Capital Campaign: Home Stretch
What makes St. Paul’s such a special church? What is truly important to us? What distinguishes us among the many communities of faith in Fayetteville? How will we build upon that identity in the years ahead? Who is God calling us to be in this next chapter of our parish history? How does our capital campaign fit into that?
We are entering the last part of the “Rooted in Faith, Growing to Serve” capital campaign. The Vestry and Capital Campaign Committee have done tons of behind-the-scenes work. We have met with individuals and small groups to share our hopes for this campaign and to listen to what you think is important. We have held parish-wide conversations and tried to share our vision for what this campaign will accomplish and why we are excited about it. Last week, we mailed out packets and commitment cards to everyone who has a history of giving to our parish, and, over the next month and a half, we hope to finish our fund-raising work.
On May 17, we plan to celebrate the conclusion of the campaign at the annual Parish Picnic. At that point, we plan to celebrate a successful $3.5 million campaign that has involved every household at St. Paul’s, but that means we all have a lot of work to do.
So far, 73 households have made a commitment to the campaign, and their generosity represents $2.15 million. Financially, that means that we are well over halfway to our goal, but, in terms of participation, we still hope many more households will take part. In this year’s annual giving campaign, we received 376 giving cards. Our hope is that the “Rooted in Faith, Growing to Serve” capital campaign will include everyone at St. Paul’s, which means we hope that at least 400 households will turn in a financial commitment. If you have not made one yet, I hope you will. (More about that is below).
At the small-group gatherings, we asked participants to introduce themselves and name something that they love about St. Paul’s. Although there were many repeated answers, we heard a remarkable range of things that people love—children’s programs, work in the community, hospitality, theological openness, commitment to creation care, music, youth ministries, beautiful buildings, relationship with the community, historic presence, Tippy McMichael lectures, and so on. Every time we gathered and heard people share the things they love about our church, we were reminded why this capital campaign matters.
The “Rooted in Faith, Growing to Serve” campaign is as much about who we are as who we are called to be. Our focus is on three important areas: eliminating debt, deferred maintenance, and improved accessibility. All three of those are ways for us to deepen our identity, expand our presence, and secure our future. By eliminating the debt used to purchase the Bassett properties that face College Avenue, we get to use those properties (or the rental income they generate) for expanded ministries. By caring for our buildings and grounds, we ensure our ability to carry out God’s work as we understand it for the next generation of our church’s life. By improving accessibility, we align our values—as a church that believes all people are welcome—with our practice—as a church where all people can participate.
As I said at many of the small-group gatherings, churches that seek to change their identity through a capital campaign or building project are usually setting themselves up for failure. For example, a church that wants to attract more young families cannot simply build a new gymnasium and expect teenagers to show up. People may initially be attracted to the “shiny new thing,” but it is the heart of an organization that keeps people coming back. I am thankful that this campaign is about being who we have always been and being that sort of church even more significantly and authentically for the next chapter in our congregation’s history.
For this campaign to be a true, parish-wide success, we need everyone to take part. If this effort is to reflect the identity and priorities of the entire congregation, it cannot be the project of a few families. It must be the work of the whole church.
If you think of St. Paul’s as your church home, I hope you will consider making a commitment to the capital campaign. And, even if you are a part of another community of faith, if you take part in our church’s programs and value what St. Paul’s means to this community, I hope you will contribute. Because we are asking for a contribution above your annual giving, we invite you to take up to three years to complete your gifts.
If you did not have the chance to attend one of the small-group gathering or parish-wide meetings, you can learn more about the campaign here: https://www.stpaulsfay.org/capital-campaign. You can also reach out to me or to a member of the Capital Campaign Committee for a one-on-one conversation.
We hope that you will turn in your commitment by May 19. You can do so by filling out a commitment card and placing it in the offering plate or bringing it by the church office. You can also complete that card online here: https://tinyurl.com/stpaulsfay-ccpledge.
You may have noticed that work has already begun replacing some of the roofs on our church buildings. That is because of the generosity of those who have made a commitment to the campaign. As your gifts come in, the Vestry is committed to using them as soon as possible to carry out this work. If you plan to make a gift of stock, please call the church office and let Leslie Alexander, our Parish Administrator know so that she can anticipate your gift. Often, checks from your brokerage come to us without your name attached.
We have much to celebrate at St. Paul’s. God has guided us for 178 years, and this campaign is grounded in that history. It is a reflection of who we are and who we believe God is calling us to be. Your participation in this campaign helps us continue to be the church we know and love for the next chapter of our history. Thank you for your generosity, and I look forward to celebrating the successful completion of this campaign next month.
Yours faithfully,
Evan D. Garner
