The American Religious Sounds Project tries to answer the hard question: What does religion sound like? The researchers are inviting the listener to imagine religion as something that people do in all kinds of different spaces, as opposed to something people are.

Meanwhile, across Canada, church congregations are dwindling and costs to maintain their buildings continue to rise. So where does that leave the approximately 27 thousand buildings across Canada? Kendra Fry helps congregations see their buildings reborn as community hubs for everyone to use — religious or not.

"These buildings are incredibly important. They are often located literally geographically at the centre of their communities," said Fry. "The reason that not-for-profits use them is because of their location, because of their price, and not surprisingly, because of their accessibility."

It could be a game-changer in making cities and towns more liveable in Canada and around the world.