Trinity Anglican Church. A Financial Stewardship Initiative of. and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa

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1 Trinity Anglican Church 1230 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K1S 3Y3 Church Office: Website: A Financial Stewardship Initiative of Trinity Anglican Church and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa

2 Dear Friends of Trinity, Did you know that Trinity Anglican Church is barely 10 years younger than our country? That we have cornered Bank and Cameron as village, town, and finally a city that has grown and changed around it? We worshipped in a hall while we built our first building. We ve welcomed members from all over the world, raised generations of families together, faced many hardships and shared many joys. Since I first came to Trinity I ve witnessed a strong local community drawing members from significant distances to the church. What is it about Trinity that makes us so special? Maybe it is the dedication and caring beyond that defies description. Our volunteers quietly go the extra mile, leading by example and excitedly inspiring others to help. We ve come to a turning point in our proud history. Trinity s story is that of a community living longer and older, and an exploding young community - both of whom need care and nurturing to grow in Christ. And a place both can call home. We need extra programs for children (of various age groups) to enhance their spiritual growth and root them in the church (and not just on Sundays). We plan to invite local seniors to Trinity where we will feed them body and soul. We want to grow our volunteer and facilities support, adapt our buildings to new membership needs, and maintain our historic structures. Above all, we need to reach out to others as Jesus taught us. We intend to reach out to newcomers. To do this requires renewed commitment from all of us. It requires our energies and passion. And it requires a budget. Let s Renew Trinity Together. This is not just another project. It is an inspired turn in our story and in the broader Ottawa Anglican story, that celebrates us, and the community we serve. Yours in Christ Andrea+ Rev. Andrea. 2

3 Trinity s Proud History Trinity Anglican Church has graced Old Ottawa South for 146 years. Founded in 1876, services were held in the local Temperance hall while the church was built. Nearly three generations worshipped, grew, held events, and served their community until the church was struck by a devastating fire on Ash Wednesday, Our response was swift and our rebuilt church opened in the Fall of Our community has: Grown many children, youth, and adults in Christ; Supported thousands of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals; Sponsored refugee families and supported children through World Vision; Played a key role in Southminster United Church s Out of the Cold Supper program and institutions like Center 454, Cornerstone, The Well and the Ottawa Emergency Food Centre; Provided dedicated support to Carleton University; Hosted hundreds of concerts, musicals, and other community events; and The ACW Dorcas Group sends bales to the North. Our beautiful sanctuary has been host to concerts, recitals, our own Trinity Choir, all highlighting the superb acoustics. Over the years our church has supported an increasingly geographically diverse community, with many of our members coming from outside our traditional parish boundaries. Trinity now faces a crossroads, we need to grow our faith community, and provide love and care to our buildings to help them age gracefully. These challenges have led us to Growing In Faith Together (GIFT) an opportunity to address these challenges, plan for our future, and increase support for priority ministries and the core missions of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and our parish. This brochure lays out our five year GIFT plan. 3

4 A taste of tomorrow... Our historic past does not guarantee us a future. Over the past years we have been considering possibilities for Trinity. What does it take for our parish to better meet the needs of the individuals and families in our community, young, old, and those new to church that is in keeping with the rapidly evolving times we live in? The future looks bright. We have an active core group of volunteers from all ages. We have a fluctuating, but growing younger portion of the congregation. Old Ottawa South is experiencing an influx of new families, and there are also many seniors and recent retirees in our neighbourhood. Trinity can be there for our community. We have chosen three pillars to shape our story together. 1. Hospitality to Seniors: We can grow our ministries to the increasing population of seniors in our community by providing transportation to weekday worship, meals, social gatherings, and other events at Trinity. 2. Hospitality to Children: We will increase support for our burgeoning younger congregation by employing a staff person to lead monthly Messy Church (which gives families with young children a chance to explore Christian faith at a level comfortable to them), as well as, dedicated youth programming. We will also increase the support to Sunday School. 3. A Place for Us: We can only continue and create exciting new ministries to grow and strengthen our faith community in our current location if we lavish some care on Trinity. We will upgrade the kitchen, signage, communicate, and continue to maintain and renew our facilities, with the new solar panels standing as a symbol of our commitment. 4

5 A taste of tomorrow... The challenges facing Trinity today are no less real than those faced by our founding members as they gathered in a local hall to plan out the future of their new parish. As before, we are a gathering of the faithful seeking to strengthen and grow our faith community.we are committed to ensuring the continuity of Trinity s ministry to Ottawa South and its widely flung parishioners. We need to ensure that we meet our pressing immediate needs, while setting a foundation for long-term growth. This is why Trinity s GIFT Campaign fundraising goal is $250,000 over the next five years, or an average of $50,000 a year. The Diocese, using a formula developed and applied to every parish, has recommended a goal for Trinity of $186,000, with half ($93,000) going back to the GIFT campaign. However, in accordance with the terms of GIFT, every dollar we raise above $186,000 goes 100% to Trinity. Trinity s GIFT Committee, working with Parish Corporation and the GIFT campaign s professional consultant, determined that a goal of $186,000 would not meet our current and projected needs. This was decided after examining what is required to keep Trinity sustainable and growing and the results from the nine pilot parishes that have already completed GIFT. $250,000 is reasonable, obtainable, and will help secure our future. 5

6 Responding in Faith This is not about raising money to pay the bills. Participating in the Growing In Faith Together initiative is about securing a future through a renewed commitment to our faith and to the many facets of Trinity s ministry. To ensure our financial sustainability our Incumbent and Parish Corporation are working on a growth plan to increase membership and revenue by an average of 4% per year. We will also be applying for Diocesan GIFT grants to further support our programming and outreach. The projected breakdown of our campaign funds over the next five years is itemized by our key priorities and diocesan needs is as follows: Pillars Hospitality to Seniors Increasing support for seniors by inviting those not able to attend, for a variety of reasons, to Trinity. Bring them regularly to Trinity for weekday worship, fellowship, lunch, and other community events, providing transportation as necessary. Hospitality to Children Programs for all age groups Employing a trained staff person a. Children 5 12 b. Messy Church A Place for Us Upgrade and maintain facilities Improved communications and signage Financial sustainability and deficit reduction Projections $30,000 $40,000 $87,000 Total Trinity GIFT Ministries $157,000 Diocesan GIFT Ministries $93,000 Trinity Ottawa GIFT Campaign Total $250,000 6

7 TOGETHER Anything s possible Each of us is called to respond faithfully to the needs of our church and of our community. Your participation in the campaign, by making a sacrificial, meaningful and proportionate gift, over a five year pledge period is gratefully appreciated. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16 Prayerfully consider your GIFT five year pledge. Complete your faithful commitment in the enclosed pledge card. Encourage others to share in the GIFT campaign challenge. Wondering what to give? We understand the financial demands facing us today. The following proportionate gift guideline may help you to make your pledge decision. For more information, please call or office@trinityottawa.ca Thank you for your generosity! 7

8 Raising our family in the Anglican tradition is very important to us. Trinity offers a great family environment, and we have decided to generously support the GIFT campaign to make sure Trinity remains here not just for our family but for anyone who wants to raise their family in a supportive, Christian environment. Evan Baker and Lisa MacGillivray Trinity is important to me because the Parish fully supports Diocesan lead programming that includes: Centre 454, the Well and Cornerstone. I will be supporting GIFT because the Ottawa Diocese will be using GIFT funds to help the most vulnerable locally, nationally and internationally. Also, much of the GIFT money will flow directly back into parishes like Trinity, to help establish new ministries that will grow our parishes, ensuring their sustainability. Judy Richardson What does Trinity mean to me? Trinity is my spiritual home, it is where my own faith in Jesus has been challenged, strengthened, buffeted and questioned. For me it is a welcoming place where friendships have been and are formed and cherished and although things change and evolve I have a sense of belonging, of being needed and loved here. Christine Garnett Trinity welcomed us from the first Sunday we came. It is a place that continues to support and nuture our, and our children s, faith in God. We re looking forward to helping grow Trinity s ministries and extend that same welcome to others. Kelly Hanson and Jeremy Plaunt I believe that a successful GIFT campaign is essential to the immediate and long-term growth of Trinity Parish. I am supporting GIFT financially and I encourage my fellow parishioners to do likewise. David Wilson - Treasurer