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Good News in the Church: Vibrant Connections

Good News in the Church: Vibrant Connections. Surviving to Thriving Outline. Hitting Bottom The Turning Point Connecting With the Community Intercultural Success Leveraging Our Investment from Predecessors Immediate Future – New Building The Long View – Ministries to the Community

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Good News in the Church: Vibrant Connections

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  1. Good News in the Church:Vibrant Connections

  2. Surviving to ThrivingOutline • Hitting Bottom • The Turning Point • Connecting With the Community • Intercultural Success • Leveraging Our Investment from Predecessors • Immediate Future – New Building • The Long View – Ministries to the Community • Moving Forward

  3. Surviving to ThrivingHitting Bottom • “Preservation” Mode • Ageing White Congregation • Resisting Change • Focused on Keeping the Presbyterian Culture • Declining Numbers • We need more people (“just like us”) • Ageing Congregants • We need young people (“just like we were”) • Financial Distress • $30,000 in debt and bleeding at $3,000/month

  4. Surviving to ThrivingThe Turning Point • Pressures to Close • Sell the (really valuable!) property • “but we’re so small” • “the church is no longer relevant in the city” • Desire / Intent to Continue • A strong heart for Christ • Passion for ministry and mission • Willingness to quickly raise the necessary funds • Help (yes, really!) from Presbytery, Synod, and Canadian Ministries • Financial • Assistance and coaching from appointees • Aid in developing a plan • “Need to be relevant to the community in which you find yourself.” • The Commitment • To Thrive, not to Survive • Raise the needed funds (did so, in a week!)

  5. Surviving to ThrivingConnecting With The Community - 1 • The Stone Table • “Coffee House” drop-in centresuccessful and active for several years • Community Breakfast • Monthly, Sunday immediately before cheque issue Wed. • 250-300 people served 8:00am-9:30am • Multi-congregation involvement • Lots of lay people, international students, … • Sandwich Ministry • Make sandwiches weekly evening, take and hand out to street people • Food Bank • Host Site • Volunteers • Interdenominational (client-splitting with St. Paul’s Anglican)

  6. Surviving to ThrivingConnecting With The Community - 2 • Bread Ministry • Pick up end-of-day from Cobb’s Bakery, distribute to all • International Student and Immigrant Ministry • ESL, Immigration Issues • Community Group and Event Hosting / Participation • AA, Karate School, Candidate Debates, Polling Station, Civic Open Houses • AGM’s: West End Business Improvement Association, Mole Hill Housing, Community Police Office, Vancouver Pride, … • Wellness Days, Davie Days, Palliative Care Parking • Youth Mission Trips, Bike-n-Build • Child Care • Day Care, Out-of-school Care • Montessori School

  7. Surviving to ThrivingIntercultural Success - 1 • A “Classic” Beginning • Korean (Galilee PCC) Congregation renting space • Primary motive was need for $$$ • The ‘usual’ irritations (as seen by Central) • Lack of respect re time, noise, property • Insufficient financial support and participation • The ‘usual’ irritations (as seen by Galilee) • Rigid, inflexible, business over gospel • Being “nickeled and dimed” to death • The “Inevitable” Falling Out • It was not pretty

  8. Surviving to ThrivingIntercultural Success - 2 • A New and Better Model • The “Landlord/Tenant” model cannot work • Financial need is the totally wrong reason for intercultural/intercongregational • Rigidity is the opposite of grace • Replaced with “Shared Ministry” • Central shares time + space • Galilee shares burden of upkeep • Key principle: “We are co-workers in the Kingdom of God.” • A Success Story • More than a decade now • Has survived several changes in leadership • Better partners than ever • Jointly Hosted BC Synod meeting • Hosted first joint Leading With Care Workshop • We are all enriched by the experience

  9. Surviving to ThrivingLeveraging Our Investment - 1 • A Classic Urban Mainline Church Situation • Land rich; cash poor • A Vision / Dream of Redeveloping, but … • Cost of purchasing adjacent apartment building • Cost of temporary relocation • Unable to even consider mega-$$$ mortgage • Then God intervened …

  10. Surviving to ThrivingLeveraging Our Investment - 2 • Contact with Architect • The Choices • Sell property, add $5M, get larger church • Rezone, sell property, get larger church • Be the developer, get larger church plus apartments plus retail • Do ‘nothing’, spend $2M on current building upgrade • The Congregation Takes the Plunge • Option 3 (We are after all, Presbyterian!) • Redevelopment Team – Minister + 3 Elders • Unanimous Congregational Approvals at each step

  11. Surviving to ThrivingLeveraging Our Investment - 3 • An Excellent Project Development Partner • Bosa Properties • Excellent reputation • Understand church • A New Path to Denominational Approvals • ‘Reverse’ order from usual • Great cooperation from all – Presbytery, Synod, National

  12. Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building • The Proposed Building Project • Larger Church (by 1/3) plus more useable space • 42 Apartments for Affordable Housing • Child Care to Current Standards • Retail Space (income generation + community contact) • Financing • The Building: 3D subdivide: land -> air space parcels • Market housing pays for the project • Temporary Relocation: a Canadian Ministries grant via inter-congregational cooperation • No mortgage • No government $$$ (except small CMHC seed grant) • Ongoing: Net Positive Revenue

  13. Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building

  14. Surviving To Thriving Immediate Future: New Building

  15. Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building

  16. Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building

  17. Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building • Current Status • Purchase, Sale, and Development Agreement • Implicit Approval from City re Rezoning • Working on: • Detailed Designs for Development Permit (and church approvals, e.g. Nat’l Committee on Architecture) • Central-Galilee Building Management Society • Non-Profit Housing Society • BC Community Contribution Company re Retail • Foundation

  18. Surviving to ThrivingThe Long View – Ministries to the Community - 1 • The Vision: Recapture Concept of Church as Community Centre • Community Gathering Place • Worship • Education • Meetings, Dinners • Clubs, Associations, Groups, Community Celebrations, … • Ministry to the Vulnerable • Seniors, Working Poor • International Students, Immigrant Families • Child Care • Transitional Healthcare

  19. Surviving to ThrivingThe Long View – Ministries to the Community - 2 • Features of the New Building • Modern, flexible sanctuary (seating to 300) • A Chapel (seating for 90) • Enhanced Gathering Spaces (acoustic separation) • 42 Apartments for Affordable Housing • A Community Interface Room (breakfasts, food bank) • Better Community Meeting Facilities • Commercial-grade Kitchen • Spaces for Education, Counseling, Prayer, Reflection • Retail Space for Income and Community Familiarity • Enhanced Web Presence: Webcasting, Hosting

  20. Surviving to ThrivingThe Long View – Ministries to the Community - 3 • Ministries the New Building Will Support • Worship, Celebration, and Faith Development • Affordable Housing (primarily for Seniors) • Day Care, Out-of-School Care • Transitional Housing for Dr. Peter Centre Patients • Food Bank, Community Breakfast • Community-Building, Lunches, Dinners, … • Education (Christian, ESL, Parenting Skills, … ) • Town Hall Meetings • Mission group hosting • Skills Development for International Students

  21. Surviving to ThrivingMoving Forward • Leveraging Our Past Into Our Future • We’ve been here for the past 100 years – and we plan to be here for the next 100! • Re-Defining What It Means to be Presbyterian • Recapturing our powerful social justice history • A Renewed Model for (Urban) Ministry • Multi-use Facilities • Multi-congregation Partnerships • Intercultural Cooperation • Christ’s Hands in the Community

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