We’ve Won The Sacred Sites Participation Award. Fundraising Committee Chair Wayne Adams On What Happens Now

As we near completion of Phase 1 of our sanctuary restoration, even more miracles are coming our way: The National Fund for Sacred Places has awarded Old First participation in its grant-making program, Partners for Sacred Places. This is in cooperation with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Between 2016 and 2020, the Partnership for Sacred Places is determined to award $10 million among 50 houses of worship. Out of 32 finalists nationwide, Old First made the cut for 2018.

This honor goes a long way. The award brings us a level of national recognition that can lead to future grants and additional philanthropic consideration for our restoration project.

For the next 18 months (starting on October 1, 2018 and ending on April 30, 2019), every two dollars that we raise will be matched with one dollar by the Fund, up to $250,000. 

Can do? Our Old First fundraising committee chair, Wayne Adams, thinks so. Here he tells us about where we currently stand for Phase 2, financially and otherwise:

Wayne Adams, Restoration Steering Committee and Fundraising Committee Chair

What do you think were the reasons why Old First received this participation award?

High [donation] participation among our own congregation was a major factor in receiving this grant.  We’re at such a high — we’re at 86 percent at this point, closing out toward 100 percent.

Receiving this opportunity coincides perfectly with finishing up the first phase of our fundraising campaign, where we are getting commitments and pledges from within the congregation.

The second major factor was the amount of community engagement that we have — the number of people who come through and benefit from the church. It’s more than just the church.

That’s really a primary mission of Sacred Places: encouraging and supporting churches and sacred institutions that affect the community. Receiving this is an affirmation to that commitment to the community that we’re in, in Park Slope. It’s both an encouragement and an affirmation of our mission. It’s also a tremendous opportunity to help us grow into what we say and demonstrate what we already are.

I always refer to this as faith-based operation. We go in trusting that if any of this is ordained and blessed by God, we believe in God’s power and ability to help us fulfill the calling that we get from God. We act and we trust in faith that we can’t do it individually but we can do it communally through God’s power.

As far as fundraising, how will Phase 2 of the restoration differ from Phase 1?

Phase 2 is all about the Park Slope community and the Sacred Places grant. Sacred Places offers a matching grant up to $250,000 where we have to raise a significant amount ourselves, to get the full grant award. But they also give us technical assistance and support and consulting to help us get to that goal.

Phase 2 involves specifically reaching out into the community. That’s us being aware that if there are people, places, and organizations who might have similar alignment, similar vision, to positively affect the community of Park Slope, and Brooklyn, that this is the time that we’ll be reaching out to them.

So if there are key individuals, if there are people who invest in and care about the community, this is the time to speak to them and to invite them into an opportunity to further affect and bless the community.

What exactly is the “technical assistance” that we will be receiving?

They provide guidance on how to maximize the use of our space, how to reach out to the community, how to market, how to do a social media campaign. All sorts of technical assistance that would help a small, grassroots church like ourselves with things that we don’t have individual either expertise or time and staff to do. And they also provide guidance and specifically negotiating with finding a major tenant to help offset operational costs, and also to maximize the use of the space.

How has this participation award has affected you personally?

It affirms what I believe about what the church is and should be, and what we can be and what we can do. To be increasingly more a blessing to the community and to the world.

In the process of this, I see people participating — not because of their own edification, not because of how it raises their stature — but I see it as a regular dedication to making this a better place and a better world. And to me, that’s church. And that’s how I see and affirm an actual belief in God — it’s in the lives of other people.

Click here to find out more about the National Fund for Sacred Places.

Click here to learn more about our restoration campaign.