JANETTE MCVEY
Since the church had an awesome building and a good location in the Kensington area, a section in great need, it decided to make its building an asset. “We tend to think of the church building as an albatross and not an asset,” Neal said.
Nikki Cohen helps Mya Carter with homework at St. Michael.
children can relax on pillows during worship, read books or color with crayons in the kids’ corner. “It’s part of what we do,” Dobyns said. This was only possible, Dobyns added, because the congregation embraced it, even though the cost of renovation was in the $2 million range. A healthy capital campaign
allowed Desert Cross to renovate, and it’s now trying to sell the land it owns.
Dobyns said members are confi- dent God is working through them and leading. And they’re always on the lookout for unconventional ways of doing ministry.
Study the neighborhood With declining membership, St. Michael Lutheran Church in the Ken- sington neighborhood of Philadelphia set out a few years ago to survey what the community needed. What it learned shocked the congregation. “No one knew we were here,” said Marjorie Neal, pastor. “It was a real eye-opener.” The congregation has since
changed the community’s percep- tion that St. Michael was invisible.
While some mem- bers wanted to keep the building for con- gregational use only, Neal convinced them
that it wasn’t a museum, but rather a resource for the community. “Any- one who finds Christ must first find the church,” she said. This is a common misperception of church, said Meyer from Florida. “There are churches who say, ‘Let’s get people in the building,’ and those who say, ‘Let’s take our church out in the world.’ ” He contends that tak- ing the church out into the world is the way to go. With that goal in mind, St.
Michael set out to make a name for itself in the neighborhood, start- ing with a professional sign on the church exterior. At the same time, the congrega- tion got a letter from the Greensgrow project, a pioneering urban farm in North Philadelphia that provides fresh produce, nursery plants and farm goods. Greensgrow asked St. Michael to be a partner on a pilot program: an incubator kitchen for food entrepreneurs. One of the church’s assets is a
large kitchen. Wth help from Greens- grow, the congregation renovated the cooking space and got licensed by the government for food preparation. The project really took off. In the past five years, St. Michael has had more than 20 entrepreneurs use its
kitchen to launch their food busi- nesses, everything from making jams to baking cookies. “Some businesses make it, and some don’t,” Neal said. But St. Michael’s was there to give them an affordable kitchen. “It’s a good use of our space,” she added. While it’s not a money-maker, Neal said Greensgrow does send the church about $1,000 each quar- ter from entrepreneurs who make a donation to be in the incubator program. Today the congregation of about 50 worshipers is holding its own, but it’s not from lack of reaching out. The church building is used round the clock and is also home to St. Timothy’s. The start-up United Church of God in Christ congrega- tion pays $800 a month, which helps St. Michael pay its bills. “It’s not going to be one group that saves you,” Neal said.
The church also runs a food pantry serving 90 to 100 families a week and an after-school program for third- through sixth-graders. It hosts yoga classes, the Scouts and five Alcohol- ics Anonymous groups a week. “That’s how we reach out to the neighborhood—church is about more than worship on a Sunday morning—it’s about giving back,” said Neal, who is currently trying to get licensed to start a day care. “Our mindset has changed. It’s transform- ing to watch the members evolve. It’s helping to make us relevant in the community.” Neal’s advice is similar to oth- ers who are in search of community partners, not just for survival but for meaningful ministry: find what the neighborhood needs. “Focus on the people rather than saying, ‘Woe is me, we’re going to close.’ Take a step out in faith. If it’s meant to be, the Holy Spirit will find a way to keep it going.”
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