Marda Loop Commons FAQ
At launch this year, we updated the community about the leadership of our second parish in Marda Loop. This month, we have a Congregational Meeting and will begin our Core Team Dinners. Here are a few more details to get excited about.
Where is Marda Loop Commons?
The church is at 1638 30 Ave SW. That's just off 14th St SW, across from South Calgary Park, where you'll find community gardens, a pump track, beach volleyball courts, the South Calgary Fire Station, the Giuffre Family Library, and the South Calgary Outdoor Pool. A block west of the church is cSPACE, where there's a great Farmers & Makers Market every Saturday.
What work is happening at the facility?
Over the past year, we completed a full structural analysis, consulted with architects on design improvements, and reinforced damaged beams. In summer 2025, the entire building underwent hazardous materials abatement. The flat roof was repaired and re-graded to prevent water from pooling. This fall, we'll begin drywall installation and electrical work. After that, the plan is to paint both the exterior and interior, refresh the landscaping, change the exterior doors, and update the finishes. The final stage will focus on technology — including network, sound, lighting, and video systems.
You're planning to launch in late 2026. How solid is the timeline?
The plan is to build the core team this fall and early winter. Bobbi will take a short sabbatical early in 2026. When she returns, the core team will focus on the parish in the neighbourhood. The spring will include a Marda Loop pilgrimage, Farmer's Market meet-ups, and helping everyone on the core team find their fit. We'll run a series of "closed" services before launch with the hope that the building and the team are ready for September 2026. If we need to extend the timeline, our aim is for January.
How will the Core Team dinners work? What can I expect?
Part of the fun of building a core team will be seeing how it evolves with the unique contributions people make to our shared life. We're really excited about the possibilities that will be present in the room when people meet each other and imagine Commons in Marda Loop together. Each dinner will follow the same outline: welcome and table talk, the vision and timeline of Commons in a second permanent location, and what it means to be personally involved and to discern involvement. If you're considering Marda Loop, sign up for one dinner. Between those dinners, Bobbi's calendar is open for meetings, and she can't wait to dig into conversations about what's ahead over coffee or a Sunday chat.
What is the Commons version of a parish? How connected will Marda Loop be to Kensington?
Since day one, the vision for Commons has been a network of connected parishes across the downtown core. That means more neighbourhood expressions of communities that are intellectually honest, spiritually passionate, with Jesus at the centre. The voices that shape the culture and theology of Commons are not easy to replicate. By maintaining a network, our parishes will share resources, and the teaching team will show up in both parishes. Through an updated parish model, Kensington and Marda Loop will be uniquely interdependent. That means we won't duplicate structures and resources so much as share them. We will continue to serve the entire Commons community in the best way we can.
– Bobbi :)
Find out more and register for the Core Team & Core Team Dinners here.
