A church that has stood on County Road 27 in Cottam for the past century-and-a-half has new owners.
The congregation at Brooker Baptist made the difficult decision last spring to issue an expression of interest for the church. Attendance in recent years had fallen to just ten or fifteen members.
The congregation wanted the church to continue to be used by a faith-based organization or not-for-profit organization.
After issuing the expression of interest, seven proposals came forward. An evaluation committee chose two organizations. The church will be donated to the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, and the Smyrna Karen Baptist Church. Those groups will take the building over on January 1, 2026.
The Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec is a family of 294 churches with a mission to equip churches and leaders as they engage in their mission from God. Eighteen churches are affiliated with the Smyrna Karen Baptist Churches of Canada.
Over the past decade, many Karen Baptists have made their homes in Leamington, where they have built a strong and thriving worship community.
Once the Karen Baptists are administratively and financially prepared, they will take over ownership from the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.
The Brooker Baptist community will hold its regular Sunday service on December 27 at 10 a.m., and a special farewell service is planned for January 18 at 1 p.m.
