Every Sunday morning, on the westernmost edge of Toronto’s Cabbagetown, 45 or so worshippers cram into the tiny chapel at Saint Luke’s United. Every seat in the pews is spoken for, with extra chairs squeezed into the aisles. But the tight quarters haven’t cramped the church’s sense of community.

For decades, Saint Luke’s has been known as the “House of Friendship.” Longtime congregants, many of them Filipino, welcome every newcomer who’s Googled “church near me” or walked in off the streets. During the passing of the peace, the room comes alive with a flurry of hugs, handshakes and fist bumps. Church council chair David Hallman still remembers the day he and his late partner first came through the doors in the early 2000s, when over a dozen churchgoers greeted them before service even opened. But sustaining that welcome has taken more than goodwill alone.

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The Saint Luke’s building is as grand as the congregation is small. The church is housed in a landmark Richardsonian Romanesque structure that dates back to 1887. But that’s the trouble: sustaining a heritage building takes hefty coffers. In recent years, the sanctuary — with its organ and beautiful acoustics — has deteriorated. The roof sprung a leak; water damage spread; plaster began coming down from the ceiling. The Toronto United Church Council loaned the church money to repair the structure of the roof, but the space still wasn’t safe for use —........

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