After being put on the market by the Knowlton-Mountain Valley Pastoral Charge in June, Knowlton’s United Church has found a buyer in software developer Mohamad Kamaredine.

Kamaredine purchased a historic stone house down the street from the United Church back in 2017. At the time, he was looking to put down roots in a village that possessed an “old soul.” With a keen interest in the real-estate market, he recently came across the United Church. 

“I like to look from time to time as to what is being sold out there and I saw the church listed. Mind you, it’s on my street and I would love that my street stays in the character that it is a little bit. I didn’t like the idea that somebody could buy the church or convert it to some commercial store or some Airb&b,” Kamaredine told CIDI. “I just started having all of these ideas that could happen. I called the listing agent Lois Hardacker and I said, ‘Lois what’s going on with the church?’ And Lois said 'well, they (the congregation) can’t really maintain it anymore and it’s for sale.’ I said, ‘I’m buying it.’ (…) The intention is to preserve it and not let it go in the wrong hands. That was my main goal when I purchased it.” 

While the sale is expected to be finalized within the next  couple of weeks, Kamaredine has already filled out the paper work to form a non-profit organization - The Kamaredine Foundation - which will own the church and oversee its maintenance. 

“Everything will be non-for-profit and we are just waiting to finalize the government paperwork for that. That organization will be interested in preserving [history] and maybe be more involved in arts or culture,” noted Kamaredine. 

The United Church building is known for being a community hub. Besides serving the congregation of the United Church, the building is also used by amateur theatre group the Knowlton Players, the Community Singers, the Wellness Group, and local artists. 

Kamaredine said that things are still “foggy” when it comes to his future plans for the building, but he recognizes the important role that the United Church plays for these groups. As of now, they are continuing to use the space, but he said there may be some changes in the future in terms of how things are coordinated at the church. 

“One thing I can tell you for now, it’s business as usual. I met with the trustees of the church and I assured them that they can still continue using the church for their Sunday services. For the future of the church, I’d like to keep it community involved. I’m a person that likes art and I would love to see it have some sort of role there, maybe piano concerts,” he said. “The Knowlton Players are using the church and I’d like them to continue using it. Louise Penny was using the church not long ago. I had the pleasure of meeting her and just seeing the church full, honestly, it was such a beautiful thing. I’d like it to stay like that.”

United Church Minister Steve Lawson said that the congregation couldn’t be more “pleased" with the sale. 

“Everything that was in the offer he accepted. The price was exactly what we were asking. We were also, of course, interested in knowing whether we would be able to continue worshipping in the building. (…) He also expressed, when we were in communication back and forth, an interest in keeping the community groups able to use the building,” Lawson explained. “It will be a deal between him and them, but he was open to that idea. Those were the three areas that we were interested in.”

The congregation put the United Church building up for sale this summer as it could no longer keep up with maintenance costs, but its goal is to remain a community of faith. 

“Some people do ask us ‘why are you selling and why do you need the money?’ Well, if we were not going to continue as a community of faith, as a church, well we wouldn’t need the money obviously. But, we are continuing as a congregation, as a community of faith here in Knowlton, and in order to do that there are ministry expenses,” explained Lawson. “(…) Some of the money comes through the offerings that people make on Sunday, but that was becoming not near enough to continue, especially with the building. So the building had to go in order for us to continue on as a community of faith.” 

Despite having some extra money set aside from the sale to “stay alive for another quite a few years,” Lawson said he doesn’t want to give people the impression that the congregation no longer needs its community’s support. 

“It’s still restricted the funds that we receive from the sale. A percentage of it goes to the wider regional council of the church and then we are left with a remainder and of that remainder we are only allowed to spend a certain percentage every year,” he mention. “(…) So I just want to remind people out there that even though we have some extra money to continue, we still have a budget every year to continue in ministry so we appreciate any support that comes in.”

The present United Church building dates back to 1895 and the congregation recently celebrated 225 years of being a community of faith, holding a long history in Knowlton. As a result, Kamaredine said that he knows that he unintentionally “scared a lot  people” when he purchased the building, but he assured the community that his “heart is in the right place.”

“Preserving the church itself is something that is very important for Knowlton and it’s important for me because it’s on my street. Any time you Google Knowlton or look up Knowlton in any way, the first picture that comes up is the church. It’s an old building, it’s a beautiful building, it has a lot of local history to it,” he highlighted. “(…) I feel comfortable and at ease right now that nothing is going to happen to it.”

Listen to the full interview with Kamaredine and Lawson below: