The parish at an east Vancouver church will need to find another location to hold services this week after a truck slammed into the side of the building Saturday morning.

The red Ford pickup truck punched a huge hole into the Grandview Calvery Baptist church on First Avenue near Commercial Drive.

Police say the 27-year-old driver was going east when he lost control and crashed.

Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to free him from the vehicle. The Burnaby man is in hospital in critical condition.

The church was empty at the time.

If the crash had happened a day earlier, the building would have been full of homeless people spending the night. The church is now closed as it may not be structurally sound, and will have to undergo serious repairs.

Vancouver police spokesman Const. Tim Fanning says speed is believed to be a factor in the crash.