With all of this community building and awareness raising
under their belt, the congregation went through New
Dollars/New Partners training last spring. What did they
get from it? Pastor Smith answers definitively, “wisdom,
affirmation, and encouragement.” New Dollars “helped us
think about where to go next. [The] training content and
exercises offered us helpful ways to think about organizing
our longer-term approach, and provided tools to use in
researching funding sources [as well as] recommendations
for local architects and craftsmen who can assist us in
assessing our physical plant.”
Like many historic sacred places, FUMC has its share of
deferred maintenance that needs to be addressed. While
the church has been more focused on day-to-day cosmetic
improvements, the training “helped crystallize the need
for a thorough assessment of their physical plant,” and they
are in the midst of researching grant opportunities to help
fund this critical step.
Children gather eggs in their baskets at Fairburn United
Methodist Church’s first Easter Egg Hunt, one of many events
it has hosted in an effort to make itself better known in the
community. Photo credit: Fairburn United Methodist Church
carillon system to serve as an aural reminder of the church.
These small changes, Pastor Smith says, have had “a huge
impact on our literal and figural visibility.”
Having tackled the building itself, the church turned once
more to making itself better known in the community.
Congregants developed a program known as the
“Bottomless Basket,” in which baskets filled with fruit,
cookies, nuts, and other snacks were delivered to city hall,
the police department, and the fire department to let those
who serve the community know how they are appreciated.
Whenever the baskets’ contents get low, FUMC members
come around to replenish them.
Last spring, for the first time, FUMC hosted a community
Easter egg hunt that drew nearly 125 children and their
families, about 90% of whom were unknown to the church.
The church is also collaborating with smaller congregations
in the area to reach out to long-term community members.
To that end, a multi-congregation Vacation Bible School
was held at FUMC last summer. Pastor Smith is delighted
that “people in the community are talking about us and
what we’re doing.” She h