Summit Presbyterian Church
Update on the Renewal Campaign By Mary Moorhouse
Posted by: Chelsea Badeau on Thu, Apr 8, 2010
As Summit begins its renewal campaign— Renewing the Spirit, Restoring the Buildings-- we’ll be keeping you informed of plans and progress in every SHOUT. Read April's report...
As Summit begins its renewal campaign— Renewing the Spirit, Restoring the Buildings-- we’ll be keeping you informed of plans and progress in every SHOUT.
The Renewal Campaign is a way to incorporate all aspects of a Summit renewal—our spirituality and faith, our mission and ministries, and our building needs. As part of the Renewal Campaign, a capital campaign committee – chaired by Mary Moorhouse and Don White – was charged by the Session with leading the congregation in the restoration of our buildings, recognizing that they’re a vital tool for mission and ministry. At a March 14 congregational meeting, the congregation unanimously approved a capital campaign. Following that vote, Summit (on recommendation of the Trustees and the Session) contracted with the Rev. Dr. Nancy Muth to consult with us on our campaign. Rev. Muth is the Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church Germantown and knows our church and neighborhood well. Before coming to FPC Germantown, she was a consultant on capital campaigns for the denomination, working with scores of PC(USA) churches around the country. Helping churches grow in stewardship and restore their buildings for mission remains a passion of Nancy’s, and we’re excited to be working with her.
On 3/18, the capital campaign committee met with Nancy, who reminded us that God calls us to be financial stewards of the Church.While the building condition is something of a wake-up call, our Christian call to stewardship remains unchanged.Stewardship can be an exciting and energizing call to a dedicated congregation such as ours, and the Renewal Committee will use the time between now and the fall to communicate Nancy's perspective on stewardship, and how it fits with congregation's vision for the future of Summit.
Following discussion, we agreed to make the capital campaign “ask” in the fall for two reasons. First, it allows us time to develop the proper outreach and communication tools, to do more research on building needs, and to train committee members to answer any and all questions about the campaign. Second, it would align the capital campaign with our annual stewardship drive, which is common in churches. It encourages prayerful deliberation on the “extra mile” pledge for the building needs in the context of support for all the church’s mission and ministry.
Our next step is to develop a vision statement. The vision statement is guided by our mission, but clarifies our direction for the capital campaign. It will result from the information gathered at the potlucks, discussions around calling the new pastor, and leadership retreats of this past year. We’ll update you as the vision is developed.
We now have a core capital campaign committee of 12 people, and look forward to bringing more Summit members and friends into our plans and activities. Please contact Mary Moorhouse (215)-242-2635 or Don White (215) 424-7955 to see how you can be involved.
Next Month in the SHOUT: Report on the Potlucks!
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