October 21, 2008 marks the one year anniversary for Shepherd of the Hills in Bridgeton (St. Louis), as they gathered to praise God in a “Grand Re-Opening” in its fourth ministry location in its 42-year history. Thanks to two airport buyouts, the congregation is in its third church facility, following a season of being a “portable church” that worshipped at a local elementary school. Pastor Dan Barwinski, who has served the congregation for over 16 years in all its locations, is fond of saying that the congregation worshipped in a school “for two years, three months and two Sundays—but who was counting?”

Thanks to ecumenical cooperation and reasonable rent, the congregation enjoyed office space and had all their congregational belongings stored at John Calvin Presbyterian Church while a new location was secured and a new church facility was built. John Calvin, also dislocated by the airport, bought a former Circuit City facility, which came fully equipped with a warehouse that accommodated church furnishings and had sufficient space for another church office.

Guided by the Holy Spirit and a hard-working Future Actions Ministry Team, the congregation found three acres in a visible, accessible location, just south of the I-70 corridor and within their historic service area. This was not easily accomplished since the airport expansion destroyed a third of the Bridgeton community—dislocating 6,000 people, 75 businesses and 6 churches for a single runway that is used less than 5% of the time (but that’s another story).

Securing the necessary resources to purchase comparable property and build a brand new facility presented a significant challenge. Initial offers from the airport authority in no way represented “just” compensation for the relocation endeavor. The negotiation stalemate propelled them into a condemnation process that provided better reparation but still left a sizeable deficit.

To meet these financial challenges, Shepherd of the Hills engaged the “Key Leadership” stewardship program of the ELCA to launch their first-ever capital funds drive. Not only did generous members and friends of this 200 member congregation exceed their “dream goal”, they also received gifts and pledges for a “Sharing God’s Blessings” benevolent project for Liberia, Africa, where several of their newer members have come from as they fled a violent civil war.

The Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA worked to provide an affordable loan, approving the maximum loan amount possible, with interest-only payments during construction and periodic on-site consultation to encourage the building venture. The congregation is deeply grateful that the Mission Investment Fund also responded to a special plea by providing a $30,000 mission endowment grant so that the Sunday School wing could be completely finished.

The congregation also sponsored special fund raising events, contributed “third-mile” gifts to purchase new moveable pew chairs to maximize flexibility in the 210-seat worship space (which allowed for a “barn dance” at this year’s Central States Synod Assembly), and members and friends provided funding and contributions of “time and talent” on several “sweat equity” projects to complete the project with available resources. All of these additional gifts—that is all the funds given above and beyond regular tithes and offerings for the ongoing ministries of the congregation and all the “second-mile” building fund contributions—helped this resilient group of God’s people to realize the dream of a new “worship space and ministry equipping center”.

The beautiful but modest 9,000 square foot church facility has drawn many new people from the community into the life and mission of this small but vibrant congregation. Sunday worship attendance has increased by 25% in this first year in their new facility, with an average of 102 people each Sunday. Twenty-seven new members have joined since October of last year and there are more new faces each week.

God is good (all the time) and out of struggle and death, God amazingly brings new life for the sake of blessing our world in Christ Jesus!

Submitted by:
Rev. Dan Barwinski
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
Bridgeton, Mo,
September 30, 2008

“We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” Psalm 66:12NIV

Mission Investment Fund – A Financial Ministry of the ELCA

Throughout the United States, the Word of God is being proclaimed in Lutheran congregations that have been built, renovated or expanded with loans from the Mission Investment Fund of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Bricks, mortar and money may not seem like spiritual work to many church people. Yet every brick and nail that goes into the creation of a new sanctuary, fellowship hall or education wing supports the ministry of the people of God as they extend their witness to the love of Jesus Christ in their communities. Thanks to its investors, the Mission Investment Fund is able to make loans to congregations and ELCA-related ministries, turning bricks and mortar into effective ministry.

Congregations, their members, and synods are eligible to participate in the Mission Investment Fund. The fund seeks to further the ELCA’s ministry and mission by enabling investors to earn competitive interest rates on their financial resources. Invested monies are used by the fund to make loans to:

• New mission congregations for purchases of land and construction of initial church buildings

• Established congregations for renovation, expansion, relocation projects, and purchases of land

• ELCA-related ministries such as seminaries and social ministry organizations for capital projects

In addition to the loans and investments that it offers, the Mission Investment Fund provides consulting services to ELCA congregations through its church building consultants and staff architects. The consultants help congregational leaders to explore options for church construction financing and plans for building projects. The staff architects supply initial schematic design proposals that congregations can take to local architects. The consultants’ and architects’ services are provided at no charge.

The Fund’s area representatives are available to meet with congregations and ELCA-related ministries regarding loans and investment opportunities offered by the Mission Investment Fund. For more information, visit: www.elca.org/mif.