Gracious and loving God – Our gratitude abounds for having received your abundant blessings. Here, we walk together in joy, in illness, and in loss. Here, music and prayer, “I do” and “I will” have reverberated through these rafters along with “hallelujahs” and “amens.” Generations behind us are remembered in sanctuary windows and on the walls of the Garth while the next generations are in our wiggle room and Choir School. Great is your faithfulness. We ask your continued presence to cheer and to guide. In particular, we ask your blessings on our capital campaign and our desire to be a house of prayer for all people. We turn to you, O God, our strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Amen.
As a congregation, we gather in our beautiful Neo-Gothic church for worship and reflection. Our spiritual home is rooted in mission and guided by God’s spirit. Our faith is deepened by worship and learning, and we are invited to serve our community through hospitality and outreach.
The funds we raise will provide our congregation with a comfortable place to pray, celebrate, learn, and also expand our role as good neighbors. We’re proud to be a significant source of outreach, spiritual life, art, and music to this community. A building that is sound and inviting will renew our focus on hospitality, welcoming guests to our public gatherings and activities, such as Sunday Series, Tableaux, Choir School, National Night Out, The Didier Seminar, and special music events.
We are stewards of a landmark building. It is now our opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure of the church to ensure a sound, safe, and efficient home which will be a gift to us now and in the future.
The Project includes replacing or upgrading our mechanical systems, incorporating new technologies, increasing energy efficiency, providing for long-term planning, and meeting current Building and Energy Codes. During Phase One improvements have been completed in two-thirds of the building.
Completed improvements include:
Benefits include:
Project Total Cost:
The estimated total cost of the project is $11.2 million.
Leading up to this campaign, our church family was invited to participate in a thoughtful and comprehensive visioning process that led to a Master Site Plan full of ideas and enhancements to our building so that we can live out our mission. Once we complete the Utility Infrastructure Improvement Project, we will pivot to the Master Site Plan, and be able to fill the building with vibrant ministries, new and old. House of Hope will remain a house of prayer for all people and a loving, welcoming community of members, neighbors, and friends.
We invite your gift to further the mission of our congregation: to proclaim God’s word, continue our journey of faith together, and be a sign of living hope. This is a defining moment in our shared history of worship and service. Together, we’re inspired to build on the past as we faithfully fulfill God’s invitation to move forward.
Gifts to the capital campaign are in addition to your annual stewardship gifts. Gifts to Bright Hope for Tomorrow include cash gifts as well as non-cash gifts that may have tax advantages. If you are 70.5 years old or older, you can donate up to $100,000 per year from a Traditional IRA to HOH without incurring a penalty or tax liability. Contact Director of Administration Michelle Freyholtz with questions about gifts. Please Note: This is intended as information and should not be considered tax advice. Please consult your professional advisors on how any charitable gift may affect your situation.
What is the campaign goal?
All gifts to Bright Hope for Tomorrow will replenish funds used for the HVAC/Electrical project from our Endowment and Legacy Building Fund, allow the Endowment to continue to recover from the pandemic downturn, and pay off our bridge loan from Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Inc.
Can I spread my gift over multiple years?
Gifts may be given now or spread over three years.
What about the previously proposed sale of the Summit Avenue parking lot as a means to partially fund the HVAC/Electrical project?
The first Parking Lot Task Force went through a discernment process with Sara Joy Proppe of the Proximity Project and considered various possibilities for both continuing ownership and a possible sale. A Task Force is being formed to discern possibilities for development, rezoning, or strategic sale in keeping with the mission of the church. The Session is being updated as this work progresses.
What’s next?
Bright Hope for Tomorrow gifts will fund the Utility Infrastructure Improvement Project. The capital improvements will position HOH to dream big for future uses of the church incorporating our visioning process where HOH becomes an open and welcoming music, lecture, and event venue while remaining a house of prayer for all people. Possibilities include partnership(s) with a music/theater/arts organization or non-profit agency, or rental space. As we are able, future capital projects will be implemented that were identified in the Master Site Plan including a kitchen, welcome center, family restrooms, and elevators.
