Rooted in Faith, Growing to Serve
It has been twenty-five years since St. Paul’s last had a capital campaign, and we are overdue for one. Back in the late 1990s, we held the “Raise the Roof” campaign, which raised money for the construction of our Welcome Center, Parish Hall, and Kitchen. Since then, we have primarily used the operating budget to maintain our facilities, but we have also benefitted from some individual gifts for isolated but important projects like purchasing what is now our Youth Building and renovating the downstairs bathrooms and the Chapel.
We are now ready to launch another parish-wide capital campaign. A few months ago, the Vestry appointed ten parishioners to serve on the Capital Campaign Committee: Greg Lee (Co-Chair), Kristin Payne (Co-Chair), Myria Allen, Rebecca Bradley, Blythe Eggleston, Julie Gehrki, Jay Huneycutt, Garrott McClintock, Eric Melton, and Jeremy Pate. That group has met to assess our parish’s needs and our capacity for conducting a successful campaign, and they have recommended to the Vestry that we proceed with “Rooted in Faith, Growing to Serve.”
The Vestry has been discussing the need for a capital campaign for several years. In July 2020, at the height of the pandemic, St. Paul’s purchased the Bassett Law Firm buildings that face College Avenue. We knew that the opportunity to purchase real estate contiguous with St. Paul’s is very limited, and, even without knowing exactly what we would do with that property, we recognized the importance of acquiring it. Because of the pandemic, we also knew that it would be a while before we could develop a vision for the use of that property and how to pay for it.
After we resumed in-person programs, the Vestry asked a group of thoughtful parishioners to lead a parish-wide process for discerning how to use the Bassett property. The results of that process were clear: St. Paul’s should keep it and use it either as an income-generating asset to support other parish programs or use the space for ministries of St. Paul’s. Either way, we need a capital campaign to pay off the loan used to buy the property so that we can benefit from it for years to come. Currently, the debt is around $2 million, and that is one of the priorities for this campaign.
A second major area of need is deferred maintenance. I am proud of the way that, during the last three years, our Vestry has used operating funds to replace broken HVAC systems and fix or replace leaking roofs. Still, other roofs, including those on the Church, Guildhall, and Parish Hall, need to be replaced. In addition, we need to replace our elevator, which is beyond its serviceable life, and our chairlift continues to give us problems. Most of the major appliances in the Kitchen need to be replaced, and we need to install a larger walk-in cooler to increase our capacity to feed hungry people. Collectively, those maintenance needs are greater than we can address through the yearly operating budget.
A third priority for this campaign is accessibility, which overlaps with deferred maintenance. In addition to a new elevator and chairlift, we need a new church van—one in which passengers can ride comfortably and safely and that has the capacity for individuals in wheelchairs. We also need to make sure that our parking lot, sidewalks, and grounds are safe and navigable for people with mobility issues.
There are many other needs at St. Paul’s, but those three areas—debt, deferred maintenance, and accessibility—are the top priorities expressed by the Capital Campaign Committee and the Vestry. As the campaign unfolds, we may discover additional projects that are of first-level importance, but the consensus around these three areas is clear. Those leaders believe that only after we address these foundational needs will we be able to expand our work to additional projects, which we likely will pursue through future campaigns.
Although they always require a lot of hard work from many people, capital campaigns are usually exciting and life-giving opportunities for a parish. They remind us that we are a part of something important and valuable, and they allow us to commit to the long-term health of a church that we love. Campaigns like this one can only be successful if they reflect the identity and values of the organization as a whole. As the Rector of St. Paul’s, it is my job to help our leaders remember that everything we do is for the glory of God and for the building up of God’s reign in our lives and in this community. I believe that the vision articulated by the Committee and the Vestry does just that.
We are a church that has deep roots in this community, yet we have never been satisfied with bearing fruit for ourselves alone. For 177 years, we have been rooted in faith in order that we might grow in the service of God and of our neighbors. This campaign does not seek to glorify our church but to glorify God by furthering our commitment to the community.
Paying off the debt used to buy the Bassett buildings allows us to use that rental income for ministry and, in time, to decide whether we want to use that space for our programs or to share it with other partner organizations. Caring for our buildings allows us to continue to do God’s work in this place where everyone is uniquely welcome. Expanding the capacity of our kitchen allows us to meet growing needs for feeding ministries. Fixing our elevator, chairlift, and sidewalks and purchasing a new van will help us welcome all people into this church. There may be other projects that we undertake with this campaign, but I trust that everything we do will reflect the identity we have established in Fayetteville through almost two centuries of faithfulness.
Having shared its vision for the campaign with the Vestry and received the Vestry’s enthusiastic endorsement, the Capital Campaign Committee is moving into the detailed part of its work. It will begin developing a more specific outline for the campaign and begin sharing it quietly with others to make sure that the vision will be successful. They expect to have the pieces in place for a public launch of the campaign this fall. At that time, I anticipate that we will have small-group gatherings to talk about the campaign and to give everyone an opportunity to contribute.
Churches like ours usually have capital campaigns about every ten years. A combination of things, including my arrival and a global pandemic, have forced us to wait longer than we would have liked. Because we are out of practice, it may take us a little while to get things going, but I believe that the end result will be a resounding success.
We are still a few months away from fully launching the campaign, but things are taking shape fully enough for me to share these plans with you. Join me in getting excited about what we can accomplish through the Rooted in Faith, Growing to Serve campaign. I am grateful to the Vestry and Capital Campaign Committee for their commitment to this effort, and I look forward to being a part of it.
Yours faithfully,
Evan D. Garner
