50th Anniversary

50th Anniversary
What is our vision for the future of our church?

In November, 2013, St Michaels will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. To honor this event and position the church so it can continue to fulfill its mission in the years to come, we are having a capital campaign. This page is an explanation of the process we used to determine the need for the campaign, the projects to be included, the feasibility of raising the necessary funds, and the actual funds solicitation.

We engaged the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) to help us determine what to do. They have much experience helping churches through this process. Their process unifies the community and provides clarity about what is (or is not) to be done.

A compaign website prepared by the ECF is here and the campaign brochure is here.

process

We are curruntly in the third step of a three step process established by the ECF. (The first two steps of the process are described below.)

Solicitation is the third step, and consists of two phases. The first phase, also called the silent phase started April 20 and will finish mid-June. During this period, a dozen volunteers will have one-on-one conversations with folks who will consider making an advance gift. The goal is to raise approximately 80% of the campaign total during these two months.

On June 23 we will start the Congregational Phase; during this time each member and friend of St Michaels will be invited to participate . This phase will end with a celebration on Aloha Sunday, September 8.

Project schedules will depend on the timing of pledges and receipt of donations. Further information will be available in August or September.

Discernment was the first step. In our religious context, discernment means seeking through prayer and community discussion the answers to 'Where is God in this situation?' and 'What is God calling us to do?' A fuller description of our discernment process is here. This step was completed in December, 2012.

Feasibility was the second step. This assesses our willingness and capacity to support a capital campaign. In December, the vestry approved a contract with ECF to conduct a feasibility study. Their work included telephone interviews with some of our members and a pen-and-paper or online survey of members and friends. A special bulletin described the planned projects and the time line.

ECF made a report to the vestry in March. Their report concluded that a goal of approximately $550K was feasible and identified which projects should be prioritized highly and which are less critical. In response, the vestry made changes in the scope and priority of the projects and adopted a primary goal of $550K with an additional $200K challenge goal. This vestry action concluded the Feasibility step.

Have we done anything like this before?

Yes! In 1963 we established an Episcopal mission in Lihue, purchased the land we now occupy, and built a church. In 1973 we built the vicarage (now the Goodale Center) which provided a home for our first resident clergy. In 1990-91 we built the existing church and admin building. In 2004 we retired the building debt. In 2009-10 we restored and remodeled the Goodale Center for Ministry. We have a history of discerning and achieving our vision! (Click here for a trip down memory lane with more details and photos.)

What if i have questions?

The answers to frequently asked questions are available here. In addition, you may contact our Sr Warden, Bill Skelton, at 635-5957 or b99skelton@gmail.com.