After nearly a year of efforts, the Town of Sexsmith Museum Society has officially moved the Emmanuel Anglican Church to its new home on 99 Street. The Town of Sexsmith purchased the lot the church previously sat on in June, allowing for the move to a vacant lot nearby.
Sexsmith and District Museum Society board member Sharon Ophus says the structural integrity of the church has been a concern since 2022, and the move will allow for a reopening of the 87-year-old place of worship after 20 years of vacancy.
“We want to clean everything up, we want to make it a shiny example,” she says. “It will be open to the community during museum hours, it’ll be rentable for weddings; if there’s an Anglican minister they can do baptisms.”
Ophus adds that the move was necessary for the community, as the church has been a staple since its construction in 1936.
“You can’t rebuild something like that,” she says. “That church holds memories, it holds the heart, it’s part of the history of Sexsmith.”
The church is scheduled to open to the public in spring 2024.
