doors, part of the same vision to raise the next generation in faith. Today Coralwood Adventist Academy continues as a K to 12 school, owned and operated by the Alberta Conference, and Edmonton Central remains a constituent church.
First services in the new building
Before the year was out, the congregation gathered for worship in their new church for the first time. What had been a pledge and a foundation was now a sanctuary full of song.
1964
The sanctuary is dedicated
On April 15, 1964, the completed sanctuary was formally dedicated to the worship of God, the building generations of members have called their spiritual home ever since.
A congregation as diverse as the city
Over the following decades the church grew into one of the most multicultural Adventist congregations in Edmonton, with African, Asian, Caribbean, European, Indigenous, Latin, and Filipino families worshipping side by side. Along the way the congregation helped plant new churches across the region, including in St. Albert.
Still gathering, still growing
Today about 500 members are on the roll and 300 to 350 gather most Sabbath mornings, in person and on the livestream. Pathfinders and Adventurers fill the halls midweek, the food drive runs from the basement, and the doors are still open on the same corner they were dedicated on in 1964.
Our mission today
“To reach out and touch the central Edmonton area and our individual communities with hope and wholeness.”
The same mission that laid a foundation stone in 1957.
Our story on the walls
The Bible, hand-painted down our hallway
A series of commissioned murals lines our hallway, telling the whole story of Scripture from Creation to the Ascension. Here are a few panels.
Be part of the next chapter.
The story is still being written, and there is room for you in it. Join us this Sabbath at 11:30am.