As the Stoneys see it, the Methodist Church became the rightful owner of land that was wrongfully released to it. The Old Mission Church was left behind, unused and decaying until 1951, when volunteers from a United Church men's organization in Calgary began restoring the site. Later, Calgary Presbytery founded the McDougall Stoney Mission Society, which maintains and oversees use of the building. Said to be the second-oldest church structure still on its original site in Alberta, it was designated a provincial historic site in 1959. The guest book at the Old Mission Church, he says, contains the signatures of visitors from 26 countries.
Many couples choose to say their wedding vows in the old church.
Two services held each year are always well-attended. All the while, the property is quietly and steadily making money. The remaining parcel of the old Methodist mission sits on natural gas deposits, first discovered in the late 1950s. In the early 1970s, the Stoneys began land-claims discussions with the church. The deal took effect in 1980.