Friends,
We’re at the mid-way point of 2025 and much is happening in our church.
At our June meeting, the Session voted to approve the guaranteed maximum price of $7,207,793 to do phase one of our renovations. Scaffolding will go up on the Greene Street side of the sanctuary in August as the work of tuckpointing begins. Replacing the mortar in the bricks will help prevent further water damage to our campus. Our Project Review Committee, co-chaired by Homer Wade and Buddy Seymour, will be keeping a close watch on these projects, along with Tim Millisor, our Director of Property. We will be updating you as things move forward and will let you know about phase two projects as those decisions are made. Thank you to everyone who pledged and is giving to the capital campaign! You are making sure our beautiful campus can continue to offer transformative ministry for generations to come.
As we look to the annual ministry budget, I want to ask if you would please continue to pay your pledge (or make a gift) during the summer months. The Session passed a deficit budget this year and although our expenses are right on track, our revenue is less than projected. While raising the budgeted $2.8 million is likely by the end of the calendar year, that will still leave us in the red. In order to maintain our current level of staffing and programs, we need to raise $3 to $3.2 million every year. We have a newly formed generosity team exploring ways to help us close this gap and you will be hearing about their efforts soon. If you are interested in serving, please let me know. If you’ve not yet pledged or given to the operating budget and you are able to do so, know your financial support at this time would make a major impact.
Please continue to be in prayer for our Associate Pastor Nominating Committee. They are right now interviewing candidates for our Associate Pastor for Christian Formation. Additionally, we will welcome Nolan Chilton as interim youth director on August 24. Nolan just graduated from Duke Divinity School. He is one of our former summer interns and knows us well! Our own Johnathan Holland just began his new role as Director of Hospitality. Thanks to a recent bequest, we now have enough money in the Sid and Cathy Batts Residency Fund to search for our next pastoral resident who would join us in the summer of 2026.
Soon our youth will be headed to Montreat and our children will be making joyful noises in the building as they gather for VBS and KDC Camp. (July 13 is the last day to sign up!)
The rhythm of summer brings with it many blessings. While the doings of the church matter, they matter because they shape us into the human beings God created us to be.
Recently, one of our children wrote the following and placed it in the offering plate, “Dear God thank you for my house. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my friends. Thank you for enough food to eat.” One of our youngest disciples has been listening and has learned to give thanks for everything. And, following their lead, I want to say, thank you, too!
Peace,
