The Warehouse is a spectacular venue for community in Elmwood.
The Warehouse Church with Riverwood isn’t just a place of worship; it’s a dynamic, multi-site movement that has spectacularly reclaimed Winnipeg’s Elmwood neighbourhood, one historic building at a time! Rather than constructing a single, massive mega-church, Riverwood Church Community chose to scatter its energy—and its impact—across a collection of repurposed industrial and municipal spaces.
This includes The Warehouse (a restored industrial building), The Factory (an old door factory turned into a large auditorium), and The Firehall (a lovingly restored 100-year-old fire station). This unique, block-by-block approach keeps the church deeply embedded in the local community, ensuring its ministries are accessible right where they’re needed most.
From Industrial Roots to Community Renewal
Riverwood’s genius lies in its commitment to adaptive reuse, giving new life to structures that tell the story of Elmwood’s past. The church has transformed these ‘warehouse’ type buildings into vibrant hubs for spiritual life and comprehensive community programming. At the Firehall, for example, you’ll find their main offices alongside vital neighbourhood programs like a food bank, community kitchen, and drop-in services.
This isn’t just about Sunday services; it’s a commitment to tangible impact, offering over 30,000 engagements annually that serve the community’s most vulnerable populations. The repurposed buildings serve as a powerful metaphor for their mission: restoring broken and forgotten things to give them new, beautiful purpose.
About the Author
