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A Letter from Our Pastor |
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When
someone enters your home, they learn a lot about you. The way you
decorate and
furnish the rooms, the art and photographs that hang on your
walls, and even the way
you maintain the house tells people who you are and what you
value. The same thing is
true about our church home. A church is certainly more than a
building. It’s the people, centered
in Jesus Christ, who make up the church. But every church
expresses its personality
and values by how they organize and maintain their building.
Our
building is a grand and beautiful testimony to our devotion to
Christ. The great lantern
that sits above our sanctuary is a physical witness to our mission
to be the light of hope
to the community around us. Our grandparents who built this
facility wanted people to
follow that light into the congregation where they would find a
ministry that can restore the
human spirit. But after all of these years, our church home is now
in need of some significant
renovations.
We
need more adult classrooms in order to be a learning environment.
We need better
accessibility so that a child or adult with disabilities doesn’t
have to go outside to
move from the sanctuary to the lower level of the church. We need
an easy place for
visitors to find our fellowship after church. We need a gracious
place to have receptions for weddings
and funerals, and an improved facility for church dinners. Our
youth need a cool place
that can be all theirs. And like every house, we need an obvious
front door for people to
use during the week.
Hospitality
is incredibly important in the ministry of Jesus Christ. We have
to ensure that our
facility is able to receive all people with all of the love and
grace that is at the heart our
congregation. That’s what this building program is really about.
But this is your church home,
and we need you to help us build our community.
Grace
& Peace,
The
Rev. Dr. M. Craig
Barnes Pastor, Shadyside Presbyterian Church |
A Recognizable Entrance
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Over several years of prayerful discernment, the Session and Trustees have identified needs and priorities for our worship, our education, our fellowship, and our outreach. With the Trustees’ endorsement, the Session has resolved that those needs and priorities are best defined as a call to Build Community, and that renovations to our physical plant are a crucial tool in responding to that call.
The plans being developed for our building include several major features:
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Fellowship Space at the Level of the Sanctuary
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Both the leadership of the church and our architects recognize the historic architectural significance of our Richardsonian Romanesque building. The proposed renovations will occur within the existing building footprint, and the new features will be designed to blend compatibly with the historic building materials and details, as our past additions have done. For a look at how our building has evolved through additions over the years, visit this page or this one. The goal of the congregational contribution to the campaign is $5 million. Of this total, $180,000 will be directed to three significant mission projects. This project cannot be funded through our regular annual giving. It calls for capital commitments over and above our regular pledges. As the first major capital stewardship campaign at Shadyside Presbyterian Church in many years, this represents the only opportunity that many of us will have to make a significant contribution to improving our church home. The size of our gifts will vary considerably according to our means, but should represent the sacrifice that we each can make in response to God’s blessings to us. Upcoming campaign communications will help you to consider creative ways to use your resources in arriving at a capital gift to be paid over the next three years |
Dining for 300 People
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During the coming months, we will have many opportunities to learn more about the proposed improvements to our church home and the campaign that will fund them, and to provide input as members of this congregation. Watch for additional newsletters and other information about Building Community at Shadyside Presbyterian Church. UPCOMING EVENTS May 4 – May 7 Advanced Commitment Gatherings Sunday, May 18 Commitment Service Sunday, June 15 Announcement Service |
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EXAMINE THE CONCEPTUAL PLANS Sanctuary - Great Hall Plan View Great Hall & Ground Floor Section Views Entry, Atrium, Parlor Section Views
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Shadyside Presbyterian Church has served as a beacon in the community throughout its 142-year history. Through worship, education and outreach, we have shared the love of Jesus Christ with generations of parishioners and neighbors, both near and far. This ministry has been blessed with a valuable and inspiring tool - our landmark building - a legacy provided to us through the foresight of our grandparents and great-grandparents. Today, we have an opportunity to forge our own vision for our church, and to leave our own legacy for the generations to come. |
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