Success brings ‘happy dance’

With a month and a half left to go before the end of the Our Faith- Our Hope campaign at St. Margaret, Barrie, the Rev. Stephen Pessah said to his wife, “You know, if we make it to 50 per cent or better, I will be ecstatic.”

Mr. Pessah, the incumbent of St. Margaret’s, had every reason to be doubtful about reaching the church’s target of $145,000. The church was running two campaigns at the same time, one for Our Faith-Our Hope and the other to pay down its debt. It was a lot to ask of the congregation.

Within a matter of weeks, however, the church had reached 98 per cent of its goal, and by the end of the campaign it had received pledges totalling $151,450. “We did one heck of a happy dance,” recalls Mr. Pessah. “We were absolutely thrilled. It was shock and awe. We couldn’t believe it. We’re human and our eyes of faith are somewhat limited, but God was able to do what we couldn’t even imagine was possible.”

St. Margaret’s has had its share of financial challenges over the years. Since the building opened in 1999, the church has struggled to pay off its debt. But with a plan in place to reduce its debt and balance its operating budget, it has turned a corner.

That can-do spirit was one of the major reasons for the success of the Our Faith-Our Hope campaign, says Mr. Pessah. He says the campaign’s executive committee led by example. “They were very positive about it. They recognized that this was something we had to do and they resolved to embrace it and do the very best that they could do.”

He also credits the congregation’s pioneering spirit. St. Margaret’s started as a weekly service in a local school gymnasium. The congregation then moved into a storefront in a plaza and a portable before building the current church. “The people here like the idea of mission and outreach, which is really the heartbeat of the campaign, and that resonated with them. They didn’t have trouble seeing the value in it.”

The congregation was also motivated by the fact that they could keep 40 per cent of the money they raised. They decided not to use it to pay down the debt. Instead, the money will be spent on enhancing the church’s ministry to youth and young families, for spiritual and congregational growth, and to improve its building.

Mr. Pessah says the Our Faith-Our Hope campaign has even helped with the campaign to reduce the debt. Some people have increased their pre-authorized giving to the church. “For some, it gave them that final push to just get to it.”