Congregations open up their buildings to serve children, the hungry, the homeless and others in need. Sacred places stabilize neighborhoods, strengthen commercial districts and significantly add to the economic health of our communities. All of this is endangered, however, when congregations can no longer afford to maintain these aging buildings. Partners has developed a family of highly-acclaimed resources to help congregations connect better to their communities, raise capital funds in new ways and preserve their historic building for future generations. We are the nation's only non-sectarian, nonprofit organization dedicated the sound stewardship and active community use of America's older religious properties.

Sacred places have enormous public value! The Halo Effect, a groundbreaking research project, is now underway in Fort Worth and the results will generate clear and compelling evidence that increased public investment in the infrastructure of sacred places will have a catalytic effect on economic development in the city. Click Halo to learn more-


Please Join Us Tuesday, April 24th

On Tuesday evening, April 24th 5:30-7:00 p.m., Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas will host an Open House/Tour sponsored by Partners for Sacred Places and Preservation Dallas. The church is located at 3014 Oak Lawn Avenue. Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, has recently been awarded a $100,000 grant from Partners for Sacred Places. This congregation has long been recognized for their community service programs and is a 2007 graduate of our New Dollars, New Partners program.
The Rev. Dr. Frank Drenner, senior pastor at Oak Lawn responded to news of the grant from Partners by saying “I am thankful for organizations such as Partners for Sacred Places who see the value of congregations such as Oak Lawn, and choose to generously join us in fulfilling God’s vision in our community”.

Window Restoration Project Complete at St. Mary's!

 
In 2006, St. Mary’s became one of the first Fort Worth congregations to work with Partners for Sacred Places' Texas Office. Father David Bristow, accompanied by a small team of congregants, enthusiastically participated in our New Dollars, New Partners training program. This struggling congregation was determined to grow it's membership, continue community outreach programs, and raise the funds needed to provide the care that this beautiful structure so desperately needed and deserved. They were a congregation determined to survive!
 
Today, St. Mary’s membership has grown beyond 2,500 families – community outreach programs are strong, and it is clear that this historic structure is well loved and cared for. Under the leadership of Father Bristow, the original hardwood floors have been refinished, a new heating and air conditioning system installed, there is a new sound system, and, at long last, the majestic stained glass windows have been completely restored to their original beauty. Partners awarded St. Mary two grants for the window restoration project, a seed grant of $5,000 to obtain a professional assessment of their windows and a $10,000 capital grant to be applied directly toward the cost of restoration services, which were provided by Franz Mayer Studios in Munich, Germany. The windows made their long journey home last month and have once again taken their rightful place in a prominent treasured landmark on the near south side of Fort Worth. 

Thanks to the Ryan Foundation of Fort Worth!

Get ready, here we come! Thanks to a generous grant from the Ryan Foundation, we will begin taking applications for the 2012 class of New Dollars, New Partners! Interested? To be eligible for this class your congregation must be-
  • in a building 50 years or older
  • want to raise new funds for your aging building
  • deepen connections and service to the community
  • reside in Fort Worth
Space will fill quickly so please let us know if you are or know of a congregation that would benefit from this program!

Historic Community Serving Sacred Places Receive Major Gifts


Two Dallas churches with a history of serving the larger community will receive grants from Partners for Sacred Places. Grace United Methodist Church will receive $25,000 and Oak Lawn United Methodist Church will receive $100,000. These grants were made possible by several anonymous donors with an interest in these congregation’s efforts to make a real difference in the lives of their community. Both churches were among a dozen Dallas congregations that participated in Partners’ intensive New Dollars, New Partners training program. 

The Rev. Dr. Frank Drenner, senior pastor at Oak Lawn responded to news of the grant from Partners by saying “I am thankful for organizations such as Partners for Sacred Places who see the value of congregations such as Grace and Oak Lawn, and choose to generously join us in fulfilling God’s vision in our community”. According to Reverend Reedy at Grace, “The gift…affirms a congregation whose missions provide over $4,000,000 in services to the community each year.”

Congratulations to both of these congregations! 

Fort Worth New Dollars/ New Partners is now in progress!

The current Fort Worth New Dollars/New Partners class will met on Friday, March 9th at Western Hills UMC for Module 3,  A Capital Campaign Primer.  Congregations learned how to structure a successful campaign to raise much needed funds for their sacred place. Participants also explored the role of congregation members and outside professionals. Participating congregations include-
Edge Park UMC
Ridglea UMC
South Hills Christian Church
Western Hills UMC
St. Andrew's UMC
THANKS to Western Hills United Methodist Church for hosting the day of training and providing a wonderful breakfast and lunch for the group!

Celebrating 5 Years in Texas!

Thank you Friends and Supporters! Partners recently marked our 5 Year Anniversary with a reception at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Our National Board of Directors were on hand to greet guests, which included city leaders, lay leaders, preservationists, architects, historians, advisory board members, and numerous others that have supported our work in the state. The evening concluded with an awards ceremony to honor 5 very special people that continue to make our mission possible.

Cornerstone Leadership Award-Marty Leonard
Laying the Foundation Award-Richard Bundy
Saving Sacred Places Award-Frank and Louise Carvey
 Distinguished Leadership Award-James Nader
A special thank you Texas Advisory Board member Robert Pence/Freese and Nichols Inc. for making this special event possible!

Need help writing a grant for your congregation?

This is a popular topic especially in this economy! Here are some resources that can be very helpful! You can find tutorials, examples and an abundance of information about writing grants on the following websites. Just click the links provided.
Foundation Center - Grant Writing
Non-profit Guides - Grant Writing Guides

Professional Alliance Program

Determining the best professional to bring in on a project can be difficult. Partners' Professional Alliance helps congregations find reliable, professionals - from architects to stained glass artists - who specialize in historic religious properties. 

New Dollars/New Partners Training Program

51 Texas congregations have now participated in the New Dollars/New Partners program and $157,000 in planning and capital grants have been awarded!

New Dollars is an innovative, one-of-a-kind program that trains representatives from community-serving congregations to strengthen their leadership, focus, vision and capacity.  By capitalizing on their use of resources, congregations learn how to maximize their financial assets and physical facilities to best serve their neighborhoods and the broader community.  Partners has been retained to conduct New Dollars trainings throughout the U.S., reaching more than 650 congregations. 
Learn more about our programs at Sacred Places

Texas Sacred Places Project

The Texas Sacred Places Project will document Texas' historic sacred places and the current realities facing them. 
 The project will take the form of an online interactive database and website. The website will be comprised of a forum for discussion of sacred places, resources, articles, links to additional support, and an extensive database of the buildings including architectural studies, histories- both narrative and oral, photographs, and other media. 
Please visit the Texas Sacred Places Project link in the left panel for more information.

Press Coverage

We are excited about the press coverage we have received! Click on the link to read more-
Voice of America News  (recent news)  Halo Effect
Galveston News  (recent news) Congregation Beth Jacob and the assistance we provided
KCBI 
Inside the Pew 
Fort Worth Business Press 

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)