By David RosIn the mid 1960s, Downsview was a rapidly evolving community. It had been a major centre for heavy industry since the De Haviland aircraft factory first set up shop in the neighbourhood in 1928.After World War II, the area, which, up until then, had been dominated by industrial factories and the Downsview Air Force Base, had began a period of rapid residential growth. By the 1960s, the neighbourhood's changing demographics meant that there was a real need for more facilities to serve the needs of the growing community.Around the same time, the American Lutheran Church had also developed a plan to expand its ministries, and it was decided that Downsview's growth had made it an ideal place to carry it out. At the time, the community had been home to other places of worship, but it did not have a Lutheran Church. Thus, land on which to build Faith Lutheran Church was purchased at 96 Hucknall Rd., and on Aug. 19, 1964, the Reverend John Judt brought his family to Downsview from Vancouver in order to start the ministry.When he had arrived in the community, Judt had no parishioners. “When we started, we were just knocking on doors, there were a couple of pairs working who would invite people into the Church,” said Judt's son, also named John. After the door to door campaign, Faith Lutheran Church held its first service on Sep. 20, 1964 in front of 50 parishioners.This past september, the Church celebrated its 50th year of operation. “When [the church] was started, it was a wonderful community place,” said Lida Spiers, a parishioner for more than 30 years. “A lot of people lived within a few block radius.” Since then, Spiers said, many of the original parishioners had moved away from the community, many of whom, still attend or keep close ties with the Church, but over the years, the Church has gained new members in the community, including students from nearby York University.To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, Faith Lutheran Church held an open house and an outdoor dinner in a large tent, followed by a Sunday service delivered by the head of the Lutheran Church in Canada, with many guest ministers in attendance. Spiers said that many of the older parishioners attended the event and photos and stories were shared about the ways in which the neighbourhood and congregation had changed in the 50 years since the church had first opened its doors.Over the years, the Church has also undertaken many community service initiatives, by building a nursery school attached to the church, specifically geared to help children who had been suffering from emotional disturbance, headed by the late T.E.E. Powell-Brown, an educator and parishioner of the church. The Powell-Brown nursery school moved to a larger facility in 1983, and the space is currently occupied by a full time daycare facility for children between 18 months to five years-old. Faith Lutheran Church continues to hold services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.