St. Paul’s launches $1.5 million capital campaign

Posted 5/18/18

The Phillies Phanatic grasps the hand of playwright and Saint Paul’s parishioner Oscar Johnson as if to thank him for his service to the country. Oscar’s wife Marion is one of the co-chairpersons …

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St. Paul’s launches $1.5 million capital campaign

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The Phillies Phanatic grasps the hand of playwright and Saint Paul’s parishioner Oscar Johnson as if to thank him for his service to the country. Oscar’s wife Marion is one of the co-chairpersons of the capital campaign. (Photo by Van Williams)[/caption]

Saint Paul’s Church launched its capital campaign this month with an event that included the buoyant Phillies Phanatic as a blast of enthusiasm. He was on hand for a May 5 kickoff at the church. The campaign -- “For Such a Time as This” -- recognizes the challenge and urgency of being a place of inclusion and unity today.

The campaign, which plans to raise more than $1.5 million, is three-pronged.

First, the campus will be made more inviting with infrastructure improvements.

Second, the sanctuary -- the “soul” of the parish -- will be brightened and restored. The sanctuary hosts worship services, conferences, concerts, and the Five-Fridays series that benefits the hungry and homeless.

The third prong, our “heart,” is the parish hall and kitchen. Our kitchen serves 267 meals a month on average to choristers for dinner and parishioners for breakfast. It is used for mission where healthy meals are cooked for the elderly.

The purpose of the campaign is to enhance the engagement with Chestnut Hill that Saint Paul’s has always been known for. Sixty community groups use Saint Paul’s, averaging 423 people a week (outside Sunday morning worship) for the arts, community meetings, A.A., programs on mysticism and more.

The annual rummage sale in the parish hall is a Chestnut Hill community tradition. Room at the Inn is a ministry that began in 2017 settling a Congolese refugee family who arrived one day before the borders closed. This month the church will host families in transition toward homes of their own through the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Part of the money the church hopes to raise will be spent on the preservation of its notable stained glass windows by D’Ascenzo Studios.

“In the 21st century, we talk a lot about sustainability and sustainable design – usually in reference to the stewardship of resources and new buildings that meet the highest standards of energy efficiency, “ said parishioner and Stenton curator Laura Keim. “Leaded stained-glass windows are not hallmarks of sustainable design.  For me, though, they are features of another kind of design -- that which is sustaining -- design that sustains and inspires our spirits. Architectural forms and spaces that are beautiful to us generate meaningful experiences of place. Places can tell us who we are.”

Saint Paul’s exists for the parish and also the wider community. Whether religious or not it helps to tell us who we are. It serves our need for inclusion, creating holy space and wholeness for the diversity of people and groups that make up Chestnut Hill. So far the campaign has raised $1,250,329. If you would like to make a contribution to the capital campaign for Saint Paul’s, please contact Helen Kim at hkim@stpaulschestnuthill.org.

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