8.  How are you preparing for the Church of the future?

St. Peter’s is situated in the heart of a growing and vibrant center city. Our worship services, outreach programs, and music offerings minister to all on the spectrum in our midst – from the affluent business community to the homeless. We also attract parishioners from a wide geographic area. How to “be Church” in this dynamic and changing environment in Charlotte in the early 21st Century is an exciting challenge we look forward to tackling with our new rector.

The diversity of our congregation prepares us to serve and reach an ever-increasing diversity in Charlotte. Our diversity is manifest in terms of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic class. We are eager to continue to reflect the wide spectrum of God’s Kingdom. This helps prepare us for the Church of the future.

Our youth programs are often cited among the most valued aspects of our ministry and outreach. Our young people are a vital part of the Church now. These programs also equip our young people to be and lead the Church of the future. Similarly, our Christian education programs for children and youth – the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd  and Journey to Adulthood – are recognized widely as among the best The Episcopal Church has to offer.

The Choir School at St. Peter’s inspires a love of music and molds talent that has developed and will continue to develop into future choir directors, organists, and choir members.

Our staff is highly talented, energetic, and innovative, to say nothing of the fact that most have been with the church for a number of years, believe in its mission, and are ready to help lead us as we live into what God is calling this congregation to do and be.

From a physical standpoint, in 1998 we renovated and constructed the spaces that house our parish hall, classrooms, youth programs, music department, and offices. That renovation was made possible by a successful capital campaign. In 2010 we completed another renovation project that will serve God’s Church well into the future.  The renovation included installing a new organ, renovating the sanctuary and taking care of much-needed maintenance and up fitting. Read more about this massive project.

The 2010 renovation was made possible by a capital campaign that totaled $3.5 million. Pledge payments are on track, which helps pave the way for a financially stable future.

The 2010 capital campaign dedicated 10% of the total amount still being collected to outreach. We are in the process of deciding how best to put that money to use to fund outreach initiatives going forward. Whatever the future holds for St. Peter’s, we know that our commitment to outreach will be unwavering.

Financially, our church has been subject to the same financial pressures seen in the rest of the country the past three-plus years. The church operates with an annual budget of about  $750,000, paid for primarily with annual member pledges.

There is also an unrestricted endowment of roughly $1.75 million.  The Endowment is not used to fund the annual operating budget but yearly interest has for the last ten years been dedicated to help fund our annual outreach budget.

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