“The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build" (Nehemiah 2:20) A Successful Public Meeting June 15th, 2010
It was a historical day indeed which is to be remembered for generations. Congregation members gathered at the Town of Markham to participate in supporting the rezoning application presented by the church to allow for a Place of Worship along with its auxiliary uses including a banquet hall, gymnasium, day care, and a bishop's residence. The atmosphere in the Council's Chamber was very light, full of laughter, and an overall confidence in the potential of this project to become a positive addition to the entire Town of Markham. We are extremely thankful to H.W. Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Councilor Dan Horchik, the entire Markham council, and Town staff for their support and confidence in our application. We are also very thankful to our architect, Mr. Len Abelman from WZMH, Mr. Ben Quan our planner, Mr. Nick Poulos our traffic consultant, and the church's engineering committee for their professionalism and their support. We also appreciate the congregation members who were present during the meeting and every one else who supported through their prayers. The council voted unanimously in favour of our application to permit our proposed uses. Before the new bylaw could be finalized, we still have a few requests made by the council which need to be worked out during the next few weeks, God willing. We look forward on continuing to work closely with the Town staff to fulfill all the required steps.
Notice of Public Meeting Tuesday, June 15, 2010
God willing, the Public Meeting for the land rezoning application has been confirmed for Tuesday, June 15th at 7:00 pm to be held at The Town of Markham Council Chamber located at 101 Town Centre Boulevard, Markham. We kindly request that our beloved congregation attend this meeting to support the application. This meeting is considered a major step in the process of receiving the required permits to build our church and your prayers and presence are essential. Please confirm your presence at the meeting by sending an email to mail@smsv.ca (over 12 years only).
Notice of Completed Rezoning Application March 3, 2010
We are very thankful to our Lord that we have received a confirmation from Markham Town notifying us that our application for rezoning is now complete. In order to reach this step, the church had to present a conceptual design of the project, go through several meetings with the consultants and city staff, conduct a parking study, and submit the application. We are now allowed to fix a sign on the land stating that we have a rezoning application with the city. Our next step is to receive a date for the Council meeting where our rezoning request will be considered. Let us pray for God's hand to lead every step of this process.
"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:3)
Closing the New Church Land January 25, 2009
The entire church family rejoices together at the closing of our new land and receiving the deed. Let us continue to pray that this land would not only be a lighthouse to the Town of Markham but also a blessing to the entire region and a source of salvation to many people. May we always keep focused on our Lord Jesus who has granted us this great gift and to cherish it knowing that He alone is the source of every blessing. May our Lord reward each one in the heavenly kingdom who has prayed and contributed in any way to make this dream a reality. More Photos
Watch Mayor Frank Scarpitti's video regarding the church project recorded on Sunday December 13, 2009.
Meeting with Markham Mayor Mr. Frank Scarpitti October 28, 2009
We are thankful to the Lord for a very successful meeting with His Worship Mr. Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham, on October 28, 2009. Also, in attendance was Mr. Dan Horchik, Counselor for Ward 6 where the church land is located. Representing the church at the meeting were: Mr. Medhat Abdou, Mr. Brian Andrew, and Mr. Leonard Abelman from WZMH Architects as well as Mr. Tony Masongsong, engineer, Mr. Ben Quan, planner, Mr. Abdallah Guirguis, church engineering committee, and Fr. Pishoy. The WZMH team presented components of the project to the mayor and counselor who were extremely impressed with its quality, beauty, and sustainability. We are thankful to the Lord that both Mr. Scarpitti and Mr. Horchik are supporting our project and have asked us to submit the rezoning application immediately which we did. The mayor asked if we would be ready to begin construction as soon as next year and the committee affirmed that, with God's help, we would be as soon as we receive all the permits required to begin construction. Mr. Horchik also mentioned that the location and facilities of the church are ideal to be utilized for many activities and meetings of the city staff and the community at large. The church committee affirmed that the vision of our parish is to be a part of the community and to spare no effort at facilitating any of its activities. We pray to the Lord that He would continue to bless this project for the glory of His holy name and to lead the rest of the process until its full realization
Visit of H.G. Bishop Tadros
September 29, 2009
We were blessed by the visit of H.G. Bishop Tadros, the bishop of Port Said on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. His grace celebrated the Vespers raising of incense followed by a meditation on the Holy Cross. Sayedna also shared with the congregation stories about the miraculous icon of St. Mary in Port Said diocese which has been dripping oil for the past nineteen years. On the following day, His Grace blessed the church land and prayed for the success of the project. We thank the Lord for this blessed visit and pray for many more future joyful occasions
Waiving All the Conditions on the Land
Thursday, September 24, 2009
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:4, 5)
With hearts full of joy and thanksgiving, we announce the waiving of all the conditions and firming the deal on the church land located at the NW corner of Hwy 7 & Rodick Rd. on September 24, 2009. After a due diligence period which extended for three months and extensive investigations, H.H. Pope Shenouda III, the church board, the building committee, and the congregation have unanimously agreed that the Lord is leading us to waive the conditions and prayerfully pursue building our church in this location. On the same day, the church paid a second deposit of $200,000 and were granted an extension on closing until January 25, 2010. By God's grace, our next step is to prepare and submit the rezoning application followed by the site plan approval.
Let us all continue to pray for God's blessing to lead every step in this joyful journey to build His house.
Project Update
Sunday, September 13, 2009
We are thankful to the Lord for the work that was done in the last two weeks in preparation for waiving the conditions on September 25th, 2009. The following communications and meetings were done:
+ Communicating with Mr. Dan Horchik, councilor for Ward 6 to update him about the project and to set up a meeting with Mr. Frank Scarpitti, Markham mayor.
+ Meeting with WZMH Architects to continue to develop the architectural design of the project.
+ Meeting with the planner to prepare for submitting the rezoning application.
+ Meeting with BMO to secure the financing.
+ Meeting with the expropriation lawyer to investigate the easement that is set by the city to the southern portion of the land. We are thankful because York Region will not be taking any portion of the land for the expansion of Hwy 7.
+ Meeting with the environmental and Geo-technical engineering company.
+ Meeting with Emery, the owners of the building immediacy north of the property, to establish good communications and a neighbouring spirit.
+ Meeting with the vendors of the property in preparation for waiving the conditions.
Moving Forward:
+ We are praying to continue to develop the architectural design.
+ Submit the rezoning application
+ Receive the commitment letter from the bank for financing 50% of the value of the land.
+ Meet with the current tenants of the north property.
+ Praying to secure 50% of the land value through contributions and loans/bonds.
+ Waive the conditions.
Our Honoured Bishops Blessing the New Land August, 2009
We were blessed during the month of August with the visits of five of our beloved bishops who prayed in the new land and sprinkled holy water. Our guests were H.G. Bishop Antonios Markos, H.G. Bishop Youssef, H.G. Bishop Sarapamoun, H.G. Bishop David, and H.G. Bishop Angaelos. We are thankful to the Lord for this great blessing and that our fathers have expressed their approval, joy, and blessing for this project. Photos
Meeting with Markham City Staff August 12, 2009
We thank the Lord for a very productive meeting with the city staff as well as representatives of the Ministry of Transportation and Engineering offices on Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Representing the church were Mr. Emad Bishara, Mr. Abdullah Guirguis & Mr. Pierre Guirguis (the building committee), Mr. Medhat Abdou & Len Abelman from WZMH Architects, Mr. Tony Masongsong from Masongsong Associates Engineering Ltd, and Mr. Labib Mousa representing McClymont & Rak Engineering, INC who are preparing the Environmental and Geo-Technical report. In the meeting, we discussed the potential rezoning of the property to accommodate a church, community centre, gymnasium, banquet hall, and a day care. Other issues discussed were pertaining to parking, set backs, & access from Hwy 7. We are extremely thankful to God and to the city staff who were very cooperative and gave us great feedback regarding all our requests and inquiries. We were encouraged to submit the rezoning application as soon as possible which the committee is currently working on. Much prayer is still required to fulfill this process in peace.
Visiting H.H. Pope Shenouda III in Cleveland
July 6, 2009
A delegation of the church Board of Deacons and members of the church project committee accompanied Fr. Pishoy to visit His Holiness in Cleveland, OH on Monday, July 6, 2009. The delegation briefed His Holiness concerning the recent land conditional offer and the meetings which took place so far with the city officials, the architect, banks, and engineering firm in preparation for the architectural design, the rezoning process, and the expected building schedule. His Holiness welcomed the delegation with love and generosity, provided valuable suggestions and feedback, and signed a copy of the land survey as a sign of approval and blessing. His Holiness also promised to grace us with a visit to our church for consecration once the building is complete. We are all indebted to His Holiness’ love to our congregation and pray that the Lord would preserve his life for many more years to shepherd the Lord’s flock in peace. More Photos
Signing the Conditional Offer
June 19, 2009
“This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24)
Through God’s grace, the conditional offer for the church property in Markham was signed on Friday, June 19, 2009. The church family visited the land on Sunday, June 21st to pray the prayer of Thanksgiving. We are thankful to the Lord for His great gift which He gave our church and we pray that this property would be a lighthouse to the entire region and that through it God’s name would be glorified.
Details about the Property:
Size: 3.04 Acres
Purchase Price: $3,150,000 + GST
Location: NW corner of Hwy 7 & Rodick Rd. in Markham
Conditional Period: three months from date of Signing (September 19, 2009)
Conditional Upon: Environmental Testing, City approval, Financing
Closing Date: November 25, 2009
We are praying to collect 50% of the purchase price before the conditional period expires so that the bank may finance the other half. With full assurance by faith, we believe that the Lord will build His house.
