Published in the December 2018 issue of ParishLife.
Based on a presentation at services on Sunday, November 11 by David and Charlotte Broughton, Co-Chairs, ReNEWal: Inside and Out.
If you close your eyes for just a minute and listen, can you hear the voice of Charles Kuralt? Can you hear that distinctly rich and smooth southern drawl of the famous broadcast journalist in the commercial about his beloved alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill? You remember the commercial —the one where Charles Kuralt says, “What is it that binds us to this place as to no other? It is the not the well or the bell or the stone walls or the crisp October nights or the memory of dogwoods blooming. Our love for this place is based on the fact that it is, as it was meant to be, the University of the people.”
What is it that binds us to this place as to no other? What is it that binds us to this place, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, as to no other?
This past summer, we were asked if we would consider chairing a capital campaign for St. Paul’s. Needless to say, we were—and are—honored to have been asked to serve St. Paul’s in this capacity. And for us, it was a relatively easy yes. You see, like most, if not all of you, we are bound to this place as to no other.
It has been more than 15 years since St. Paul’s has had a capital campaign. But, after more than a year of discussions, evaluations and analyses, deliberations and discernment, the St. Paul’s Vestry has approved a capital campaign with a current target amount of $10 million.
The priorities of the campaign fall into three primary categories: Arts and Architecture in the amount of $7.95 million, Campus Grounds in the amount of $750,000 and Sustainability or unrestricted endowment in the amount of $1.3 million.
The Arts and Architecture category includes restoration and repair of the main church building which is truly an architectural treasure that we, and those before us, have enjoyed now for 90 years. Repairs include work to some of the roofs on the building, the stone exterior and mortar, and the stained glass and other windows, in addition to other repairs to prevent further water intrusion and damage and to seal, protect and preserve the church for decades to come. There are also some other updates to the education building that have been deferred for some time that need to be addressed.
Also included in the Arts and Architecture priorities is the renovation and upfit of the 875 West Fifth Street building across from the church. Once completed, this space will serve to house some of our signature outreach programs, such as ReadWS, Kids’ Café, Summer Enrichment and the Backpack Program. It will also allow additional space for Christian formation classes, youth programs and other uses by the church and members of the community. The transformation of this building will truly be a gift to the community and will demonstrate an even greater, renewed commitment by St. Paul’s to outreach, formation and other ministries for generations to come.
The Campus Grounds priorities include restoration and repairs to Dalton Memorial Garden, restoration and upfit of the historic Carriage House to be made functional for support of the maintenance of our campus grounds and facilities and other improvements to the campus grounds.
The Sustainability priority is an effort to increase St. Paul’s endowment for future needs and sustainability. St. Paul’s is seeking additional planned and outright gifts to our unrestricted endowment, called the St. Paul’s Church Tower Fund. With only a small percentage of the church’s endowment being unrestricted, growing the Tower Fund will provide the parish with the flexibility to address immediate and expanding ministries as well as unknown needs and opportunities in the future. With this fund, St. Paul’s can be more intentional and responsive to such needs and opportunities as they arise.
Our theme for the capital campaign is ReNEWal: Inside and Out. It is our hope that as many of the physical structures, grounds and ministries of St. Paul’s undergo a renovation and renewal, both inside and out, that so too will we all experience a sense of renewal, inside and out—renewed gratitude, renewed faith and renewed commitment to Christ, to the Episcopal Church, to St. Paul’s, to Winston-Salem, to one another and to future generations to come.
We are so grateful for all of the time and work that so many people have already committed towards these projects and this campaign. There will be another time to identify and thank all of them, but we do want to recognize the members of our campaign cabinet:
- Jonathan and Kristie Blanco
- Jimmy and Grace Broughton
- Morris and Colleen Friedman
- Ricky and Sally Shore
- Scott and Lauren Wierman
- Kevin and Aimee Williams
These folks have been hard at work assembling other volunteers who will be helping to call on all of you in the coming months.
In the next few weeks, we will be holding two town hall open forums to provide more information and to answer questions about the campaign and the campaign priorities. One forum will be held Wednesday, November 28, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., and the other will be held Monday, December 3, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be served. More information about these forums will be published on the web site, in ParishLight and the Sunday service leaflet.
Also, our solicitation efforts are now beginning, and we hope by the Annual Meeting in February we will be able to announce that a significant portion of the needed funds have been secured. But we can only do that with your help. We expect to complete the campaign early next summer, so that we can hold a campaign celebration in September.
As we journey into this capital campaign together and as you discern your commitment to it, we hope that you will consider what binds us to this place as to no other. St. Paul’s is, as it is written over the front door of this magnificent church, “A House of Prayer for All People.” But it is more than just a house. St. Paul’s serves as a home for all of us, and we are all a part of each other’s extended families.
At St. Paul’s, we come together in Christian communion and community to worship, to serve, to form and be formed, to sing and to laugh and to cry together. We share some of life’s most precious moments here. Together, we welcome new family members into this world and into the church, we help nurture and guide our children and grandchildren, we celebrate marriages and other special occasions, we remember and honor loved ones who have died, and we provide care and support to one another and to others outside of our church.
At St. Paul’s, together we enjoy so many wonderful life-giving memories that are made here and so many lifelong meaningful relationships that are created and developed here.
What binds us to this place is more than just the bells or the stone walls or the memories that are created here. Our love for this place is based on the fact that it is, as it was meant to be, a home for all people to know and to love Christ as he loves us and to share that love with one another and with others. It is our hope that through this campaign and the sharing of our time, our resources and our love together, we will all experience and enjoy a sense of ReNEWal: Inside and Out.