A downtown Winnipeg church is praying for a miracle as they attempt to keep their church building from collapsing.

Holy Trinity Anglican Church, located at the corner of Smith Street and Graham Avenue, brought up the structural issues at its Annual General Meeting in February.

"We have had to make difficult decisions to make it this far, and we will have to make more before this year is out," said the church in the report. "The challenges our parish faces are complex and meeting them well will take a great deal of courage and faith."

Holy Trinity Anglican Church says since the late 1980s, this parish has operated with the knowledge that major repairs to build a foundation under the historic church would be necessary to avoid a collapse.

"It is still not clear when, exactly, that collapse will occur, but signs of structural distress continue to present themselves with increasing urgency."

As it stands right now, the church, despite searching, has not yet been able to find a partner or create a plan to make these repairs, which are estimated to cost over $7 million. 

"We also face the same realities that so many churches are facing in that our congregation is getting smaller without enough families to renew our membership, drawing into question our ability to continue financially or practically."

The church is hoping it can partner with an organization that will manage, lease or purchase the church, which would free them of financial and human resources. 

"We have thoroughly explored the possibility of retaining management of the property and attempting to complete the necessary repairs," said the Chruch staff in a report. "We have concluded that we do not have the capacity as a parish to do so."

The other option the church is looking at is voluntarily disestablishing as a parish. 

"Some might refer to this as a “death with dignity.” In this scenario, the responsibility for the property would revert to the diocese and we could plan events to help us celebrate the 155+ years of ministry at Holy Trinity and grieve the loss of a parish that has been home to so many for so long."

The hope is that the church will not be demolished due to neglect. 

“I am persuaded that we have the courage, the faith, and the will to follow where God is leading, that we might be a place whose walls are Salvation and whose gates are Praise," said Rev. Andrew. "I believe that we might truly be a Sanctuary for the City, if we dare.”