Bloor Street United Church

What Bloor Street United Church does

Bloor Street United Church (BSUC) is a non-profit congregation within the United Church of Canada (Shining Waters Regional Council), originally formed as a Sunday school in 1886 and currently serving approximately 150 members in Toronto, Ontario. The church operates under a registered charity number (106798549RR0001) and is led by an Intentional Interim Minister (Rev. Douglas duCharme) with a small paid staff of approximately 8 including a Director of Music, Office Administrator, Communications Coordinator, Refugee Outreach Program Coordinator, Pastoral Care Connector, and Hispanic Church Lead, supplemented by extensive volunteer committees. Worship is delivered through a hybrid model — in-person Sunday services temporarily hosted at St. Matthew's United Church (729 St. Clair Avenue West), Zoom livestream with phone dial-in, and on-demand edited recordings on YouTube — while the original 300 Bloor Street West building undergoes major redevelopment in partnership with Collecdev-Markee for the Cielo Condos project, with an anticipated return in early 2027.

The church's programming extends well beyond worship into social justice, refugee resettlement, and community education. Core products include the Refugee Outreach Program (active since 2003) offering English conversation groups, Spanish Bible Study, pastoral care, and the Jeremiah's Field no-interest loan fund (up to $1,000 for immigration paperwork); the Bloor Street Hispanic Church 'Café con Cristo' Spanish-language worship service; children's programs (Church School using GO Project curriculum and monthly Messy Church); a combined choir with St. Matthew's featuring the historic 1954 4-manual Casavant organ; weekly Lectionary Bible study; a monthly book club; and the Togogos social action initiative supporting the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. BSUC holds Affirming Ministry certification from Affirm United (second congregation in Canada, first in Toronto, since 1995), the Widening The Circle initiative covering Indigenous reconciliation and 2SLGBTQIA+ affirmation, and partnerships with Trinity-St. Paul's United Church, Lake Scugog Camp, and Shining Waters Regional Council.

The underlying technology stack is deliberately simple and off-the-shelf: a WordPress website, Zoom for livestream, YouTube for content distribution, Mailchimp for the Thursday newsletter, ChurchSocial for member login and calendar, and CanadaHelps for online donations. There are no proprietary AI or data systems. The business model is donation-funded — congregational offerings via Interac e-Transfer, cheques, and CanadaHelps — with no pricing for services (worship and most programs are free). Customer segments are horizontally diversified across general congregants, refugees and newcomers, the Hispanic/Spanish-speaking community, children and families, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, with the general congregation as the primary segment and refugee outreach as the flagship mission differentiator.

Name

Bloor Street United Church

Legal name

Bloor Street United Church

Website

https://bloorstreetunited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bloor Street United Church is a Toronto non-profit United Church of Canada congregation serving approximately 150 members through hybrid worship, refugee outreach, Hispanic ministry, and social justice programs, temporarily displaced from its 300 Bloor Street West building during the Cielo Condos redevelopment expected to complete in early 2027.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Faith community programs
• Refugee resettlement support
• Affirming congregation services
• Social justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Offerings: Financial contributions from congregation members through Interac e-Transfer, cheques, and online via CanadaHelps platform. Donations support general church operations, refugee programs, and designated funds.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bloor Street United Church is a Christian congregation providing weekly hybrid Sunday worship services (in-person, Zoom livestream, and YouTube on-demand), choirmusic, faith formation for children and adults, refugee outreach support, and social justice ministry. The church operates programs including English conversation groups, Spanish-language worship (Café con Cristo), Bible study, book club, and pastoral care, all offered free of charge and funded primarily by voluntary donations from members and supporters.

Product overview

Bloor Street United Church offers a comprehensive suite of worship, community, and social justice programs. The core offering is hybrid Sunday worship combining in-person services at St. Matthew's United Church with Zoom livestreaming and YouTube on-demand recordings. The church operates a merged choir program with St. Matthew's, children's programs including Church School and Messy Church, and extensive community groups including book club and Bible study. The Refugee Outreach Program provides English conversation groups, Spanish Bible Study, counselling, and the Jeremiah's Field no-interest loan program for immigration paperwork. Social justice initiatives include the Togogos (Stephen Lewis Foundation advocacy), Widening The Circle (Indigenous reconciliation and 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming ministry), and the Hispanic Church 'Café con Cristo' for Spanish-language worship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Hybrid Sunday worship services offered at 10:30am in-person at St. Matthew's United Church (729 St. Clair Avenue West) and via Zoom livestream with phone dial-in, with on-demand recordings available on YouTube. Open to all congregants and visitors.
• Music and Choir Program Combined choir with St. Matthew's United Church providing musical leadership with anthems ranging from Renaissance motets to contemporary pieces, featuring the 4-manual Casavant organ (currently under restoration). Services include vocalists and soloists.
• Children's Programs Weekly in-person Church School using GO Project curriculum, monthly Messy Church Family program on Friday nights, and nursery care during services for children from nursery age through elementary school.
• Refugee Outreach Program (ROP) Comprehensive support program for refugees and newcomers including English conversation groups, Spanish Bible Study, counselling, pastoral care, summer camping opportunities, and special event celebrations.
• Lectionary Study Groups Weekly Thursday morning Bible study sessions on Zoom discussing scripture passages that correspond to Sunday sermons, following the same Lectionary used by congregations worldwide.
• Monthly Book Club Monthly book club meeting on the first Tuesday at 1:30pm, in-person at the church office or via Zoom, discussing books available in the Toronto library system.
• Bloor Street Hispanic Church (Café con Cristo) Spanish-language worship service called 'Café con Cristo' held Sundays at 10:30am at 427 Bloor St W, offering Bible study, prayer, and worship in Spanish for the Hispanic community.
• Jeremiah's Field No-interest loan program helping refugees pay for immigration paperwork including landing fees, application fees for Permanent Residence Card, and tuition/education costs, with maximum loans up to $1,000.
• Togogos Initiative Social action group raising awareness about HIV/AIDS in Africa, advocating for affordable drugs, and raising funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.
• Widening The Circle Social justice initiative including Indigenous Rights Working Group, Gibimishkaadimin reconciliation project, and 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming ministry program with ongoing advocacy and education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Refugee Outreach Program active since 2003
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St. Matthew's United ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint worship partnership during Bloor Street's building redevelopment. Combined choir for Sunday services. Located at 729 St. Clair Avenue West. BSUC minister preaches at St. Matt's and joint programs include youth conversation groups.
• Shining Waters Regional Council (United Church of Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council of the United Church of Canada. Provides grant funding for Refugee Outreach Program. Church council includes representatives to Regional Council.
• Lake Scugog Camp (United Church of Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer camp program of the United Church of Canada. ROP sponsors mothers and children from refugee families to attend.
• Trinity-St. Paul's United ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Heart Garden, a public reflection space at Bloor and Robert Street honoring Indigenous children lost to residential schools. BSUC church school children participate in learning visits.
• Stephen Lewis FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Togogos group, BSUC supports the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign raising funds for community-level AIDS organizations in Africa.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Toronto United Church Council: Regional United Church body supporting congregations across the Greater Toronto Area. Coordinates shared resources, property redevelopment support, and refugee sponsorship that directly intersects with BSUC's ministry areas.

Direct peers

• Timothy Eaton Memorial Church: Historic downtown Toronto United Church of Canada congregation near BSUC's Bloor Street footprint with comparable music programs, inclusive theology, and traditional worship style combined with progressive community engagement.
• Church of the Holy Trinity: Downtown Toronto United Church of Canada congregation with similar progressive Christian identity, music tradition, social justice programming, and inclusive welcoming ethos serving a downtown professional membership.
• Metropolitan United Church: Large historic downtown Toronto United Church of Canada congregation with a comparable focus on progressive theology, social justice, music programming, and downtown community engagement. Operates at a much larger scale but shares the same denomination, governance model, and urban mission.
• Trinity-St. Paul's United Church: Hosts BSUC's Hispanic Church (Café con Cristo) in its basement and co-operates the Heart Garden Indigenous reflection space. Same-denomination Toronto congregation with similar inclusive, social-justice orientation.
• St. Matthew's United Church: Currently hosts BSUC's Sunday worship and shares a combined choir during the redevelopment period. Direct partner and same-denomination peer in Toronto with overlapping program structure and congregational demographics.

Broad incumbents

• Knox College, Toronto (UofT): Presbyterian theological college near BSUC's Bloor Street location, sharing the broader downtown Toronto progressive Christian ecosystem and overlapping faith leadership training programs.
• Emmanuel College (Victoria University): United Church of Canada theological school at the University of Toronto that trains ministers and is geographically adjacent to BSUC's historic Bloor Street location. Provides denominational leadership and a natural institutional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/bloorstreetunited
• Facebookfacebook.com/bloorstreetunited
• Instagraminstagram.com/bloorstreetunitedchurch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bloor-street-united-church

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bloor Street United Church