RH: Do you also see preservation as a matter of faith?
JG: Preserving the history of our church homes—both in the
cities as well as the small rural communities—is a way of hon-
oring our faith. Our primary goal as an organization of faith is
to preserve and energize these physical symbols of our story to
meet the new community where it is today.
RH: What advice would you give to a congregation that’s
come to recognize that it can no longer sustain or fill its build-
ing?
JG: Although the existing church family may find itself un-
able to sustain the facility itself, there is hope and opportunity.
At Wesley, we take churches through a journey of possibilities
for space usage. In our Seeds of Change program, we discuss
activities that, while not initially seen as church related, can
serve as a catalyst for community engagement. Engaging the
community is a first step to introducing them to the faith we
are called to share. Some of these ideas are singularly focused
on community engagement while others include revenue gen-
eration. We see church campuses evolving into communities
with multiple entry points for persons outside of the existing
church family. We also must accept the reality that maintain-
ing facilities often entails seeking additional sources of reve-
nue to lessen the demand on the congregation.
First United Methodist Church of Asheboro, North Carolina,
which has worked with Wesley CDC.
— by Joshua Castaño
It is especially rewarding to highlight how congregations
touched by Partners’ programs continue to use the tools and
knowledge they acquired for further successes. One of these
congregations is Centre Congregational in Brattleboro, Ver-
mont, which participated in Partners’ Strategic Investment in
Sacred Places statewide pro-
gram in Vermont (high-
lighted in the Winter 2018
issue of Sacred Places). A
number of community pro-
grams have begun to share
the congregation’s historic
meetinghouse in the heart of
downtown Brattleboro,
including Tai Chi classes,
bridge classes, and a local
writers’ workshop.
In addition, Centre Congre-
gational has developed a
new outreach ministry
called Carry Me Home. This project uses church space to collect
clothing for migrant children in Greece, primarily from Syria
and nearby regions who have had to leave their homes due to
ongoing warfare. It’s just one sign that, following its
community-wide
200 th Anniversary
celebrations in 2016
and work with Part-
ners, Centre Congre-
gational is a busy
home for service and
outreach. Support-
ing those in need,
both locally and
globally, remains a
priority for this en-
ergetic congregation,
but arts and culture
are also built into its
identity, something
that was articulated
during the church’s
participation in the
Strategic Investment
program. Its beauti-
ful meetinghouse continues to host First Night community
concerts, Brattleboro Literary Festival, and a major annual
performance of Handel’s Messiah, along with countless other
concerts and music events throughout the year.
Congregational
JG: We’ve worked with a handful of properties that are his-
toric from the formal perspective, meaning that their neigh-
borhood or the building itself is registered as historic. The ma-
jority of our churches are historic in that their facilities have a
long history and in many cases, an architecture that places
them in a certain time frame. We believe in the historic rele-
vance and value of each church family and building. It is al-
ways something we strive to honor and appreciate.
Good News from
Brattleboro
SACRED PLACES • AUTUMN/WINTER 2018-19
7