It was the beginning of August, and for the Our Faith-Our Hope team at St. Mark, Midland, it did not look encouraging. The target of $160,000 seemed formidably distant for a congregation that counted, at most, 135 households in the summer and 127 households the rest of the year.
The campaign had started in June, but unlike most campaigns, it had not started with a flurry of major gifts. Many parishioners, including St. Mark’s strongest supporters, were vacationing and phone calls were left unreturned.
True, there were summer people coming into the parish, but they had their own parishes to support and did not share the same commitment. In short, the four people on the fundraising team found the early weeks of campaigning were going very slowly.
And so the Rev. Catherine Barley, incumbent, gambled. In the second week of August, she declared the rest of the month a vacation from the campaign. There would be no meetings and the team would regroup in September.
“That’s not normally part of the process,” she admits. “But we had phoned people and phoned people and they were away, and we were beating our heads against a wall.”
Although St. Mark’s had followed the Our Faith-Our Hope program faithfully, Ms. Barley felt they needed to tweak it for their own purposes. “We needed to give ourselves a break and a pat on the back and say we’re doing all right, but we’re not going anywhere,” she says. “I felt if we continued in August, we’d lose our sense of enthusiasm for it.”
And so, when the team met after Labour Day and reviewed the list of all the people who still needed to be visited, it was with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment.
The campaign picked up speed. There were more people in church to hear about the Our Faith-Our Hope campaign, and the team began phoning and visiting parishioners.
Then some major gifts came in.
“When I was able to report on a Sunday that we were up around $140,000, people said ‘My goodness, this is within reach,’” says Ms. Barley. “I think it gave people a sense of confidence.”
On the final Sunday of the campaign, Ms. Barley was able to report that St. Mark’s was “in the neighbourhood” of $168,000, which makes possible its goals of installing an elevator to help elderly parishioners and building up its resources for youth ministry.
Ms. Barley is one of those rare people who loves fundraising, and she enjoyed visiting with parishioners. Giving money speaks about who we are, she says, and it speaks about our faith.
“I’ve learned a lot in this campaign,” she adds. “I’ve been absolutely humbled, almost to the point of tears, with parishioners who are making gifts. I’ve said to a couple of them, ‘Are you sure this is right for you at this time?’ and they say, ‘Yes.’ And I just wish more people could be part of those visits and hear of the sacrifices people are making.”
She has words of advice for those who are asked to serve on a fundraising committee or to be a visitor. “Don’t be afraid of it,” she says. “Your goal is to ask for money but you are there more to share what’s happening in the church, what your vision for the church is, what you’re going to do with this money, and to invite people to participate in it.
“I think that kind of approach gives people a sense they’re buying into something that’s real, and it’s important for the gospel, in the church, in the community and in people’s own lives.”
