Moose Jaw church includes John Howard Society of Saskatchewan in its legacy plan

Thanks to a neighbouring church, John Howard Society in Moose Jaw has received one of its most generous donations to date.

Central Lutheran Church in Moose Jaw, whose congregation shut its doors in spring of 2024, has given John Howard Society a generous donation of nearly $40,000 as part of its legacy plan to split the proceeds from the sale of its building on Hochelaga West among seven charities in the city.

Established in 1928, Central Lutheran was a robust congregation for decades. Anna Kwasnica, who had attended since she was a child, remembers when there were two services offered each Sunday.

“It was so busy. The church would be full so that’s probably 200 people every Sunday. Before we closed, if we had 25, we were happy,” she said.

Kwasnica has been one of four church trustees for the past two years, checking on the building every day before it sold to Hope Ministries in fall 2025. She recalls how the congregation would have special offerings for various charities in the city on Gospel Sundays—the fifth Sunday in a month, which featured special music.

“Members loved those Sundays, and those offerings would go to the organizations in the legacy plan, including John Howard,” she said. “John Howard has always been an organization the church has supported.”

Most recently, the church hosted sandwich-making days, with volunteers picking up food and supplies from the John Howard office across the street on Hochelaga, making sandwiches and dropping them back off for JHSS office staff to give to clients and community members.

“We’d take a day and we would sit down and bust out 100 sandwiches,” said Kwasnica. “Whoever came to the church could make sandwiches for everybody and it was a lot of fun.”

“There was learning involved, too. I wondered why we weren’t putting better things in these sandwiches and then learned it was because some people don’t have good teeth. It’s startling when you realize you don’t have to think that way.”

“Central Lutheran have always been great neighbours and shown care and compassion for community members,” said Lindsay Wilcox, Manager of Restorative Justice Programs and Branch Services, for JHSS in Moose Jaw

“Church members have been making sandwiches for years now,” went on Wilcox. “We have a freezer in our office full of sandwiches from Central Lutheran. People know they can stop at our office to get something to eat when they’re hungry, if they need food later or before heading in to work so they have a lunch.”

Wilcox said that Central Lutheran has always given back to people where they need it the most. The donation will go towards client-focussed services that are part of JHSS programming in Moose Jaw.

“We thank Central Lutheran Church for their generosity and for being a positive pillar in the community for so many years,” said Wilcox.

Kwasnica said Central Lutheran’s congregation voted to support local charities with its legacy plan in 2024 and has been waiting for two years to give money away.

“That’s the best part,” she said. “Our church is happy to keep supporting organizations that will support people in their darkest times. You pick up the ones who are the lowest, you protect the vulnerable, you provide, light and hope in dark days. So that is what this money is going towards.”

“Nobody should be forgotten and that’s how we as a congregation voted where the money should go: anyone who provides necessities for people that might not be able to provide for themselves.”

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