Divine Restoration

The Greater Harvest Baptist Church has a large multi-purpose room that serves the community by way of computer trainings, meetings, counselings, as well as choir and dance practice. Its cramped space doesn't provide any flow or organization, so Catherine, Jim, and various church volunteers renovate and reconfigure the space to allow for more utilization.

After 25 years, In the Hands of a Woman Ministry has finally found a space to call home within a Goodwill Mission building, but its former medical clinic needs a complete renovation. Focused on helping local homeless or hurting women, the two rooms that make up the clinic will be transformed into an office as well as an inviting lounge area with a kitchen space.

The St. James AME Church is a historical landmark that needs to install a modern audio booth for its services. The current one is small and outdated, so the team has plans to relocate it to the opposite side to provide more space and natural lighting. The volunteers also help out by giving the banquet hall a full paint job to highlight the historic architectural aspects of the church.

The First Mount Zion Baptist Church needs to restore its dreary lobby into a welcoming and comfortable space for its new and current members. With plenty of volunteers on hand to help out with the renovation, Catherine and Jim are able to implement the historic architectural details from the exterior to the interior, install a slate floor, open up the transoms, and add a vibrant color palette.

The Mount Zion Baptist Church is hoping to convert their dark and unwelcoming basement into a cheerful community outreach center for both young and older people. It's all hands on deck as over 100 volunteers show up to help out. In no time, the exposed brick, concrete, and pipes are covered in paneling and carpet, with glass block windows added to bring in more natural lighting.

The congregation of the New Restoration Church has outgrown its small storefront church, and needs to move into the old abandoned warehouse before the lease is up. They need Catherine and Jim's help to convert it to a new sanctuary-and fast. This is the largest renovation project the team has tackled so far, but they need to get everything ready in time for Sunday's service.

The Calvary Baptist Church has a food outreach program that's become so popular they've outgrown their kitchen. Jim and Catherine will help the congregation build an improved kitchen space so that they can offer new programs and serve meals efficiently. New appliances, storage, and access to the pantry are just some of the many improvements that will grace this kitchen.

The Bethel Worship Centre calls on Catherine and Jim to help them create spaces for their breakfast program and book room. With offices being moved to the back of the building, there's now space to accommodate a youth activity and resource center as well. The building's drab exterior gets an exciting facelift after a local artist creates a mural inspired by the Caribbean.

The St. Clair Avenue Baptist Church needs a home for their literacy programs, so the team helps them build a new library. They turn a dark and outdated makeshift library room into a bright, expanded space. With new furniture, a comfortable reading area, donated books, and a computer, this library is sure to be utilized by the community-especially the youth.

The St. Stephen's Anglican Church has a youth room that needs renovating. Along with some volunteers, Jim and Catherine help remove the paneling and figure out plans to expand the room a little. They run into a few obstacles, but are motivated to turn this room into a brighter, comfortable space for the children to hang out in and work on their homework.

The BME Church of Canada is about to renovate their run-down gymnasium into a basketball court dedicated to the community youth. With an inviting stage area on one side, it will also double as a special events hall for plays and presentations. With the help of the church and local volunteers, Jim and Catherine transform a drab space into a colorful, multi-functional area.

The Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church needs a large baptismal pool installed in the sanctuary. Catherine and Jim also help turn the confessional room into a crying room. The list of projects grows as sidewalks are being repaired, the sanctuary is repainted to complement the stained glass windows, and more flowers are planted around the garden.

The World Missionary Baptist Church has a large, multi-purpose room that needs better organizing and renovating. The restoration team and local volunteers help to convert it into a space that can either be a sanctuary, classroom, fellowship hall, or music center. With a new stage, flooring, and coats of paint, it's well on its way to being enjoyed by the congregation in all sorts of ways.