Pledges to the Measure by Measure capital campaign exceeded $6.4 million as the congregation gathered for a Thanksgiving celebration last Sunday evening.
That total will continue to grow as additional pledges and gifts come in, explained Paul Johnson, minister of business administration. When the total was announced at the Sunday evening service, it stood at $6,411,418.94. By Monday morning, additional pledges had raised the total to $6,438,498.
Total households participating in the campaign stood at 418 as of Monday. That represents a significant increase in participation over previous capital campaigns, said Senior Pastor George Mason, who praised the congregation for catching the vision of Measure by Measure and pledging nearly twice the amount ever pledged in a capital campaign at Wilshire.
“The only thing you can say about what has happened is that we have seen God visit the hearts of the members of our fellowship,” said Jim Nation, one of the co-chairs of the campaign steering committee. “There was something new and special about holding hands at the end of our Thanksgiving service and singing Bless Be The Tie That Binds.”
Likewise, Sally Nation said she saw a spirit of cooperation throughout the campaign where “everyone was willing to do their job and even give extra time and energy if it was needed. Second best or just OK was not acceptable. And it shows.
“Even though we surpassed our goal, which is higher than we’ve ever had, I am more excited by the total number of families participating in this campaign,” she added. “Just to think what the future holds for Wilshire with more members willing to be better stewards with their financial resources is exciting. We have taken another big step in becoming a more active community of faith.”
Allen Walworth, a Wilshire member for 10 years before recently moving to Florida, served as campaign consultant through the Generis Group. He expressed amazement at what he observed happening through the Measure by Measure campaign.
“We prayed and worked from the start of the campaign toward the goal of seeing an unprecedented depth of generosity and breadth of participation for this campaign, believing that God wanted to stretch our faith, teach us more about Christian stewardship and enlarge our vision through this teachable moment in the life of our church,” he said. “But at the end, we are all left simply amazed and grateful for the sweeping movement of God’s Spirit, moving from home to home and heart to heart, weaving us all together like a tapestry of grace.
“Sometimes you get to witness the generosity of God and you can say, ‘Thanks be to God.’ And a very few times in one’s spiritual journey you get to witness an extraordinary moment of divine favor, and you can only say, ‘Wow!’ This was one of those moments.”
In addition to monetary pledges that will help rebuild Fellowship Hall, add parking and renovate and expand Choral Hall and the music wing, the Measure by Measure campaign includes creation of a Community Tapestry. Members were asked to contribute pieces of fabric that symbolize their faith journey and connection to Wilshire as a community of faith.
“The pieces of fabric and the stories behind them are overwhelming,” said Associate Pastor Mark Wingfield. “As we began to sort through the fabric cards Sunday afternoon, we experienced holy moments and quite a few tears. Truthfully, I cried so much I could not see the writing on the cards any more.
“Represented in these small pieces of fabric are stories of life and loss, love and hope, faith and family. Together, they will weave an incredible tapestry of our community of faith.”
Work on the Community Tapestry will be supervised by a lay team led by Jessica Capps. The tapestry will be created by fabric artist Shirley Cunningham, who also designed the Sanctuary paraments.
It’s not too late to contribute to the Community Tapestry or to make a pledge to the capital campaign. Pledges may be made at any time over the next three years. Fabric contributions will be accepted through January.
Work on the renovations to be funded through Measure by Measure is expected to begin by spring. The two task forces working on these tasks are finalizing architectural designs and hope to put the work out for bid in the next few weeks.
(214) 452-3100