Episcopal Church of the Advent

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Momentum builds toward ministry milestone

Taking a leap of faith is "contagious," says Dr. Clay Turner, Rector for the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, South Carolina. "For one congregation of 1,900 members to pledge over $8 million to a capital campaign demonstrates an amazing amount of commitment. The people's magnitude of generosity and willingness to sacrifice has generated a great deal of hope and enthusiasm in our parish." This number more than triples the church's annual budget of $2,400,000.

The Episcopal Church launched its "Cornerstone Campaign" three years ago after a six-year process of developing a parish-wide long-range plan. "Instead of the church leadership telling the parishioners of the needs," says Turner, "we approached it the other way. We held focus groups throughout the parish and they told us which needs were growing out of our 80 current ministries and programs."

During this 18-month grass-roots assessment called Project Epiphany, the church developed a list with estimated costs for both new construction and retrofitting existing facilities. Updates to the master plan include a full size gymnasium, children's education building, a new dining area, and plans to retrofit an office and hospitality area. Groundbreaking is due to begin early in 2002.

While the plan is primarily focused on current infrastructure needs, the campaign in and of itself has already boosted church growth.

The Episcopal Church of the Advent is watching attendance climb as a result of a focused spiritual framework complete with campaign videos, newsletters, and outreach ventures. Although the church sees an average of 300 on a given Sunday, it held the original campaign kickoff worship service at a larger facility to accommodate the 800 in attendance. "Our friends and neighbors see and hear about what's going on at The Episcopal Church of the Advent and they want to be a part of it," Turner explains. Adds Turner, "This campaign has not been a difficult task since all of us created the vision together."