Journey – Spring 2019

1

2019

J O U R N E Y

Put out into the deeper water and let down your nets for a catch. – Luke 5:4

FROM JOE Friends, This issue of Journey is a celebration of all that was made possible by the 2008 Campaign for Deeper Discipleship. It’s the story of what God has done through our congregation’s journey into the deep waters of faith, as told by some of the key leaders who made the journey possible.

When I was interviewing with Myers Park Presbyterian Church three years ago, one of the aspects of the church’s ministry that captured my heart was the investment made in Grier Heights through the CrossRoads Corporation for Affordable Housing and Community Development. During my initial interview I learned the congregation was deeply committed to Room at the Inn, hosting our neighbors who have no home in the Outreach Center, and I shared that my own faith journey had been deeply shaped by volunteering at Room at the Inn in Nashville, TN when I was a banker. When I engage new members to learn what brought them into the life of our church, I hear about the impact of the Celebrate Service on their faith journey. When I sit in leadership meetings, be it the Session, or various task forces, I realize the vast majority of people in the room have built Habitat Houses in El Salvador or built relationships at the girl’s school in Congo or grown in faith through engagement with another global mission partner.

None of this would have been possible without the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship. That

campaign was inspired in part

by Steve Eason’s sermon on Luke 5 and Jesus’ call to the disciples to go into deeper waters.

That’s exactly what happened.

Crossroads was born as a result of that campaign. Twelve years, 40 homes, and hundreds of lives later we have ventured into deep water in Grier Heights.

Our Outreach Center is home to hundreds of our neighbors every Thursday night through the winter months, and our children and youth play a central role in hosting those neighbors. Oxford Hall, which becomes the sacred space of Celebrate every Sunday and has become the worship space for over 40% of our members.

The Getsemani Community in Ahuachapan, El Salvador has been transformed, and that place has shaped the faith of many leaders at MPPC. These are only a handful of the initiatives made possible by the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship.

I thank God for working so powerfully through the generosity of so many to make that campaign such an incredible success. Today, as the newest pastor on our staff, I feast from vineyards I did not plant. I am profoundly grateful for the blessings made possible by those whose labor took our congregation into the deep waters.

Grace and peace,

Joe Clifford Pastor

Contents

12 6 //

The Journey to Deeper Discipleship Campaign Chair Averill Harkey explains the origins of the 2008 Capital Campaign

10 //

Campaign Leadership: Jean Ford A church nudged outside the box

11 //

12 //

14 //

16 //

18 //

28 19 //

Campaign Leadership: Jim Miller How to design a space that enables incredible ministry

Campaign Leadership: Neill McBryde Going deeper in our relationship in the Grier Heights community

20 //

Building for Needs and Dreams Construction of the Outreach Center and the extensive renovation of the A-building

Diving Deeper into “The Neighborhood” Forming a full-fledged community development organization in CrossRoads

22 //

Worship as Celebration Oxford Hall serves as a home for Celebrate Worship

Charlie’s Family in El Salvador Meeting the family that would change his life

24 //

Full-Day Faith Development The new Full-Day program of the Weekday School brings a fuller sense of community

26 //

Brought to Life by Ministry and Welcome The new Outreach Center enables lifechanging opportunities from every angle

28 //

Hospitality and Dignity Every Thursday between November and March, the Room in the Inn ministry thrives

A Gift from God Partnering with the Congolese Presbyterian Church to empower women and strengthen communities Campaign Leadership: Ivan Hinrichs Ivan believes participating in a campaign leads to personal and collective growth

Love this issue? Have some constructive feedback? Please take our short, one-minute survey at myersparkpres.org/journeysurvey

GOING DEEPER

The Journey to Deeper Discipleship Campaign Chair Averill Harkey explains the origins of the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship.

On

March 20, 2007, Steve Eason asked if he could take me to lunch. That was an unusual and unexpected call. I thought that either Steve needed a lawyer or someone told him that I needed a preacher. It turns out that I needed a preacher. A few days later I answered the request he had made at lunch and accepted the position as chair of the 2008 campaign. It was not a good time for me. My family and I had a lot going on. But, I was reminded that God’s calls are often not made or timed based on our convenience.

In preparation for the campaign, pre-campaign advisory teams had been at work for many months. They were engaged in a comprehensive evaluation of our needs and dreams related to mission, our campus, and administration. This critical work provided a clear and compelling case of the line items included

6 | A Journey to Deeper Discipleship

and guidance required for the campaign feasibility and planning.

It was determined that the campaign would be called “The Campaign for A Deeper Discipleship.” We were being called to take our discipleship to another level. The essence of deeper discipleship is discipleship that is unlimited and boundless. It is not a single act, it is a way of life.

This campaign was to challenge us to go to the next level of giving and commitment to service, to strengthen our church and to expand our outreach. We were asked to seek the courage to cast our net of discipleship into the uncertainty of deeper waters and profess our faith and act upon it – just as Jesus called us to do.

Following the work of the precampaign advisory teams, our campaign consultants came on board. Our consultant’s recommendation of a goal was based on an extensive feasibility

study which included sound research, hard data, and extensive experience. Their recommendation was that a goal of $28 million “is a substantial goal - one that will require extraordinary effort and commitment to achieve.” We were told, “If MPPC chooses to adopt a stretch goal above and beyond $28 million, it needs to recognize that decision as a leap of faith, not one grounded on the results of this campaign study.”

On August 27, 2007, our Session took that leap of faith and established a goal of $30 million.

Approximately $15.75 million was allocated to the campus plan, $10.8 million to outreach and evangelism and $2.85 million allocated to administration and debt retirement. Our campus and facility objectives were directed toward two questions: Will it serve young families? Will it improve fellowship? We were also aware that mission is not a program of the church, it is the purpose of the church. This was true of our commitment to local, regional and global mission.

When this goal was set, our Session understood and accepted the fact that this campaign was one of the most significant components of our spiritual life this church has ever witnessed. The leadership of our church agreed that our voice must be of one mind, of one purpose, and lifted with the spirit and enthusiasm of the one who dances as if no one is watching and

“This campaign sings as if no one is listening. It was that kind of a feeling about what was ahead for us. We had over 150 members actively involved in some level of this campaign.

We knew that we were setting a very ambitious goal, that if met, would exceed all of the previous campaigns in our denomination.

There were a lot of eyes on us.

Our faith community needed us to step up and lead by example.

There were a lot of partners and potential partners counting on us, and there was a strong feeling and comforting assurance that we were being led by Christ on this journey ahead. Our pastor, Steve Eason, put things in perspective when he shared, “This campaign is not about 30 million dollars.

That shouldn’t overwhelm us, nor when we reach the goal should it define our success. This campaign is not about money. It’s about our witness to Christ.”

Once the goal was set, the campaign leadership was developed, and then engaged

was not about money.

It was about our witness to Christ.” with our consultants in extensive planning. The congregational phase of the campaign was launched on February 10, 2008.

Seven months later, on September 21, 2008, it was reported to the congregation that with God’s help we had secured $30,409,847 in pledges from 1,030 households which represented 80% of those who supported the church regularly.

The money had been raised and the ministry was just getting started. An Outreach Funding

Team was created to evaluate and recommend mission objectives and allocations that were established in the campaign proposal.

A construction committee began its years of service including the complex delivery of improvements to the Weekday School area, Oxford Hall renovations, and construction of the Outreach Center across Providence Road. This campaign was planned for 18 months, conducted for ten months and implemented for the next several years.

Unfortunately, the national economic conditions during the early pledge payment period for campaign pledges was very challenging. There was a bank bailout with the TARP program, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were bankrupt because of the subprime mortgage crisis, and the stock market dropped 53.4% from October 9, 2007, to March 6, 2009.

Our church was not immune. In 2009, we had to reduce the church budget by $942,000.

A Journey to Deeper Discipleship | 7

Traditional business models have us look at our costs and return on our investments to determine their value. In some ways, we take a look at that too. While the experience of fundraising in the church may have some similarities with the traditional business model, it is the distinctions that make this whole experience spiritual in nature. At least it was that way for me. A wise person once said that “experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.”

$10,000

$20M

$20,000

STOCK MARKET VS MPPC ACTUAL RECEIPTS

$10M

In spite of these major concerns, our congregation answered the call and responded most generously with their pledges. We knew that our giving needed to be in line with our commitment to engaging in a deeper level of discipleship.

Our partners in mission were also not immune from the economic concerns of the day. We knew that eventually, we would recover.

Those we were privileged to serve had no such assurance.

CAMPAIGN PLEDGE CHART

As we reflect on this campaign, we do not measure our success in numbers.

We are not motivated by return on our investments. We are not dependent on our employees or worried about our competition. Instead, it has been my experience that we are a group of humble servants, led by God who showers us with grace and unconditional love. I truly believe this Campaign for A Deeper Discipleship has taken us to those deeper waters and it is now up to us to let down those nets based on the faith we share in what is yet to come. With God’s help, I truly believe that at Myers Park Presbyterian Church our best is yet to come.

Peace to all on our journey together.

Averill Harkey Campaign for Deeper Discipleship Chair

8 | A Journey to Deeper Discipleship

13 PLEDGES

$500K+

69 PLEDGES

$100-499K

169 PLEDGES

$25-99K

780 PLEDGES

< $25K

Initial renderings of the new welcome center (above) and Oxford Hall (below)

Initial renderings of the Outreach Center, located across Providence Road from the main church campus (below)

A Journey to Deeper Discipleship | 9

CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP

"God was nudging us outside the box."

Jean Ford, Outreach and Evangelism Team

God was nudging us outside the box with the Deeper Discipleship campaign. Through many, many discussions, we began to establish a vision of the church that was outside of Oxford Place, and not only nationwide, but global.

We had some disagreements among the planning groups: How much for building, how much for outreach, that kind of thing. Those could be hard, but we started having worship together at the very beginning of every meeting.

That was transforming in our lives, to work together not just ‘out there’ but inside us. I think we realized nothing could happen without that and without God. You look at this church, and you realize there are a lot of voices. We used that to bring us together in ways I did not expect. Instead of dividing us, I think it unified us. There was a lot of hesitation about going beyond what we’ve always done, but we sensed God’s presence from day one. Without God being the central focus, we would not have made it. We had a lot of people really geared toward God. It was remarkable.

We hoped to set the stage for new leadership.

Steve [Eason] was really interested in working with and developing younger leaders. That’s paying off now. I see it every time we have baptisms or a confirmation class. What we have been is wonderful. What we can be is extraordinarily wonderful.

10 | A Journey JourneytotoDeeper Deeper Discipleship Discipleship

“God seems to get involved all the time and we don’t know it.”

Neill McBryde, Outreach and Evangelism Team Chair

From inception the touchstone for all the outreach and evangelism planning, locally and globally, was to try to discern God’s will for our Church, which was no easy task. However, we did begin to see very early in our journey that our discernment resulted from God’s being in charge. After literally dozens of meetings with representatives of local and global ministries, the relationships and the partnerships we were led to support were, in scope and depth, way beyond what we could have even imagined.

At the outset, we knew that locally affordable housing and community development and redevelopment were major issues in Charlotte and were critical to the welfare of our city. That is when we really felt God’s active presence in all our proceedings. Doors opened, and angel investors stepped forward. City and County officials at the highest levels became intensely involved. The Grier Heights community and many longterm residents and families embraced and supported the process. The school administrators and staff at Billingsville Elementary School became an integral part of all that MPPC was doing. This evolved into the formation of CrossRoads Corporation for Affordable Housing and Community Development.

We were particularly blessed with two pastors, Larry James at Grier Heights Presbyterian Church and Donnie Garris at Antioch Baptist Church, who God knew we needed as partners and mentors. Without their presence, wisdom, and support and the support of their congregations, CrossRoads would not have become a reality in its scope and depth.

What we quickly began to realize is that God seems to get involved all the time and we don’t know it. Sometimes we see it, but much of the time we do not.

At the time of the planning, we had a “crossroads” area at our church where two buildings came together as a single faith community. We wanted to take that mentality out into Grier Heights. We felt the Spirit moving us toward that idea and woulnd up with the name CrossRoads Corporation for Affordable Housing and Community Development.

The amount of interest in both the campaign and in serving the community through outreach efforts was in retrospect not surprising. We are a generous church and an active church. We are always going out into our communities and the world as part of our discipleship, reaching out and seeing how God will lead us to dive deeper.

To God be the glory. Amen.

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GRIER HEIGHTS

diving deeper into

“the neighborhood” Forming a full-fledged community development organization

“I thought I was going to be playing golf and fly fishing,” Don Gately says over coffee, “But I started meeting people and building friendships in the neighborhood and I knew it would be my next step.”

For 11 years, Don Gately, above, has led CrossRoads Corporation for Affordable Housing and Community Development

12 | A Journey to Deeper Discipleship

“The Neighborhood” is Grier Heights. “It” is the notion that the relationships already formed there could blossom into a fullfledged community development organization. This was back in 2008, when the Outreach and Evangelism team was looking at ways Myers Park Presbyterian Church could go deeper: Into faith, into discipleship, and into a community struggling to address realities of gentrification and rising rents.

Don Gately never got to work on his golf game. He was tapped as CrossRoads’ first Executive Director, leveraging his background in finance, real estate, and business management to engage and advocate for the residents of the neighborhood. Affordable housing was the first priority, but just as the team was being pulled together, the financial crisis and housing market collapse of 2008 hit.

“It was a good example of how God can use adversity for good. There were concerns about the viability of CrossRoads mission to develop affordable housing,” says Joe Helweg, who serves as the current board chair. Don’s team had to pivot, working with Habitat for Humanity to address housing needs and putting huge amounts of energy, time, and soul into relationships and program development. Bulldogs Matter and literacy programs at Billingsville Elementary became a priority, as well as partnerships with groups already at work in Grier Heights, namely Urban Eagles, a youth soccer program. Taking the time to identify needs led to the creation of new education, literacy, and youth programs that thrive under the program staff, including Tijua Robinson.

“Families in Grier Heights are some of the most determined, supportive

and hard-working people you’ll ever meet,” Tijua says.

“The adversities they face make them work twice as hard.” As community development initiatives progressed, CrossRoads worked to enable the neighborhood’s vision for a revitalized community center in the old Rosenwald School building as a place to gather and host programs.

Members and staff from Myers Park Presbyterian have dedicated countless hours to the wide array of programs offered through CrossRoads, from swim camps to girls’ leadership development to Bible studies and book clubs.

“People may think they are coming in to transform a life,” says Tijua, “but they end up leaving transformed and becoming a part of a whole new family.”

Transformation and adaptability have been part of the CrossRoads ethos since its inception. Responding to community needs requires authentic, sustained relationships and professional partners. One of those needs continues to be affordable housing options for families. CrossRoads is still at work, recently orchestrating a zero-interest loan of $950,000 to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership with Grier Heights Presbyterian Church, Antioch Baptist Church, and Myers Park Presbyterian Church.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

myersparkpres.org/affordablehousing

Eleven years since it grew out of the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship, CrossRoads is on the cusp of a new chapter. Tiffany Capers, whose previous work as Managing Director for Growth, Development, and Partnership for Teach for America Charlotte and the Foundation for the Carolinas, succeeded Don Gately as Executive Director upon his retirement.

“I want for Grier Heights what I want for us all.”

Campaign Partner

$2,250,500 Total campaign commitment to establish CrossRoads Corportaion for Affordable Housing and Community Development.

“I want for Grier Heights what I want for us all,” says Tiffany.

“I want the graduation rate to be higher and the rate of poverty to be lower. I want fewer young people dropping out of school and more of our neighbors employed. I want more homeowners from among existing residents and fewer homes that are in a state of disrepair. I want to learn more about the hopes of the team, the residents, the neighbors, and the children of Grier Heights.”

Tiffany Capers Executive Director of CrossRoads

32

Contiguous lots purchased in 2009 and developed as affordable housing solutions

1

Historic school building renovated as a community center for residents of Grier Heights

27%

Increase in homeownership in Grier Heights

25

Students per day at the onsite after school program

13

Critical home repair projects completed with Habitat for Humanity

40

Financial literacy workshop graduates

98%

Of students in the math tutoring program meet growth goals

3

Years of Stiletto Boss University, a strategic planning and business program for girls

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EL SALVADOR

Charlie Shaffner with the Cadenas family in El Salvador

Charlie’s Family in El Salvador

Some ministries just hook you. The work and the people become such a piece of you that you can’t imagine not being part of it all. Charlie Shaffner knows this feeling well. He’s been to El Salvador seven times since 2010.

Charlie’s not sure why he signed up for that first trip to El Salvador with the youth group. He had plenty of service hours for school. He’d already been accepted to college. He already knew a lot of the youth group. “The motivation to join the El Salvador trip to Getsemaní had to have come from the heart,” says Charlie. Call it a God thing. Call it the allure of new experience. Either way, Charlie’s life was about to change.

14 | A Journey to Deeper Discipleship

The youth group trip to El Salvador was a part of the “Strengthening the Getsemani Community” project funded through the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship.

With Habitat for Humanity El Salvador as our partner, Myers Park Presbyterian had embarked on a holistic effort to build up the Getsemani community through values education, community health, micro-entrepreneurship, housing solutions, and leadership training.

Charlie arrived to build a house, but that’s rarely the whole point of a mission trip. Physical labor happened over a language barrier that everyone was working to overcome with smiles and laughter. “There seemed to be a stronger connection through persistent attempts to understand each other through gestures and body language,” says Charlie.

“These interactions created friendships instantly. And looking back now, I wouldn’t trade those friendships for anything.”

That first year, he met the Claudias.

The twin 11-year olds, Claudia Yamileth and Claudia Jasmin. They took Charlie under their wing, playing games, doing schoolwork, and offering a hug during every break at the work site through the week.

“Back in Charlotte, I constantly found myself looking at the pictures with those kids,” he says, “I realized I had to go back.” Charlie and Susan McKinney tried to pull together a college group that winter, but the scheduling didn’t work for enough people. He had to find another way.

As it turned out, there was a team of Myers Park adults who were going for a week in March. “The next thing I knew, I was flying to El Salvador on my freshman year spring break with four adults I didn’t know instead of driving to Florida with my college buddies.

Over the course of the week, these friends started to feel more like family,” says Charlie, “Each moment spent with them was precious. I made a friendship with the Cadenas Aguilar family that I wouldn’t trade for anything. It became clear why I had gone to so much trouble to return.”

“When I go back to El Salvador, there is that feeling of coming back home. It’s a happy place. It’s

a comfort and a joy that’s tough to describe. Being there just feels right. A major part of my heart is there. The Cadenas family, Andrea Rodriguez, Patty, and my Habitat Family are a huge part of my life.”

Charlie Shaffner has been part of the partnership among the Getsemani Community, Habitat for Humanity El Salvador, and Myers Park Presbyterian Church as it deepens and enriches the community and everyone involved. He’s gone on to participate on adult trips and has led youth trips from Myers Park Presbyterian as they experience a place and partnership dear to his heart. “Partnership is complex.

It’s a two way street filled with love and obstacles. It also creates a beautiful sustainability of opportunities for so many. I am deeply grateful and feel truly lucky to be a part of this one.”

Campaign Partner

$660,000 Total campaign commitment to the “Strengthening the Getsemani Community” project in El Salvador.

236 65 1

Housing solutions completed over the course of six years Women involved in the Getsemani microfinance and income generation cooperative Community health committee developed to support Dr. Edgar and the Casa de Salud clinic

“Mission trips create space for youth to participate in a life unlike their own,” says Michelle ThomasBush, MPPC’s Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families. “Global mission, in particular, pushes at the boundaries of our comfort zones and empowers us to live out our faith with fresh perspective. It brings dignity to our faith family around the world. It’s a holy experience. It can change the lives of our young people forever.”

Charlie agrees, “While it can open your eyes to so many intense issues in our world, experiencing new cultures can also present a view of the world that you immediately love,” he says. “It has changed the way I view gratitude, love, and relationships. It has shifted what is important to me. I see God in that love and gratitude.”

“This is my vacation and I love it.”

LEARN MORE AT MYERSPARKPRES.ORG/ELSALVADOR

A Journey to Deeper Discipleship | 15

GIRL’S EDUCATION IN CONGO

A Gift of God Building on seven decades of partnership, Myers Park Presbyterian Church and Congolese Presbyterian Church coordinated to build an all-girls school and effect social change in a country that continues to experience significant strife.

1948 was a busy year. The United Nations established the World Health Organization, NASCAR held its first race on Daytona Beach, and Jas. A. Jones, the pastor of Myers Park Presbyterian Church, established a relationship with African Christians in Congo that has endured ever since.

Discipleship: an all-girls primary school in the morning and an all-girls secondary school in the afternoon. The school has English–French bilingual instruction, a library, a computer lab and an all-woman faculty; elements vital to the success of a school in a developing country, according to UNICEF research.

In 2007, the Congolese Presbyterian Church approached Myers Park Presbyterian regarding a partnership to build a girls school that could help change the lives of families and communities from generation to generation.

In 2017, Lycee Dipa, the secondary school, celebrated its first class of graduates, all of them passing the national exam and receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma. It is truly a model for effective girls education in Congo. Leveraging this success, Myers Park Presbyterian Church is now working to build upon with a new girls school project in Mbuji-Mayi.

The school in Kanaga, Dipa dia Nzambi (Gift of God), has been highly successful in providing Christian-based education for young women that surpasses the public education currently available.

In fact, two schools share the facility funded by the Campaign for Deeper

The new girls’ school will serve both primary and secondary school students and provide the same high-quality learning environment modeled by Dipa dia Nzambi.

Campaign Partner

Congolese Presbyterian Church 16 | A Journey JourneytotoDeeper Deeper Discipleship Discipleship

$247,567

Total campaign commitment to construct and equip the Dipa dia Nzambi girls school in Kananga, DRC

295

Students enrolled across six grades

LEARN MORE AT MYERSPARKPRES.ORG/CONGO

97%

Average daily attendance

48

Students enrolled in an optional nutrition education program

24

Staff members, including 21 teachers, two administrators, and two security guards

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CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP

"Ultimately, everything belongs to God." Ivan Hinrichs, Outreach and Evangelism Team Ultimately, everything belongs to God. We come in with nothing, we go out with nothing. Our job is to be good stewards. I leaned into that idea over the years, so when the ask came to join the leadership team, it wasn’t a hard decision to make at all.

The primary thing I think was unique about this campaign was the almost overwhelming interest in Outreach. There was more energy toward that kind of giving than I’ve ever seen. I think some of that was a product of the high engagement in Outreach we already had. There were already a lot of ideas that could do a lot of good in God’s Kingdom.

It came about early on that we, as a church, should not just make contributions to good causes, but to contribute where there was a need and where we could actually be engaged in the work. It got people more involved, in both addressing the needs in our city and overseas. We gained a lot of momentum through that.

I spoke to someone who had come to believe in this campaign because they felt it was more efficient to have engaged members than to simply make a gift to a worthy non-profit. Ministry encompasses a lot of pieces, and participation leverages the dollars invested in Christ’s Kingdom.

The idea of CrossRoads as a community development corporation really took us to a different level of what could be done if we focused our energies and resources on a community that’s right next door. CrossRoads was wisely conceived, and I think represents a maturity in how we think about outreach: knowing a community, building partnerships, and not pretending we know exactly how to help.

Capital campaigns do tend to help people grow in their financial stewardship journey. Of course, everybody’s at a different stage, but together we had the wherewithal to make a difference and I think we made a substantial one.

18 | A Journey JourneytotoDeeper Deeper Discipleship Discipleship

"This was something we could all get behind."

Jim Miller, Campus Master Plan and Building Team Chair It was an exciting time within the church. We had an established pastor and an energized congregation, and we were looking for direction. The concept of “Deeper Discipleship” resonated with everyone. This campaign was something we could all get behind.

I served as the chair of the Campus Master Planning Committee and was later asked to chair the building committee. I didn’t want to do it. I was busy with my business, and it didn’t sound particularly fun, but I told Steve [Eason] and Dale [Allison] that I’d give it the weekend.

By Sunday night, I felt that God was asking me to do this. You can’t say no to that feeling. As it turned out, those were the best seven years I’ve spent here.

But the building is not the church. The building needed to support the church in worship, study, fellowship, and outreach. We thought about all of those elements regularly and about how they fit together.

I learned, beyond a doubt, that when you have dedicated, committed, qualified people with a deep faith in where God is leading, there is very little you cannot do. Very often I would have an idea of where I thought we would go with some of these ideas, and very often we had people who thought one way, and people who thought another, and through many discussions, we arrived at a third way that was better than either initial position. God was a part of that.

The impetus for the campaign was easy.

We knew we had spaces that needed improvement. We worked for three years, meeting with the staff about how the campus was hampering our ministry and how it could enhance our ministry. We called it “needs and dreams,” and early on established that we would try to meet all of the needs to support our ministry. We also wanted to look at the “dreams” and try a quantum leap to challenge us as a congregation. At the time, our Celebrate [contemporary worship] service was booming and we knew we needed a space to accommodate that quickly-growing worship service. We dreamed of a full-day weekday school program. We dreamed of dedicated youth and outreach space.

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CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

Building for

Needs

Adapting a historic campus to meet the needs of a 21st-century church.

Dreams

The Building Committee, led by Jim Miller, had its work cut out for it: design and build a 42,000 square foot Outreach Center. Gut the existing gym and turn it into modern classrooms and a large multipurpose hall. Renovate space for a new full-day Weekday School program.

They got to work on the projects that would enable this church to serve the needs of the community and congregation for years to come.

The Outreach Center, just across Providence Road, blends outreach, wellness, and youth ministries into a true place of welcome. It has revolutionized Room in the Inn, CROSS, and the Wellness Ministry.

A renovated hallway in the education building is now home to the full-day Weekday School program, providing a Christian pre-school education to our youngest disciples alongside our half-day program.

Today, the Welcome Center and Oxford Hall gather diverse groups from Bible studies, banquets, and worship services to session meetings, art installations, and national gatherings of church leaders.

Remembering that the Church is not a building, these spaces enable ministry to grow, thrive, and meet the needs of a wide range of ministries and community partners.

20 | A Journey to Deeper Discipleship

ABOVE |

The Welcome Center under construction

BELOW | Turning a former gym into a state-of-the-art classroom and a multipurpose worship space

ABOVE |

The Outreach Center under construction

BELOW | An iron worker installs a beam blessed by the congregation at the Outreach Center

A Journey to Deeper Discipleship | 21

CELEBRATE WORSHIP

Worship as CELEBRATION Oxford Hall helps Celebrate Worship grow from its roots as a contemporary alternative.

Deborah Conner, Associate Pastor for Congregational Care

When I arrived at MPPC in 2004, the Celebrate worship service had been in existence for about three years. It was a contemporary alternative offered on Sunday morning at 8:45 a.m. in the gym. The history of the creation of this service was interpreted to me in a variety of ways. No doubt there was objection by many on the Session in 2001 about adding a contemporary worship experience.

Depending on who I talked to in those early years, I would get different responses about what happened. The introduction of something new had made some people uncomfortable and others happy. Celebrate was considered by many to be a passing fad that would disappear, in time. I often heard: “are you going to “big church” (Sanctuary) or “little church” (Celebrate) even though both services used the same order of worship. But, 18 years later I don’t ever hear anyone refer to our worship services in this way. MPPC was fortunate that the founders of Celebrate were Elders who had grown up at MPPC and were now raising their families here. They loved their church. Many had been influenced by the music and worship of Young Life and they wanted to share the joy they experienced with the MPPC congregation. It was providential that they were excellent musicians and a band formed to lead worship. Many of these original band members continue to play music in the Celebrate service to this day.

22 | A Journey JourneytotoDeeper Deeper Discipleship Discipleship

We have come a long way! The original Celebrate service used PowerPoint slides and a small TV monitor to know when to switch to the sermon.

Sometimes this meant stopping a song halfway through and the sermon would appear on the screen live from the Sanctuary. Some weeks the technology worked and sometimes it didn’t, but the volunteers in Celebrate persisted and the worshipping congregation grew. In 2006 we added an 11 a.m. service.

We’ve come a long way from having to create a worship space in the gym each week to what we have today. No longer do we have to roll out tarps to cover the gym floor. We sit in comfortable chairs, not folding chairs. We have screens, lights, a state of the art soundboard and digital sound system. We still have the capacity for a live feed and we use Pro Presenter for our projection.

Instead of one screen, we have three, enabling the singers in the band to see the words of the songs instead of fumbling with sheet music. It used to take hours and hours to set up for Sunday morning because of laying the tarp, setting up the chairs, moving the band equipment up from the basement, running all the cable, setting up the video tower and “borrowing” pulpit furniture from the Prayer Chapel. It was a monumental undertaking. Since the building renovation that resulted from the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship, we have plug-and-go capability in a

multi-use space that inspires awe in worship because of the roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauty.

Through the generosity of many of our members over the years, Celebrate has been able to have at least two new soundboards (including our current state of the art digital soundboard), beautiful handcrafted pulpit furniture and paraments, replacement instruments, lighting, high definition projection, and last but not least, a full time Coordinator for Contemporary Worship and Arts. What was once an experiment has turned into a vibrant worship service in our church. We are so fortunate to have the resources to provide a variety

of worship experiences for our congregation and community. We have both traditional and contemporary music and worship services providing two different ways to give glory to God on Sunday morning for people of all ages. No matter your worship or music preference, there is something for everyone at MPPC. The concerns of the past are long gone now and the Celebrate service continues to provide a place for people to grow in the faith and experience the joy of community.

Hallelujah!

From the humble roots in the old Christian Life Center (now Oxford Hall), Celebrate Worship continues to inspire and proclaim the good news of the gospel.

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WEEKDAY SCHOOL

Full-Day

Faith Development The Campaign for Deeper Discipleship and resulting campus renovations enabled a Full-Day program to be added to the Weekday School to provide a faithbased preschool for full-time working parents in our congregation and community. The program is a fivestar program licensed by the state of North Carolina, the highest rating such a program can achieve.

Hamilton and Milly Cort have been part of the program since its beginning in 2010. Their daughter Ally and son Henry both graduated from Full-Day and now attend Shamrock Gardens Elementary School. Their third child, Reynolds, is currently enrolled in our early Pre-K class. Hamilton and Milly answered some questions about their experience as part of this busy and creative ministry of the church.

What were some of the factors that stood out to you about the program?

After touring, we were really impressed by the personnel that the church had assembled, and of course the facility was shiny and new (which can be exciting). The director was really enthusiastic about the program, and open to ideas that an established program may be too set to change (little ideas like organic milk, which can be a big deal for a new parent).

How did your family decide to utilize the Weekday School program at Myers Park Presbyterian Church?

We had our daughter enrolled in a full day program at a church near our home, and we were happy with the program. At the time we had been members at the church for about two years, and had been attending for about four years. We were both involved in different ministries at the church, and were feeling more connected to the church, but didn’t necessarily feel like it was “home” yet. When we heard about the Full Day program opening, we were excited to have the option to send our kids to school at our church. We hoped that it would bring us closer to the church and give us a chance to create deeper relationships with our community of faith.

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ABOVE |

Weekday School children in the full-day program learn about health with a guest doctor.

How has your participation as a weekday school parent changed your relationship to God or to the church?

Would you consider the full day program of the Weekday School to be a valuable church ministry?

Why?

I remember not feeling like part of the church community – not sure what Sunday School class to join and even feeling lost on the campus. Being a part of the Weekday School brought me to the church every day.

Soon, you know faces and names and start to develop wonderful friendships with both the fellow church members and staff. My favorite day of the week is the Thursday afternoon pick up. Our organist is practicing in the sanctuary and it just gives me the most peaceful, happy feeling. I feel like I’m home.

It’s arguably one of the most valuable ministries in the church – as we teach our children to love God, aren’t we learning from our children as well? While I feel like the program has changed my relationship with the church, it has been most impactful for my children. Our son Henry developed really special friendships with boys from his infant room class. To this day (and they are almost nine years old), they pick up right where they left off when they are together at church. The boys all attend different schools so now are only together on Sundays. My hope is that they continue to grow in their faith journey together. We are still in the Weekday School with our youngest and are seeing him develop those same great bonds with the kids in his class. I love that I’m already getting to know these great families that will help us raise our children to know how much God loves him.

Was it important to you to incorporate your child’s faith development into preschool education?

Yes, thinking that we would be taking the public school route, I really wanted faith development to be a part of our preschool education. Preschool education is also all about play – and I love how they have created a curriculum around Godly Play to begin to teach our children the story of God’s love for them and our community.

Making decisions in life so many times is just a leap of faith. As we enter middle school with our oldest, I am constantly reminded of how lucky we are to have made this jump into the MPPC Faith Community. While we are all different, we are all together in our mission to do our best in this life.

“It’s arguably one of the most valuable ministries in the church.”

60

150

Current full-day students

Total students served since the program launched in 2010

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OUTREACH CENTER

Brought to Life by

Ministry The outreach center is one of those places you could encounter just about anything â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a place brought to life by ministry and welcome.

YOUTH Everything our youth do is in response to the grace of God. From weekly Youth Group gatherings, concerts, and recreational ministry to regular Boy Scout meetings, the Outreach Center provides a natural home and a space to grow in faith.

LEARN MORE AT MYERSPARKPRES.ORG/YOUTH

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CROSS

For 20 years, youth from around the nation have come here for CROSS Missions (Charlotte Regional Outreach Spirituality and Study). They use the Outreach Center as a home base for weeklong opportunities to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and love those in need.

LEARN MORE AT MYERSPARKPRES.ORG/CROSS

WELLNESS MINISTRY The mission of the Wellness Ministry is to build community and promote health and healing, both in the church community and the world. The Outreach Center provides a safe and supportive environment for people to become physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthier.

LEARN MORE AT MYERSPARKPRES.ORG/WELLNESS

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Hospitality

ROOM IN THE INN

Dignity The Outreach Center changes the way we offer hospitality to our neighbors in need

The Urban Ministry Center partners with colleges and congregations to offer dignified accomodations and meals to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

It’s called “Room in the Inn.”

“It’s good to support all the Urban Ministry Center does in our city to help people in a time of need.

[Homelessness] often isn’t a long-term thing for folks, but it’s a hardship and an ordeal, and if we have the opportunity to help, why shouldn’t we?”

– Will Anderson

“It’s really special to meet them and hear their stories, and also to help where we’re able to.”

– Lauren Long

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Thursday afternoons at the Outreach Center have a special cadence about them.

Different groups of disciples arrive to prepare rooms, beds, dinner, or develop relationships with those we host every Thursday between December and March.

The first priority of this ministry is to provide a safe, warm place to sleep and nourish our guests with hot meals. The greater goal is to provide a more personal relationship to people in our community who are homeless and to foster a deeper understanding of the depth and complexity of the issue of homelessness.

“We’ve been able to offer better hospitality and

more comfort to

“This is a wonderful ministry because it lends itself to all ages,” says Bill Scott, who has served with Room in the Inn for over 15 years.

Children, families, youth, and adults can all participate in some way, whether it’s making beds for 30 minutes on the way home from work or school, or serving as an overnight host or breakfast maker.

our guests.”

– Bill Scott

“I’ve really been impressed with the youth who commit themselves to Room in the Inn,” says Bill, “They’re here every Thursday afternoon and there’s a youth on every bus that picks up our guests from downtown. They coordinate how we set the rooms up. They’ve just jumped in and I’d say they’re the core of this ministry now.”

The Outreach Center has deeply changed the way Room in the Inn operates and integrates within the life of the church. “It was good before, but it’s really something special now,” says Bill, who led the ministry before and during the move. “We have great facilities that can accomodate children and families, locker rooms and showers, laundry facilities, and when we bring in guests, there’s a lot of activity around. Kids playing basketball, folks working out, people inviting them to play pool or ping pong, everybody’s here. I was worried at first, but our guests love it. It’s real and vital. It’s normal activity and they’re just part of it.”

Will Anderson and Lauren Long spend most Thursday afternoons preparing the Outreach Center to host guests.

204

Disciples of all ages creating a welcoming, hospitible environment

125

Congregations, colleges, and YMCA’s partnered with the Urban Ministry Center to provide hospitality

25 Sprout Outreach, our outreach ministry for three’s through third grade, make beds for neighbors in need.

Guests comfortably accomodated, up from 14 when the ministry was hosted in Providence Hall

“I’m a real type-A. I’m driven, I can be impatient. There’s something about this ministry that makes me slow down.

I find myself being really patient and being a good listener. It changes me when I’m with these folks. It’s been such an important part of my journey, and it reminds me what this community of disciples can accomplish and what outreach is really about.”

We’re not asked to be counselors, we’re not asked to fix anything. We’re just asked to be good, Christian hosts.”

LEARN MORE AT MYERSPARKPRES.ORG/RITI

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BEFORE WE GO

Thanks be to God for the blessings made possible through the Campaign for Deeper Discipleship.

What’s next for us?

Since the conclusion of that campaign, we have baptized 1,022 children.

Our youth programs have expanded exponentially.

We have invested every last cent of the $10 million allocated for Outreach.

Opportunity for children living in poverty in Charlotte has been identified as a great need in our community. What is our call within God’s ongoing transforming work in the world?

Even now, our church’s leadership is discerning this call. Together may we be praying for open ears, open minds, and open hearts to receive God’s call to Myers Park Presbyterian for our tomorrows.

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When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Luke 5:6-7

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