FAQ

  • St. Barnabas believes in the strength of our parish and our mission to do good in the world. Our exciting growth has led to a new Strategic Plan 2024-2029, with a vision to expand our footprint and community impact. From our founding, we have been a neighborhood church serving as a blessing to our neighbors. In the next 40 years, we want to continue growing in faith and sharing God's love with all people. As we step into the future, we seek to strengthen key resources including our physical facilities, finances, leadership, staff, and ministries. The capital campaign will help us achieve these goals.

  • We hope to raise $1.2 million over the next year in gifts and commitments. Some parishioners will give their gift over several years while others are giving this year. Both immediate and future gifts help us plant seeds for the future.


    1. Acquire Additional Land - Our first priority is acquiring adjacent property for the church, which will receive the majority of our campaign funds.

    2. Facility Master Plan - We will assess current and future needs as we grow and develop a Facility Vision Plan for expanding our building and utilizing the adjacent land. 

    Seed Funds for Growth - Campaign funding will develop new programs and initiatives to reach our neighbors, potentially requiring expanded staffing hours or roles. While ongoing staff costs are covered by our annual stewardship campaign, the Capital Campaign ensures we can confidently meet our parish's needs in this next season of growth.

General Information

  • One goal of the campaign is building upon our founding members' foundation while ensuring all current members feel included as we create a future for the next generation.

    • Learn More about the campaign through our website, information sessions, or by speaking with committee members.

    • Pray for Our Future and join us in discerning where God is calling our congregation.

    • Make a Gift. All gifts matter, whether $100, $1,000, or $10,000. Each of us helps plant seeds for a future community of faith. Your gift and participation are important as we grow together into the next generation.

  • We are offering information sessions and will hold visioning sessions in the coming year. We encourage you to share ideas or questions with our vestry or Capital Campaign team, submit feedback using the form on this page, or meet with us one-on-one. We hope you will share your dreams for St. Barnabas with us.

  • The vestry has unanimously approved the campaign launch and is leading by example through their own giving.


    Over the last 2 years, the vestry and strategic planning team have been in conversation with our ministry leaders, staff, and with the congregation about planning for the future of St. Barnabas. Last spring, we launched a parish wide survey and listening sessions as we worked to develop a strategic plan. The strategic plan calls for us to focus on 4 areas:

    • Deepen Spiritual Growth for all ages

    • Enhance Connections in the congregation and community

    • Expand Serving Others through outreach initiatives

    • Strengthen Key Resources for mission 

  • St. Barnabas is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, which includes about 70 churches across southern Ohio that share in ministry and mutual support. Our bishop, Kristin White, guides our churches, clergy and people. The diocese is offering financial support because they are excited by our growth and witness—providing a $220,000 grant toward purchasing additional land, a low-interest loan, and strategic advice as we plan for our future. We are grateful for all the ways they support St. Barnabas and all churches in our diocese.


Support

  • Most contributions will be cash gifts. Some donors make two, three, or four-year commitments to enable larger contributions. We also accept other gift types such as beneficiary designations for insurance policies, donor advised funds, stocks and bonds, and real estate. If you have questions about making a gift, contact Victoria Parks, our financial administrator, for guidance on required information.

  • Yes. Outright gifts are tax-deductible, and there are ways to structure gifts that provide lifetime income and additional tax benefits using highly appreciated assets. We are available to discuss this as part of your estate planning!

  • Our annual stewardship campaign cultivates generosity and engagement by encouraging parishioners to give their time, talent and treasure. Annual pledges during fall stewardship help our vestry and leaders create sound financial plans, knowing what members intend to contribute in the coming year. Like planning a household budget, stewardship ensures we can cover basic expenses including clergy and staff salaries, utilities, building maintenance, and program and outreach costs.

    The capital campaign is a special one-time effort to raise funds for major goals like purchasing land, building facilities, or launching new programs. These gifts allow us to expand our current work and take bold steps into the future.

  • All gifts are confidential. Only our parish financial administrator, Victoria Parks, will know the details and amount of each gift. The campaign committee will know who has given, but gift details remain confidential.


  • "Total gifts to date" includes:

    • Seed gifts ($100,000)

    • First fruits gifts ($551,000)

    • Current campaign gifts from the congregation

    • Commitments for future gifts from the congregation

    The grant and loan from the Diocese of Southern Ohio are not included in the capital campaign total.

Financial Questions

  • We have many ideas and plans, but first and foremost, we want the land to be a blessing to both St. Barnabas and our neighbors. We seek to create gathering spaces for weekday use by parishioners and non-parishioners alike. As our ministry grows, we will plan for the best use of the property. St. Barnabas has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire adjacent property and expand our footprint. After this first step, we will enter a design process to optimize our existing facilities and any additional land acquired.

  • We are working to determine costs for building additions and developing additional property. Raising $1.2 million will not cover the full development costs, so we will need to create a comprehensive plan incorporating land acquisition, new buildings, and renovations or expansions to our current facility. This is a multi-year process.

Future Plans

Now that you have read our FAQ’s,

we encourage you to share your own questions or comments.

Feedback Form

Campaign Leadership Team

The Reverend Canon Jane Gerdsen, Rector

John Byrne, Chair of Capital Campaign Committee

Tim Zelek, Vestry Liaison

Susan Crabill, Chair of Finance Committee

Jim Hill

Adrienne James

Marie Trelka

Kara Shay Thomson