Chicago Arts in Sacred Places
Advisory Board
Jennifer Armstrong
Director, Community Arts Development Programs,
Illinois Arts Council
Pastor Erik Christensen
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square
Deb Clapp
Executive Director, Chicago League of Theatres
Joe Antunovich
Antunovich Associates
Ginger Farley
Independent Dancer & Choreographer
Dawn Marie Galtieri
Executive & Artistic Director, Voice of the City
Jackie Samuel
Director, New Communities Program,
Claretian Associates
to their communities. There was an important dimension of
parish life that had been captured by scientific research. And
they said that this new program would help churches train
people to understand, at the local level, their real value to the
wider community, and that’s what caught my attention.
The other thing that struck me was how reasonable the cost
was. To have a number of our parishes go through a program
like this of intense training for $25,000 seemed very
reasonable, and the bishops and the Cardinal immediately
supported it.
We went through that first year and the initial feedback was
positive enough that we decided to make a commitment for
the next two years, so that we could eventually evaluate the
overall effectiveness of the program.
PFSP: What do you think the strong points of the training
have been?
MC: The training…helps [parishes] look at their public
social value and assess what their needs are as they look
to their future, both the facilities needs and the financial
needs, as well as some of the programs that might be
appropriate. It teaches them how to present all this to the
wider communities.
And the pastors learn much more about their parishes. They
learn much more about the planning procress. I was just
looking at the evaluations today, and one of the pastors said
that one of the most beneficial things that he learned in the
training was that the planning they had done for several
years was all in the wrong direction.
The other benefit that is in all the evaluations is bringing
in parishioners, and not just staff people, who themselves
come alive in a new way when they realize their history, the
value they bring to the community, and the real needs at the
parish. So the ownership level on the part of parishioners is
another real benefit of the program.
PFSP: So is it fair to say that New Dollars provides more than
just a tangible fundraising and restoration plan?
MC: Yes. The spirit is really kindled in this program, and in
a couple of different ways. One is seeing the richness of what
a parish is contributing to the community. Even though the
economics or demographics or whatever the pressures on
a parish are still there, the spirit has changed. And there is
also a sense of community among themselves; the training
builds stronger ties among the parishioners who participate
in the program. So I do think it makes a difference in terms
of their ability to go forth and say, “We are an important
piece of this community. Help us continue our own
contribution.”
PFSP: If you could do whatever you wanted with New Dollars,
what would you do?
MC: One piece we’ve already done and that is in addition to
the training sessions, is to have some individual contact with
the parishes as they are trying to implement the training.
Just because they’ve put together a plan doesn’t mean that
they know how to implement it – or that they will implement
it.
A second thing: I think after two to three years, like in any
organization, people need to revisit their plan, assess what
they’ve learned, what some of the failures ha ٔ