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The Living Spirit Centre exists because of a dream and a need. When Bread of Life Lutheran built on the corner of Doan and Arcola, they purchased extra land in the hope that someday another congregation might join them at the location and share their space. In 1997, the dream was still alive and Pastor Jerry Borkowsky shared it at a gathering of ministers from southeast Regina. Rev. Kathy Fletcher was at that meeting. Kathy, the minister at Prince of Peace United, knew her congregation was looking for change, growth and a more visible location. Within months, Prince of Peace had struck an informal agreement with Bread of Life and had moved into the building on Doan, simultaneously changing their name to Eastside United. Meanwhile, St Philip Anglican was experiencing difficulty keeping an older building viable and through Rev. Helena Holdcroft, they too heard of the budding, shared ministry on Doan Drive. Linking first in a satellite capacity, St Philip became part of a weekly Joint Worship service and eventually, other Joint projects followed. In 2003, St Philip made the decision to close their original building and join Bread of Life and Eastside at 3018 Doan Drive. From the beginning, the dream of the Centre has been both practical and mission-focused. On one hand, each congregation felt it would benefit from a larger facility by sharing expenses such as a mortgages and overhead, rather than trying to manage these expenses alone. At the same time, the call to be “one in Christ” roots and grounds the shared ministry At different times, this call is realized in different ways – as combined worship services, programs, joint choirs and committees. Still, we continually wait upon the Spirit, asking: “Who would you have us be… in southeast Regina? How best can we serve?” At this time, a Living Spirit Council, appointed by the three congregations, oversees the general missional direction of the Centre, along with property and development issues. At the same time, the autonomy of each congregation is respected and each congregation continues to employ its own clergy and staff and offer Sunday morning worship in its home tradition.
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