Growing into God’s Future Capital Campaign Witness
by Dorothy Garvin
When Peter asked me to give a brief talk about why Larry and I decided to donate to the St. Helen’s Capital Campaign, and I thought about explaining our decision, it was quite simple – We decided that it was important to contribute to this new building because St. Helen’s is not about the building.
This may seem, at first, to be a contradiction in terms, but it really isn’t. Larry and I have been a part of this congregation since the old days of St. David’s, meeting first in Cairine Wilson High School, and then, including the amalgamation with St. Hilda’s, in Garneau High. We were part of the campaign to raise money to build the church we presently occupy and if memory serves me correctly, I believe that we even purchased a chair for each of us to sit on!
At that time, and in the present campaign, this congregation wasn’t and isn’t focused on gothic arches, ornate carvings, plaster friezes or oaken pews. No, we are too busy! We are out there trying to help the homeless and disadvantaged, collecting food, money, and other items needed by those less fortunate in our community, for our brothers and sisters in the North, and in areas of desperation worldwide. We work to make quilts for cancer patients, and clean up streets in our city. We form teams to raise awareness and collect funds for research into disease. We entertain seniors, and try to “show Christ’s face to those we meet”.
Within these walls, we meet to joyously worship together, accompanied by wonderful music. Our children are being educated about the knowledge and love of God. We work at providing a fun and stimulating environment which shows our young people how they can turn faith into works for the wider community and our environment. We meet to extend our knowledge and understanding of Christianity. We offer healing.
As a congregation, the members of St. Helen’s deeply care about and support each other through the good times and the bad times of our lives, and often we hear thanksgivings for prayers and other help which has been offered. That’s what St. Helen’s is about, and you didn’t hear much in there about buildings. No, this congregation is not about the building, but a new building would be all about St. Helen’s. It would allow us to do all of the things I mentioned above in a better, bigger way.
Imagine rooms for Church School classes where they could have permanent storage and display space, a factor which makes a church more attractive to young families. Room for collection items which goes beyond cardboard boxes in the front porch, more room for worshippers at Sunday services, a separate hall for parish events which does not involve stacking all the chairs and then putting them all out again, and which would allow us to include more of the community. A bigger and more efficient kitchen requires no explanation. More office space for Peter and Susan, and for Vicky, so that she can do the administrative magic that she does, while Peter and/or Susan prepare sermons or offer counselling in a private space.
These are just a few of the things which we could imagine when we decided to contribute to the Capital Campaign. Not the building itself, but all of the good things happening within and outside of it.
