Our Campaign Launch – September 2024

Pastor’s Message

Dear Beloved Community,
Pilgrim-St. Luke’s, United Church of Christ (PSL) has been part of your life, and you have been part of ours. We celebrate our connection and want to share an exciting opportunity.
I invite you to be part of our “A New Season: Repair, Restore, and Create” capital campaign. Our goal is to raise $250,000 to assure a safe, sustainable, and creative space where present and future generations can share life, encourage community, and c0-create a world of healing and hope for all, together.
For many generations PSL’s ministry has transformed and blessed diverse people. The way this church loves has healed and encouraged hope for many by welcoming and affirming the lives and gifts of the beautiful diversity of God’s creation: people of all ages and identities and people from different faith and spiritual paths. Our history of welcoming, companionship, and advocacy work continues to encourage inclusion and justice for and with LGTBQ people; a life with dignity and a future with hope for immigrant and refugee people; visibility and inclusion of people with disabilities; and a world of racial and economic justice. People come to PSL with their faith, doubts, questions, and devotion and feel that PSL is a community where they can bring their whole selves.
All of what we do and practice is rooted in and encouraged by our faith and our commitment as disciples of Jesus Christ to embody God’s expansive love, justice, and compassion in the world. PSL is an image of what God’s Beloved Community looks like.
PSL is a strong witness to God’s extravagant welcome. Our church provides a welcoming space for our diverse, multigenerational and multi-racial community. We are bursting with children who’s joy and wisdom inspire and teach us. We have a growing number of compassionate and inspirational young adults, wise and loving older adults, and families of all kinds. Together we continue to encourage and create ministries for all ages. Our building provides a safe space for connection and healing work for community partners who may not find welcome elsewhere: a Black diverse faith community, interfaith groups, mental health services organizations, and organizations working with children, workers, and refugees. These are just some ways that PSL touches and transforms lives in our community.
We are in great shape to take on this challenge. PSL has built and sustained continued financial stability and expects that our general operating budget will be met and our programs and outreach will move forward during our “A New Season: Repair, Restore, and Create” campaign.
“Behold, God is doing a new thing” at Pilgrim-St. Luke’s UCC! Help us faithfully continue to respond to God’s call to be a loving and transformative presence. We ask you to prayerfully consider making the most generous gift you have ever made to our congregation. Please take time to review the information, pray, and commit to give generously to “A New Season: Repair, Restore, and Create” campaign.
I want to thank you for staying connected to our congregation and for your prayerful consideration to being part of our campaign.
With you on the journey,
The Rev. Nancy Rosas, Pastor

Moderator’s Message

Case Statement

Sunday mornings–a sacred time when we gather as a congregation to learn and grow. As we spend time together, we also pause to reflect on the beauty that exists all around us.
The vibrant colors of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary, a poignant reminder of our church’s commitment to diversity and justice in our congregation, across our city, and around the globe.
The laughter of children, brought to a hush with the sound of a bell. It is that special time in the service when they are called to the front to learn more about who we are and what we believe. This lesson is not only for them but for all of us.

This is the place where we co-create the world we so desperately need and deserve.

This church has stood here for over a hundred and fifty years thanks to the strength, dedication, and courage of its members, coupled with their generosity in giving their money, time, and hard work. We now have an opportunity to preserve the physical manifestation of our faith and move our building into the future so that we can continue to serve the people who worship here, those in our neighborhood, and our global family.

Over many years, delayed maintenance has taken its toll on the appearance and functional well-being of the building. It is a patchwork of band-aids and prayer that nothing major breaks. It is also a building that works hard: housing two congregations, housing people in need of shelter and sanctuary, multiple interfaith and community-based organizations, and events of all kinds.
PSL’s long-term plan is centered around sustainability and stewardship, and how we, as a congregation, relate to our building and the natural world. We’ve had rich conversations over the past several years about what is needed to bring the physical structure in alignment with our most closely held values and beliefs. Now is the time for action.

The Board of Trustees, with input and guidance from the congregation, have identified specific areas which we would like to improve, remodel, and upgrade to fully engage the building in furthering our mission and vision.
Some areas have grown tired and outdated, others are in dire shape and pose a real safety threat, that’s why the Board of Trustees has taken a full accounting of what is needed and prioritized certain items ahead of others. This multi-phase plan will address these issues so we can focus on what really matters and be in our spiritual home for the next century. These ideas and areas of focus are more fully explored in the accompanying documents.

With inspiration from our children and elders, as well as the beauty that anchors our Sundays together with one another, we have selected “A New Season: Repair, Restore, Create” as our theme for this capital campaign. The result will be a safe, open and affirming, and sustainably restored place for God’s people, from one generation to the next. Join us in this new season of faith, giving, and hope!

Addressing Critical Maintenance Issues
Estimated Cost: $197,000

The Board of Trustees has put together a list of critical maintenance issues and categorized them using a rating system A-C, with wish list items as well, to delineate the level of urgency and importance. That list is provided for openness and transparency within the capital campaign process.
In short, we know what needs to be done, but financial constraints over the years have prevented us from making the necessary repairs to maintain our building. Demonstrating good stewardship of our building now means committing to raising the funds necessary to finally address these critical items, both interior and exterior, before the small fixes become big ones and the cost is too exorbitant.

Expanding and Improving the Spiritual Formation Rooms
Estimated Cost: $15,000

From one generation to the next. PSL is one of the few congregations in the city of Buffalo that has a thriving youth ministry program. On Sunday mornings, at least a dozen children are ushered upstairs to Spiritual Formation. While attendance isn’t a problem, what happens once they get there continues to be. In order to accommodate the growing needs of the children and teachers, who generously give of their time and talents, PSL needs to renovate the existing rooms and make plans to expand the ministry’s current footprint. This would include physical alterations to the spaces, as well as making it more welcoming to the youth who regularly attend and visit.

Installing Solar Panels and Sustainable Stewardship
Estimated Cost: $25,000

Buffalo is currently experiencing the impact of climate catastrophe on our ecosystem and will for the foreseeable future. PSL is dedicated to taking proactive steps to get off of fossil fuels and adopt harm reduction strategies as well. This includes installing solar panels on the roof of the church, which promises to reduce our current electricity costs by half, replacing our 35 year old boiler with heat pumps or other more efficient technologies, and additional climate interventions that are more congruent with who we are and what we value.
The capital campaign provides us with an opportunity to become a more climate aware congregation. It’s also a way to live out our faith and be fiscally responsible in the process. Finally, it expands our reach and position in the community as a hub and beacon for when climate catastrophe hits. We’ll be there and we’ll be ready.

Renovating the Commercial Kitchen & Dining Area
Estimated Cost: $13,000

PSL’s commercial kitchen is one of its greatest assets. It allows for events of all types to take place in the basement of the church, including after-worship potlucks and coffee hours. It will also play a key role in this fall’s “Intro to Small Food Businesses” series for immigrants, refugees, and underserved entrepreneurs. This is another way that PSL can minister to our global families in a tangible way.
Investment into the kitchen can also be to the benefit of the congregation. If the church is able to get a new commercial dishwasher and stove/oven, among other upgrades and improvements, it will be able to rent out the commercial kitchen and create a much-needed revenue stream.

Capital Campaign Priority Areas
Item Amount Priority

Boiler Replacement or Heat Pumps $100,000 A+
Commercial Dishwasher $5,000 A
Elevator Room Exhaust Fan $1,500 A
Exterior Brick Repair $20,000 A
Exterior Masonry Repointing and Glazing $12,000 A
Exterior Stucco Repair $20,000 A
Repair/Replace Small Flat Roof $3,000 A
Security Grates for Windows $4,000 A
Solar Panels on Small Flat Roof $25,000 A-/B+

Exterior Lighting for Front of Church $6,500 B+
Floor coverings for all carpeted areas $15,000 B+
De-Icing Cables for Small Flat Roof $2,500 B
Elevator Room Remediation – $5,000 B
Leaks and Water Damage
Repair Front Doors $2,000 B
Repair of Downstairs Bathrooms $8,000 B
Updated Spiritual Formation Rooms $15,000 B
Updated Outdoor Sign $1,000 C+

Donate to the Capital Campaign:

Contributions and donations can be made with cash, checks, stock transfers and using the online payment system, PayPal. You can be a one-time donation or have your contribution made over time, up to a three-year period. When using PayPal, please note that your donation is for the capital campaign. To access our PayPal account directly, use the QR Code below, or click here to donate.