Good News in the Church:
Vibrant Connections
Surviving to Thriving
Outline
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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 Thriving
Hitting 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
• Pressures to Close
Surviving to Thriving
The Turning Point
– 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
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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 Thriving
Connecting With The Community - 1
• The Stone Table
– “Coffee House” drop-in centre successful and active for several years
• Community Breakfast
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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 Thriving
Connecting 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 Thriving
Intercultural Success - 1
• A “Classic” Beginning
– Korean (Galilee PCC) Congregation renting space
• Primary motive was need for $$$
– The ‘usual’ irritations (as seen by Central)
• Lack of respect re time, noise, property
• Insufficient financial support and participation
– The ‘usual’ irritations (as seen by Galilee)
• Rigid, inflexible, business over gospel
• Being “nickeled and dimed” to death
– The “Inevitable” Falling Out
• It was not pretty
Surviving to Thriving
Intercultural Success - 2
• A New and Better Model
– The “Landlord/Tenant” model cannot work
• Financial need is the totally wrong reason for intercultural/intercongregational
• Rigidity is the opposite of grace
– Replaced with “Shared Ministry”
• Central shares time + space
• Galilee shares burden of upkeep
• Key principle: “We are co-workers in the Kingdom of God.”
• A Success Story
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More than a decade now
Has survived several changes in leadership
Better partners than ever
Jointly Hosted BC Synod meeting
Hosted first joint Leading With Care Workshop
We are all enriched by the experience
Surviving to Thriving
Leveraging Our Investment - 1
• A Classic Urban Mainline Church Situation
– Land rich; cash poor
• A Vision / Dream of Redeveloping, but …
– Cost of purchasing adjacent apartment building
– Cost of temporary relocation
– Unable to even consider mega-$$$ mortgage
• Then God intervened …
Surviving to Thriving
Leveraging Our Investment - 2
• Contact with Architect
• The Choices
1. Sell property, add $5M, get larger church
2. Rezone, sell property, get larger church
3. Be the developer, get larger church plus apartments plus
retail
4. 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 Thriving
Leveraging 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 Thriving
Immediate Future – New Building
• The Proposed Building Project
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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 intercongregational cooperation
– No mortgage
– No government $$$ (except small CMHC seed grant)
– Ongoing: Net Positive Revenue
Surviving to Thriving
Immediate Future – New Building
Surviving To Thriving
Immediate Future:
New Building
Surviving to Thriving
Immediate Future – New Building
Surviving to Thriving
Immediate Future – New Building
Surviving to Thriving
Immediate 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 Thriving
The Long View –
Ministries to the Community - 1
• The Vision:
Recapture Concept of Church as Community Centre
– Community Gathering Place
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Worship
Education
Meetings, Dinners
Clubs, Associations, Groups, Community Celebrations, …
– Ministry to the Vulnerable
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Seniors, Working Poor
International Students, Immigrant Families
Child Care
Transitional Healthcare
Surviving to Thriving
The Long View –
Ministries to the Community - 2
• Features of the New Building
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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 Thriving
The 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 Thriving
Moving 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
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Multi-use Facilities
Multi-congregation Partnerships
Intercultural Cooperation
Christ’s Hands in the Community