Your Sacred Space is a Community Asset

Congregations have enormous impact on their surrounding communities. Sacred spaces strengthen communities through public ministry, neighborhood programs, space availability and more.

This workshop helps leaders to understand the importance of their congregations in their local communities, how they can strengthen the relationship between churches and neighborhoods and how they can work together to attract new partners and resources.

Director of training at Partners for Sacred Places, Elizabeth Terry leads this interactive workshop. Each participant will:

• Learn how to research his or her congregation’s heritage and culture.
• Explore the architecture styles of buildings, learn how to assess the condition of facilities, and commit to ongoing maintenance.
• Understand how to make strong cases for broad-based community support by using an assessment of the “public value” of the buildings that house outreach programs.
• Leave this workshop with an outline of a case statement, an understanding of asset-mapping, an initial public value calculation and a basic community outreach plan.

Central to Partners for Sacred Places’ work with congregations is their unique web-based tool that helps congregations identify and value community engagement programs – the “public value” of a congregation’s contribution to its community.  Armed with this data, congregational leaders begin to see their facilities as social, cultural and spiritual assets in their communities. Participants will use this web-based tool during the workshop.

Congregations are encouraged to bring teams of four or more individuals who have interest in and responsibilities for stewardship, building maintenance, community ministries, and/or leadership development.  Ideal teams will consist of both ordained and lay leadership. Each congregational team should bring a laptop in order to participate in the day’s exercises. 

Elizabeth Terry has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit field. She is a national workshop presenter and has been a lay minister since 1994. At Partners for Sacred Places, she is responsible for consulting and training programs for congregations and schools of theology.

The workshop is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Central time) Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at Christ Presbyterian Church, 7416 E. 109th Ave. in Winfield and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Eastern time) Thursday, February 2, 2012 at First Christian Church, 531 5th St. in Columbus. Congregational teams are strongly encouraged. The cost of the workshop is $25 a person for congregational teams of three or more when registered together. The workshop fee is $30 a person for teams of two.  The cost includes lunch and workshop materials. Events are limited to Indiana congregations.