The Mustard Seed’s church on 96th Street officially closed its doors on October 24th, 2024. It was formally decommissioned on Thursday, August 27th, 2025.  

The McCauley Then and Now historical booklet states that the church was constructed in 1912 as the Dutch Baptist Church, then, the First German Baptist Church, later renamed Central Baptist Church. “In 1973, Friar’s Steakhouse bought the property to offer licensed dining and dancing with live entertainment direct from Las Vegas. By 1979, after a brief iteration as ‘The Mayflower,’ Danny Hooper’s Stockyard Night Club opened for business here…When Danny Hooper consolidated his numerous ventures, the church was again empty until 1993 when The Mustard Seed moved in” (page 61). 

The building is over 100 years old.  Many structural conditions were identified that were too costly to restore the building to safety standards. The Mustard Seed decided that it was more important to invest donor dollars to continue providing valuable services than to invest in the restoration.

Terry Fossen, a Regional Minister with the Alberta Baptist Federation, remembered the founding days of the Edmonton Mustard Seed in 1987, inspired by the “impetuousness of youth.” Young men from Central Baptist spent time in McCauley and began inviting houseless men to come sleep in the church. One Sunday morning they were still there. This challenged the pastors and congregation to ask what more they could do.  

Jeremiah Basuric worked with The Mustard Seed from 2012 to 2024 as Community Engagement Coordinator and a chaplain, and currently is a volunteer. He asked, “what do we all need as humans? Food, water, community, safety, fun, and a sense of home. The Mustard Seed was like a living room, where people could talk about deeper things.“

James Gardiner, CEO of The Mustard Seed, spoke about the growth of services provided by The Mustard Seed throughout Edmonton and Alberta. He said their shelters have a 15% monthly target of helping shelter guests find appropriate housing and that will increase to 20% in 2026.  This year, they have reached 16.5%.  

The former church and house next door will be demolished this fall. Gardiner stated they are actively meeting with municipal leaders, partners, and community members to discern what to do with the lots. 

For more information, visit theseed.ca.

Kate Quinn is a McCauley resident.