Good News in the Church:Vibrant Connections

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

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

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!)

Surviving to ThrivingConnecting With The Community - 1

• The Stone Table– “Coffee House” drop-in centre successful 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)

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

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

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

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 …

Surviving to ThrivingLeveraging Our Investment - 2

• Contact with Architect• The Choices

1. Sell property, add $5M, get larger church2. Rezone, sell property, get larger church3. Be the developer, get larger church plus apartments plus

retail4. 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

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

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

Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building

Surviving To Thriving

Immediate Future: New Building

Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building

Surviving to ThrivingImmediate Future – New Building

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

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

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

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

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